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Bob Dylan - Christmas In The Heart
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| Slantmagazine |
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Arriving more than a month before Thanksgiving, the de facto start of the Christmas season, Christmas in the Heart comes off as something of an oddity, a feeling not lessened by the fact that this is a Bob Dylan Christmas album. Apparently aware of this incongruity, as he seems to be about every eccentric move he makes, Dylan plays up the weirdness, distorting his already raspy voice for twistedly ragged renditions of holiday standards. There's no tremendous sense of exploration on any of these arrangements, meaning that they settle into the kind of creaky fireside ambiance that fits the season. "Do You Hear What I Hear" adds some welcome ornamental touches but retains the martial drumbeat usually associated with the song. "Winter Wonderland," with its sprightly girl-group backing, has a weird lack of focus that hops between the Andrews Sisters's version of the song and various Supremes Christmas songs before settling into a country twang polished with slide guitar. He also takes on the Andrews Sisters's "Christmas Island," which, though not a classic for a reason, has a half-familiar shine that makes it an interesting choice....full text |
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| Boston |
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A colleague’s recent knee-jerk reaction says it better than I ever could. Vaguely aware of what was about to play, she put on the headphones, heard the cloying female backup vocals that open “Winter Wonderland,’’ and promptly pleaded: “Oh, God. Please don’t let Bob Dylan start singing.’’ But then he did, in that paint-peeling croak, and she cringed and politely handed back the headphones. OK, that’s a harsh indictment of a decent album with good intentions, but it’s also an astute barometer of how many people will respond to Dylan’s first Christmas recording. Mercifully, this is not even a remotely religious record, which shouldn’t surprise fans familiar with Dylan’s ever-evolving spirituality. Starting with the album artwork, including a cartoon image of pinup Bettie Page in Santa attire, “Christmas in the Heart’’ is a jovial period piece full of the old-time comforts you expect from Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion.’’ While it’s refreshing to see Dylan try a bit of whimsy, too often the album errs on the side of kitsch....full text |
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| Allmusic |
| After the initial shock fades, the existence of Christmas in the Heart seems perhaps inevitable. After all, the thing Bob Dylan loves most of all are songs that are handed down from generation to generation, songs that are part of the American fabric, songs so common they never seem to have been written. These are the songs Dylan chooses to sing on Christmas in the Heart, a cheerfully old-fashioned holiday album from its Norman Rockwell-esque cover to its joyous backing vocals. Apart from the breakneck "Must Be Santa," which barrelhouses like a barroom, Dylan doesn't really reinterpret these songs as much as simply play them with his crackerjack road band, dropping in a little flair — restoring "we'll have to muddle through somehow" to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," singing the opening of "O Come All Ye Faithful" in its original Latin — but never pushing tunes in unexpected directions. Many would argue having Dylan croon these carols is unexpected enough and, true, there are times his gravelly rumble is a bit pronounced, but nothing here feels forced, it all feels rather fun, provided you're on the same wavelength as latter-day Bob, where the sound and swing of the band is as important as the song, where there's an undeniable nostalgic undertow to all the proceedings. And, of course, there's no better time for celebratory sound, swing, and nostalgia than the holidays, which may be why Christmas in the Heart is a bit of a left-field delight....full text |
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