Elvis Presley Christmas Duets
Album Description
Elvis’ most cherished holiday classics reinterpreted by today’s biggest female stars with Elvis Presley! The album features ‘Blue Christmas’ with Martina McBride, ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’ with Carrie Underwood, ‘Here … More >>
Bookmark
Related Posts
5 Comments Add yours
You must be logged in to post a comment.
February 27, 2010
3:08 am
I have not yet listened to this CD, therefore I feel it unfair for me to knock or try to review the final outcome of these altered recordings. I will however state my opinion about the “idea” behind this album. Elvis Presley is an icon, a true legend, the King Of Rock & Roll. These new country teenie-bobbers (such as Carrie Underwood) are a flash in the pan today, but will soon be forgotten in a few years. Elvis Presley will NEVER be forgotten. It is a joke to even begin to think about inserting these girls voices into Elvis’ classic recordings and trying to pair them up next to Elvis’ talent….and then slapping HIS name on the album, as if it were an actual album that Elvis himself approved of and wanted the public to hear.
It was different with Hank Williams & Hank Williams, Jr. or Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole….they were trying to pay tribute to their fathers (such as Lisa Marie Presley has done in recent times)- but the women on these recordings were, are, and always will be complete and total strangers to Elvis Presley. I don’t personally think that Elvis WANTED to do duets with very many people; that is why there are only a few- those being with Ann Margaret, or a live performance with Frank Sinatra.
I think that NO ONE should have the right to be able to alter Elvis’ music in this way. I am extremely familiar with his work. I know every word to these Christmas recordings of his- and I know that he did NOT need any “help” by any of these women to sing these songs, or to make them sound good. They were already perfect; so don’t mess with them.
To sum up what I am trying to say….if Elvis Presley was not there himself to give them permission to do this to his music, then it should not have happened at all. He may not have wanted this- in fact I don’t really imagine that he would have been a fan of all of these women singers. He might not have found them to be talented at all in his opinion. Who knows?
ELVIS shaped a generation- Carrie Underwood won a big karaoke contest (in most part based on her looks, because there is nothing that sets her voice apart from any other new female singer out there).
ELVIS had style, class, talent, originality, and will forever go down in history as the greatest entertainer that God ever put on this Earth- Gretchen Wilson however, is a woman who claims to be the ultimate “redneck”, but is from Illinois. She comes off as being the girl who would always be the drunkest one at the bar each night, and spouting off obsceneties as she downs one shot after another and then leaves the bar with someone different night after night. She appears to me to posess NONE of the qualities that Elvis presented to this world….and I just don’t find people like that to be worthy of messing with Elvis’ recordings.
On another note, if this project were done by pairing Elvis up with other greats that might have come closer to being in the same ballpark as himself (such as the late Ray Charles, or Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Loretta Lynn, etc.- then I still wouldn’t really agree that it should be done, but I would find it to make more sense and I would be more open to accepting it and giving it a fair listen.
Fans of these new country women (who all pretty much sound alike, and are doing well in their careers mostly because they are all a bunch of eye-candy, and because REAL country music died somewhere in the late ’90’s) probably will not agree with me….and that is OK. I respect everyone’s own personal music taste. I am just a guy who misses the days when the artists didn’t have to look like Playboy bunnies or clean-cut GQ models in order to sell records. It was their talent, the words of their songs, and the uniqeness of their voices that made them stars. I miss the days when people like Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, KT Oslin, George Jones, Bob Dylan or even Hank Williams, and many such as that were making the hit songs on the radio. They might not have all been the best-looking people out there, but they definetely had talent, and when you heard their voices- you knew right away who you were listening to. They had feeling and emotion in their voices- they weren’t just trying to belt out words, and see who could hit the highest octave or hold a note the longest (like I feel that Celine Dion tried to do when paired up next to Elvis’ voice on a show that picks it’s winners based on these things that I mention, along with physical appearance). They did not blend into one another and all sound the same like I feel the stars of today do. This opinion is coming from a guy who is 31 years of age….not someone that young people would feel is simply an old-timer with a closed mind. I am just simply passionate about the music that I love.
In closing, this album may be something that could easily be enjoyed by young girls out there who aren’t really all that familiar with Elvis Presley’s work- but who are fans of “new” country….but if you are like me, and you truly are an Elvis Presley fan- then stick with ELVIS’ real Christmas albums, and not this CD.
Rating: 1 / 5
February 27, 2010
3:18 am
Did not like this one to much only a couple of songs like Silver Bells and Silent Night were ok but nothing to brag on. They should have left this one alone Elvis voice was so unique it was not meant to be a duet with others. I don’t highly recommend this cd it’s ok for collection but other wise i don’t recommend it mine will go in my collection and i won’t play this one at Christmas i will play the original Elvis Christmas album.
Anne
Rating: 3 / 5
February 27, 2010
6:00 am
I am very disappointed with this album. I played it once and it is now to be donated to a charity.
Rating: 1 / 5
February 27, 2010
7:52 am
If Elvis were still with us I feel sure he would have recorded duets with stars of the day by now. Certainly doing duets with country stars wouldn’t be a stretch.
Would he like this album? Why not? It’s well done. It certainly pays homage to his music and memory. Sure it would be better if he were actually there to contribute in person. But…
Me? I love the CD.
Rating: 4 / 5
February 27, 2010
8:44 am
I love this CD and recommend it everyone. However, it is impossible (not that they were trying) to improve on Elvis’s wonderful Christmas music. This CD represents a great marketing strategy utilizing some of country’s best known female artists to expose his delightful and memorable holiday music to a wider demographic (way to go Priscilla). Personally, I would have selected a more diversified group of performers for these duets especially to include Celine Dion. I also would have included other great Elvis Christmas classics such as “If Everyday Were Like Christmas”,”The Wonderful World Of Christmas”,”Holly Leaves And Christmas Trees”, On A Snowy Christmas Night”, It Want Seem Like Christmas Without You”, and “I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day” just to name a few. Perhaps later? Buy this CD and if you don’t already have the original get it as well. Merry Christmas!!
Rating: 5 / 5