STYLE: Southern Gospel RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 167336-26440 LABEL: Stow Town 492640 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1 RELEASE DATE: 2017-11-24 RRP: £12.99
Reviewed by Tony Cummings
Yes. . . Cross Rhythms does know we've missed this release by six months. . . This no doubt sold by the bushel last Christmas though it's been a tricky one for me to get my head around. It was produced by the award-winning producer Wayne Ham who was described by one reviewer as "a connoisseur in bringing us back to the sepia-toned era of Frank Sinatra when music was romantic and affecting." So you get the general idea - lush, string-filled orchestrations, occasional contributions from a children's choir and songs which range from the over-recorded ("We Wish You A Merry Christmas") to the downright terrible ("A Holly Jolly Christmas"). The same reviewer who enthused about Wayne Ham suggested that the Southern gospel stalwarts' rendition of "Silver Bells" is "easily giving Perry Como a run for his money." In my jaundiced view that's not saying much. The Perrys were formed by Randy Perry in 1970 and his wife, Libby Perry Stuffle is still with the group, though their current lead singer Andrew Goldman clearly isn't a Perry. They are a class act in terms of technique; just listen to the way they hold the high notes on "O Holy Night". But for me 'A Very Perry Christmas' has stepped so far into easy listening territory it's hardly deserving of the label Southern gospel.
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not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
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Product Description
The journey for The Perrys began on Christmas Day in 1970, when siblings Libbi, Randy & Debra gathered around a piano to sing. After 47 years of full-time ministry, thousands of fans and an impressive number of accolades including chart topping album sales and radio singles, The Perrys are finally adding their first Christmas album to the impressive discography. Appropriately titled, A Very Perry Christmas, this album will lift the spirits and whisk you away to Christmases past with their classic arrangements of familiar tunes from the tender, Silver and Gold (from the television classic, Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer) to the joyous favourite, We Wish You A Merry Christmas to the official Christmas song of Hawaii, Mele Kalikimaka. So start the fire, brew the hot cocoa, grab the peppermint sticks and get ready for a VERY PERRY CHRISTMAS!