Wylie performs some of your favorite
traditional Christmas songs and perhaps a few that will be new music to your ears.
Recorded in Nashville, this album is destined to become a classic that
will be cherished for years to come.
This is not a tired
remake of worn out Christmas music. It's a beautiful
and moving collection with several seldom-heard
titles.
Wylie's presentation makes them all sound
new.
ORDER
As Reviewed in
Lively Times
December 7, 2008 "Montana son and Grand Ole Opry
veteran Wylie Gustafson presents a likeable
collection of Christmas music on this 2007 release.
It’s a rendering of traditional hymns, with a dab of
original music thrown in.
"Gustafson’s bare-bones arrangements, backed by
five stellar Tennessee musicians, work well here.
The understated riffs from fiddle, mandolin,
accordion, concertina, and electric guitar, fill out
the sparse and spare cuts, contributing melody and
mood. Fine percussion and bass carry the bottom.
"The album comes out Texas-swinging on 'Go Tell
It on the Mountain.' And, as anyone knows about a
Wylie album, the 'oh-delay-e-hee' of a yodel makes
an appearance right away. Fiddle strains infuse the
title cut, a Steve Weisberg tune, about a trail
rider expecting to spend Christmas on the wide-open
plains. Gustafson puts in a pretty snippet of his
own duet yodeling on this one.
"The simple, pensive prayer, 'In the Bleak
Midwinter' is next; and a gospel version of 'Behold
that Star' rocks with its Peggy-Lee nuances of
slappin’ bass and finger-snap, and a cool gospel
chorus.
"Gustafson yodels a verse on 'Silent Night,' and
sings a verse in German. 'The Gifts They Gave,' a
country-plunker à la Johnny Cash, tells of the
animals that provided for the Baby Jesus on his
birth night. And if there’s such a thing as a
'gospel country waltz,' 'Beautiful Star of
Bethlehem,' by A. L. Phipps, is it.
"This album is not only a treat for its
musicianship, but also for the songs of old about
the holiday."
– Mariss McTucker
Lively Times: Montana's Source for Arts and
Entertainment
As Reviewed in
CowboyPoetry.com
"Christmas
for Cowboys—new from
Wylie Gustafson (of Wylie & the Wild West)—brims
with singular spirit. The carefully chosen
traditional songs are delivered with inspired
reverence, dazzling style, and, of course, a bit of
yodeling. Wylie's masterful interpretations of
familiar and lesser known songs shine with the true
joy, grace, and meaning of the season. Selections
include 'Go Tell it on the Mountain,' 'I Heard the
Bells on Christmas Day,' 'Silent Night,' 'In the
Bleak Midwinter,' and six others."–
Margo
Metegrano, Editor
CowboyPoetry.com
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