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Our Review

What's that? Sleigh bells ringing? Oh, that's just the impressive Mary Kadderly opening her wonderful album Christmas Memories with "Winter Wonderland." This is a great holiday CD, a jazzy gem with universal appeal. A pinch of pop and a dollop of jazz, Kadderly has a voice that is confident and clean, slightly reminiscent of Karen Carpenter without the schmaltz. Kadderly sings simultaneously with innocence and sophistication, and she projects warmth with every note. Her accompaniment is a tasteful combo that enhances the musical experience and never detracts from the artist's fine vocals.

Christmas Memories presents eight holiday classics and one Kadderly original, the title track. On occasion, an artist's newly-penned holiday tune comes across as a vanity piece, lacking real substance to justify the effort. Happily, that is emphatically not the case here! Kadderly's "Christmas Memories" is a sentimental valentine to the holidays, and it is a goose-bump-generating delight. This track offers a catchy melody, heartfelt lyrics, and perhaps Kadderly's most emotive performance on the disc.

And "Christmas Memories" isn't the only treasure on the album. Other great cuts include the sweetly pristine "Silent Night," elegantly enriched by Nancy King's deep harmony line. For me, Kadderly's vocalizations are most addictive when she drops into the lower registers; her silken alto really hits home on "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and "Christmas Time Is Here." The CD is, however, extremely disappointing in one area--length. It slides to a close after just 31 minutes. Could someone please corral that talented Kadderly woman and make her sing for another hour or two?

This album presents very enjoyable (though too brief) entertainment that will please a broad array of holiday music aficionados. Consider creating your own Christmas Memories this season with Mary Kadderly! Enjoy!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

Mary Kadderly: vocal (all tracks)
Bill Beach: piano (tracks 1, 2, 5-9)
Joey Siefers: bass (tracks 1, 2, 5-9)
Anthony Jones: drums (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6-9)
Dan Gilden: guitar (tracks 6, 8, 9)
Tim Ellis: acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7)
Dan Balmer: guitar (tracks 1, 4)
Bob Stark: tambourine (track 1); Fender Rhodes & bass (track 3); guitar loop & percussion (track 5)
George Mitchell: Hammond B3 (tracks 2, 4, 6)
Paul Mazzio: trumpet (tracks 7, 9); flugelhorn (track 3)
Mike Snyder: percussion (tracks 1-3, 6, 8)
Nancy King: background vocal (track 5)

Executive Producers: Dean Mueller & Debi Coleman
Producer: Tim Ellis
Recorded & Mixed: Bob Stark
Mastering: Ryan Foster
Recorded at: Kung Fu Bakery (August 2002)

"Christmas Memories" by Mary Kadderly

From the Website:

Jazz/Pop Singer and Songwriter Mary Kadderly brings to the stage a most distinctive voice. Born in Portland, Oregon, Mary was surrounded by music throughout her childhood. In her teens, she began performing, getting her start singing in a jazz and blues band. "The first time I sang into a microphone, the music bug bit me hard. From then on I was hooked," she says. At the age of 19, she started playing in hometown clubs, while studying Music and Theater Arts at Portland State University. Graduating in 1985, Kadderly was by then regularly performing in nightclubs, in concerts, and at festivals around the country.

Mary Kadderly

Christmas Memories

Artist link

Track List