In Brian Wilson's world, christmas feels more like loss than like presents. It's not just that he dedicates this cd to his two "beloved brothers" who he misses singing christmas carols with. It's also his voice--older, harder, less resilient. what i really want for christmas is sad and beautiful like a childhood memory of christmas past: wishing the wonder could recreate itself, realizing it won't, and expanding the bittersweet knowledge of experience into something clear and lasting. most of the songs surprise, but the a capella auld lang syne is the diamond in the collection, arranged and sung as if it were the last song being sung on the last day of the world.
This is a solid album from beginning to end, Brian Wilson fan or not. No longer doing it all himself, Brian is getting better at "playing" his band and their voices like an instrument, much like he played the Beach Boys so well. Brian has taken classic songs and given them his own trademark sound with his talented arrangement and production. His voice has changed from his youth, but it is strong here and his production is still sharp. For Brian fans, this CD adds more hope for what is yet to come.
It is now safe to say that there have been two periods where Brian Wilson has been at his peak. The first is the well-documented period from about 1964 - 1970, when his productions, arrangements, and performances created masterpieces like "The Little Girl I Once Knew," "California Girls," "Cool, Cool Water," "Salt Lake City," "Busy Doin' Nothing," "Add Some Music To Your Day," and, of course, most of the TODAY and all of the PET SOUNDS albums. Not to mention a ton of other brilliant compositions/productions from one of the few contemporary musicians who can REALLY be considered a genius.
The period from 1971 - 2003 gave us many wonderful creations as well, but there was a lot of hit-and-miss in there. Still, we got to savor pieces like "Til I Die," "Marcella," "Funky Pretty," his Fairy Tale, parts of LOVE YOU, and a few tracks on Brian's solo releases starting with BRIAN WILSON, and on through IMAGINATION and GETTIN' IN OVER MY HEAD.
But as enjoyable as some of the moments were on Brian's solo and group work over the last few decades, with last year's SMILE, Brian Wilson recaptured the brilliance of his first great period, as his new snatches of music fit in seamlessly with the old ones, and performance-wise, there was almost nothing that could be faulted.
And now with WHAT I REALLY WANT FOR CHRISTMAS, Brian is back with another absolutely brilliant album. Sure, he didn't write most of the music, but you'd almost think he did, as every measure is instilled with his arranging and production talents that set his work apart from everybody else making music on this planet over the last fifty years. And he's not just aping approaches taken on his classic Beach Boys' songs -- his inventiveness in interpreting these hoary classics has revitalized them like they haven't been in ages.
The creativity, the beauty, and the humor that he has imparted into these productions separates this Christmas album from almost all others. There is so much to listen to in each track, which is the hallmark of almost all previous Brian Wilson classics. Some of his musical embellishments create those spine-tingling feelings you got when you first heard moments like the "deep and wide" vocal burst from "Time To Get Alone" and, well, if you're a Brian Wilson fan, you know what I'm talking about. But it's not just "awe" -- there are many instances on this musical Christmas present that are so brilliantly joyful, clever, and funny that you can't help grinning from ear to ear.
Brian obviously ENJOYED putting this album together, and that enjoyment will be relayed to you every time you listen to it. I don't know how long this second great Brian Wilson Period will last, so relish it while it's happening. Right now the man is on a roll, and we should be very thankful this holiday season that he has chosen to share his seemingly-limitless talents with us once again.
To show that I'm not completely blind regarding Mr. Wilson, I did notice a few times when his singing was a little rushed or behind the beat, and he sometimes seems to be trying so hard to make every word sound as clearly as possible that he forgets to accent certain words and/or syllables the way they should be for stronger dramatic impact. But this in no way detracted from any enjoyment, and as soon as I listened to the music once or twice, I forgot it ever sounded "different" from what I expected. I am not criticizing the sound of his voice, which is as beautiful as it was on SMILE, but over the past few decades I've noticed that he could stand to work a little harder on how he emphasizes certain sounds and words in his singing.
And as for the idiot who gave this one star because he can't play CDs on his poorly-conceived audio system, what a self-centered individual this must be to try to bring down a rating when his review has NOTHING to do with the music that Brian Wilson obviously knocked himself out to create. I'm confident that the other four- and five-star reviews will soon raise this album's rating back to where it belongs.
This album is everything you would expect from Brian Wilson! It has fun songs mixed with traditional...what more could you want. Great harmonies, great music, great fun. A must buy for any Beach Boy/ Brian wilson fan
In love this record. Maybe it's corny to do an album of Christmas music, but Brian Wilson approaches the material with the right amount of fun and spirituality. The vocals are lush and the arrangements are exquisite. The performers are all top-notch. Should be we surprised? Of course not, Brian is one of the greatest musical artists alive today. I especially enjoyed the Beach Boys covers that are on What I really Want For Christmas. They were standards around my house during the holidays and I have a lot of nostalgia for them..
