I really DO love this album, but it would have been SO MUCH BETTER if there had been less involvement from the teacher! Although she has a nice, crisp voice and all of the songs are traditionally sung ( much better in my book than OTT Cathedral versions ), I was really hoping to ONLY hear carols as they used to be sang on the doorstep, and how ( in my opinion ) they sound best..... ie... by children!
Those that ARE sung only by the children are AMAZING, and for the first time in my life, JINGLE BELLS actually brought me to TEARS OF JOY - and it is worth the money for that one alone, as you can tell the kids are TOTALLY LOVING singing it! And there is a certain charm when you hear the word JINGLE pronounced in a child's way ( JINGHUL) as opposed to the perfect Queen's English of Jingle.
I understand that some of the harder verse songs might be done mainly by the tutor, but SILENT NIGHT??? AWAY IN A MANGER??? They are songs that children know and love and have easy lyrics, and it would have been great to have heard ONLY THEM singing it!
It kills me to only give it a 4 because the kids are so great.... but unless they re-make it without the tutor, a 4 it will always stay.
I don't CARE if the song is not sung PERFECTLY..... but Christmas is about the kids, so WHY NOT let them sing about it?
If this had ONLY been sung by the children, it would have been a ground-breaking 6/5...... but even so, it really IS a GREAT album, and well worth anyone who likes TRADITIONAL carols buying ( so much so that I bought a CD copy for my dad for xmas! ).
Happy Christmas everybody, and "Jinghul aw the waay"! I know I will :)