#
Audio CD
# Original Release Date : October 2008 (USA)
# Number of Discs: 1
# Label: Hallmark/A&M Interscope
Basic Track listing
01. Go Tell It on the Mountain
02. The Christmas Song
03. White Christmas
04. I'll Be Home for Christmas
05. Merry Christmas, Baby
06. The Bells of St. Mary's
07. Blue Christmas
08. O Holy Night
09, There is a Star That Shines Tonight
10. All Through the Night
REVIEWS
Tennessean.com
By Cindy Watts
Sheryl Crow sets the tone for her eclectic Christmas album with its first song, a bluesy, comfortable version of "Go Tell It on the Mountain" that's laced with tasty guitar licks and a chorus of unfussy backing vocals. She follows that with her swinging take on "The Christmas Song," a polished-by-comparison version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and the heartfelt "There Is a Star That Shines Tonight." The CD — available exclusively at Hallmark Crown Stores — is a soulful exercise in genre-jumping that'll offer something palatable to most music fans.
Skope Magazine
By RME
I have to admit that I haven’t been excited about new Christmas offerings (especially in September), after previously hearing everything from James Brown to Johnny Mathis, to Nat King Cole, to Bob Rivers, and to quote Quint (Robert Shaw) from Jaws, “And everything in between!” Note: I have to admit though, that the past two seasons, Hall & Oates release and re-release was great and didn’t disappoint.
First, I wondered what Go Tell It On The Mountain was doing on here. I guess I never paid attention to the lyrics being of seasonal spiritual significance. She gets a pass on this one. The Christmas Song has a progressive jazz type beat, okay for use by a female singer, competing against the realms of traditionally dominant male smoky throated vocalists like Mel Torme and Nat King Cole that came before. The disc is laden with 20’s-40’s movie-like big band/jazz soundstage backdrops. White Christmas and I’ll Be Home For Christmas get the full Roaring 20’s Speakeasy club torch-singer treatment. Merry Christmas Baby has a real Tyrone Davis funky feel, which kind of translates to a way Southside Johnny or Springsteen (and the Big Man in a red suit with a sax) would treat it. Blue Christmas also has the Asbury Park vibe going on.
To tell you the truth, I expected a country styled presentation of the songs, instead of the laid back Rita Haworth “Gilda” inspired treatment (Her pic on the cover sleeve even has a similar black sleek dress). The disc is a good easy listening, watching the logs in the fireplace compliment. Sheryl of course, does a good job with everything she works on, this being no exception. I was pleased to listen to the same traditional songs done in this fashion.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The New York Times
By John Pareles
Although it was recorded in California, “Home for Christmas” looks toward Ms. Crow’s current home state, Tennessee, for a strong tinge of Memphis soul. Booker T. Jones, the organist who led the Stax studio band Booker T. & the MG’s, sits in, and many of the songs have a soul-style horn section nudging Ms. Crow’s voice along. It’s an album of cozy versions of familiar material; she doesn’t sound all that blue on “Blue Christmas.” But the tone is right for a new song by Ms. Crow: the hymnlike “There Is a Star That Shines Tonight,” which neatly mingles the personal and the political.
-Jon Pareles
Source: The New York Times
Blogcritics.com
By Donald Gibson
In past years, Sheryl Crow has contributed select performances to various holiday music compilations, most notably to the Special Olympics benefit series, A Very Special Christmas. This year, she has released her first full-length holiday album, Home For Christmas, which is available exclusively from Hallmark.
Covering nine yuletide standards as well as one original song, Crow is at turns playful and poignant, summoning a warmhearted, musically eclectic set.
Some songs accentuate a thick blanket of brass, encouraging Crow to deliver particularly spirited and soulful performances. She spruces up “Blue Christmas” — a new recording, not her 1997 rendition — with a chugging arrangement highlighted by Booker T. Jones’ agile organ flourishes. On the spiritual, “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” Crow leads a rich and stirring recital enlivened by a gospel choir. As well, she jazzes up “White Christmas” as bassist David Hayes anchors a swinging rhythm; and she works up a loose and boisterous version of “Merry Christmas Baby” that revels in mischievous delight.
Other songs embrace more of a majestic yet unassuming resonance, drawing out melodic subtleties that envelop Crow’s sinuous voice. “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” is interpreted with grace and sincerity, the singer inflecting a tinge of melancholy amid a veil of strings. Similarly, “The Bells of St. Mary” assumes a sort of resplendence as Crow enriches its deft orchestration with, arguably, her finest vocal on the album.
With her self-penned offering, “There Is A Star That Shines Tonight,” Crow takes to the piano in an earnest prayer for world peace while, on the traditional, “All Through The Night,” she conveys reassurance, intoning its lyrics like a lullaby.
On the whole, Home For Christmas not only makes for an engaging complement to Sheryl Crow’s catalog, but would be a worthy addition to any holiday music collection as well.
Associated Press
By John Carucci
Sheryl Crow earns some "frequent listener" miles with her new holiday album, "Home for Christmas." Crow nails the seasonal thing down by applying her usual mix of styles. There's funk, soul, gospel, and heaping doses of wholesome rock all blended nicely. As a result, the record is every bit a Sheryl Crow album as it is a contribution of holiday songs. It's only available through Hallmark, but being that this is the season of greeting cards, you're bound to come across it numerous times.
Crow starts things off with a rootsy version of "Go Tell It On a Mountain," where she immediately conjures up images of her playing at a church social. From there she picks things up with a cheerful version of "The Christmas Song," replete with a bright horn section. Then she gets sultry with "White Christmas," and ends the album with the somber "All Through the Night."
Crow also contributes to the genre by penning one of the album's tracks, "There is a Star That Shines Tonight."
The only criticism has nothing to do with its content, rather with its length. At just over 40 minutes, it gets you in the groove, and poof ... it ends.
Seattle Times
By Patrick MacDonald
"Home For Christmas," Sheryl Crow (Hallmark). Available only at Hallmark stores, this is another impressive holiday release by the greeting-card company. Crow's "White Christmas" is a slow-rocking ballad with horns, "The Bells of St. Mary's" is dramatic and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is drenched in sentiment. Her impressive new original song, "There Is A Star That Shines Tonight," is peaceful and sweet.
The Sunday Paper
By Lee Valentine Smith
Sheryl Crow, “Home for the Holidays” (Hallmark): An exclusive offering from the Hallmark Gold Crown store, Crow’s radiant collection of standards and an outstanding new tune is well worth a trip to the card shop.
The Denver Post
One of Crow's best attributes is her likability, and this collection plays mostly to that strength. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "White Christmas" try too hard to sound timeless (and end up sounding embarrassing), but Crow's tastefully funky takes on "The Christmas Song" and the jazzy "I'll Be Home for Christmas" are pitch-perfect mood setters.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
By Dave Tianen of the Journal Sentinel
My personal favorite among the new discs. Her original producer, Bill Bottrell, has brought out the gritty, Southern side of Crow's music. "Go Tell It on the Mountain" has the flavor of a Blind Boys of Alabama session and "Bells of St. Mary's" has a wisp of Otis Redding. A Hallmark Gold Crown exclusive.
http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/35480574.html
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Los Angeles Times
albums can feel tossed off, and this one’s no exception. At least Crow sounds as if she enjoyed herself with R&B-leaning arrangements of holiday favorites. Her one original, the fetching prayer for peace “There Is a Star That Shines Tonight,” will leave a lot of listeners wondering what else she might have to say about the season.
2 ½ out 4 stars
Yellowscene.com
No one does annoyingly inoffensive pabulum better than Hallmark records, so Sheryl Crow, with all her personal triumphs over things like depression and her failed marriage to Lance Armstrong, makes a perfect bedfellow. Too bad none of that pain seeps into the sounds on this album, which lacks originality. The title track is blander than cheese sandwiches on white bread for dinner with Bryant Gumbel. Blech.
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