Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Buddy Greene was in a creative hinterland for many a long year, a talented guy who couldn't sell CDs with music too country to pass for pop, a virtuoso of an uncool instrument (harmonica) and too long in the tooth to pass muster as a Nashville youth icon. Then suddenly, breathtakingly unexpectedly he wrote a stone classic. That song is the first one here and demonstrates again that 'Mary Did You Know' is the best Christmas song written for decades, a ballad of tender beauty and breathtaking imagery which brings the breathtaking wonder of the incarnation into vivid focus. Buddy's rendition is beautiful, better than the version by Kenny Rodgers and almost as good as the Ralph Van Manen rendition. Sadly though, the rest of the album is like a glass of Alkaseltzer after a Christmas feast, a laboured, thoroughly cheesy run through songs like 'Little Drummer Boy' and 'Silent Night'. Occasionally he breaks into a corny hoedown ('Christmas Time's A-coming'), sometimes he does melodramatic harmonica renditions of grizzly standards ('The Christmas Song') and only rarely does he have a song worthy of his talent (the beautiful Irish aire 'The Servant Way'). Considering what a groundbreaking album this could have been this is dull Christmas fare.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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