陽光大衛私房粉絲網

謝謝pixie粉絲的好康相報！作者每首歌都寫了單獨的評論，包括伴奏和歌聲都有，實在太用心了！

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Joy to the World: The song begins simply and traditionally, with a musical foundation of piano and a snare drum tapping out a march rhythm. Emanuel Kiriakou, who co-wrote and produced Crush, also produced and arranged this song. He also plays most of the instruments on the track, save for the strings, which come in on the intro. David sings it straight for the first couple verses, then begins to vocalize during an instrumental bridge that works in the melody from Angels We Have Heard on High, the following track. David takes more liberties with the melody on the final verse, moving it into his upper register. If this tracks sets the tone for the entire album, it'll be pretty standard fare, easy to listen to, with few surprises.

Angels We Have Heard on High: On this one, David works with Utah-based composer Kurt Bestor, whose Christmas concerts apparently are a something of a holiday tradition in Utah. It takes more of an orchestral tone early on, with strings arranged by Bestor and performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Like Joy to the World, Angels incorporates passages from another tune, Johann Sebastian Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. Bestor's arrangement gives David a lot to work with dynamically, and his fans should be pleased with his pop-classical performance.

O Come All Ye Faithful: The second of five Kiriakou productions on Christmas From the Heart more or less follows the pattern of the first. Like Joy to the World, this is a pseudo-classical arrangement of the hymn. David stays close to the melody early, vocalizes during the instrumental passages, then lets loose for the final verse.

Silent Night: This one features two more Utah-based composer/arrangers, Sam Cardon and Richard Parkinson. Not sure about Cardon, but Parkinson's involvement with David precedes his appearances on American Idol. This has a lovely, gentle arrangement, full of low strings and solo woodwind passages, with a minor-key introduction that offsets the song's familiar melody. Easily my favorite track so far.

The First Noel: This English carol gets a bit of a pop reharmonization with the opening piano chords, but Kiriakou's arrangement still brings in the strings and gives David a little room to play with the melody. Fans of David who like this song will probably enjoy it, but most other people would probably have a tough time making a case for this version over the hundreds of others that have preceded it.

O Holy Night: You remember I said that David and Richard Parkinson had worked together before American Idol. Here's a case in point. The following video, from December 2007, features David singing this song, with Parkinson accompanying him on piano.

That version of O Holy Night might very well have served as a template for this more fully realized recording, which features harp and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's string section.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: David sings this one with Filipina star Charice Pempengco. Maybe because he's trying to match his voice to hers, this performance brings out the lighter side of his voice, and that's a sound I like -- especially when the two singers are harmonizing. Nothing extraordinary here, but David and Charice sure sound sweet together.

I'll Be Home for Christmas: This World War II-era favorite -- originally a hit for Bing Crosby in 1943 -- gets a slightly modernized, jazzy treatment here. Other than that, it's a pretty straightforward version, with David playing with the melody a bit on the final verse.

Pat-A-Pan: I'm a major Christmas music buff, with literally hundreds of holiday LPs and CDs, so I love it any time an artist strays from the beaten path. Therefore, David gets kudos from me for picking this under-appreciated carol, which is basically a French version of the Little Drummer Boy story. And he gets bonus points for singing part of it in French. Bestor's back for this one, so it's got the Prague Philharmonic strings enriching its minor-key melody, but it's also got percussion that gives the track a more modern rhythmic feel.

What Child Is This: First, we had the familiar Christmas hymns (Joy to the World, O Come All Ye Faithful), then we had the pop standards (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, I'll Be Home for Christmas). Now, we seem to be settling into a different sort of tradition, the minor-key European carols. And, me, I think I'm happiest here. What Child Is This is set to an English tune called Greensleeves, but Michael Dowdle's guitar here gives it more of a Spanish flamenco feel that's fleshed out with woodwinds, solo cello and a dramatic string arrangement.

Riu Riu Chiu: Here's another lesser-known carol (one that's been a recent favorite for me since I heard Sixpence None the Richer's recording last year, because I had pretty much forgotten about it since the Monkees sang it on TV back in 1967), this one from Spain, around the 15th or 16th century. Producer/arranger John Hancock quotes from the Ukrainian Carol of the Bells at the beginning -- if you know that melody, you'll get a sense of Riu Riu Chiu's somber mood. David sings it in Spanish, and the it probably shows off his range more than any preceding tune. My new favorite from the album.

Ave Maria: This is the Charles Gounod/Johann Sebastian Bach Ave, not the one by Franz Schubert. It gives David the chance to sing in the album's fourth language, Latin. David may have the range to sing the melody, but his breathy voice can't really stand up to the definitive performances of this song (say, Luciano Pavarotti's). But it does have a cherubic quality to it, especially when the Salt Lake Children's Choir chimes in.

Melodies of Christmas: The album's lone original song (credited to David and Z. Picante) talks about the joyous and nostalgic power that the season's tunes have over the people who sing and hear them. It works in quotes and references to several Christmas tunes and has many of the season's musical signifiers -- bright, ringing piano chords, sleigh bells, chimes etc. American Idol Season 9 contestant David Osmond is one of the backing vocalists.

Most Recommended: Riu Riu Chiu, Silent Night, Pat-A-Pan