Review and More

Our Review

Tony Sandate's reduced-tempo flamencoesque holiday selections are just the thing for waking up bleary-eyed on Thanksgiving Day. If I don't crank the volume too much, these can be listened to without even (apparently) waking up the dogs.

On this generous 15-song, 64 minute effort, the first song that really "caught my ear" was Jesus Come To Us, by David Haas. With a sweet, catchy melody, it appears nowhere in my songs database, meaning that I've never heard it before (Hoo-raw! We love those!). In fact, Sandate makes several long runs that lean only lightly on well-known carols. Such low dependence on sugary favorites gives this record the ability to sit in the recorder as early as Thanksgiving (a theory I will set out to prove later today, before our turkey day guests begin to arrive).

But even Sandate's hard-core Christmas selections are executed with gentleness and calm, without the ornate garishness that is so offputting (even to me) about a lot of Christmas music. His quiet, moody strumming is the perfect mood relaxer on a holiday morning.

Tony Sandate's A Christmas Journey is highly recommended for all audiences.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2005)

More

From the liner notes:

Little Drummer BoyI/I> by Davis/Onorati/Simeone (ASCAP), published by Mills. Used by permission.
Jesus Come To Us by david Haas c. 1982, published by OCP Publications. Used by permission.
El Pastorcity, First Christmas and Rejoice In The Journey written by Tony Sandate.

All songs performed by Tony Sandate.
Produced by Eric McCarl
Engineered by Eric McCarl
Mastered by Dave Conrad at Sound Concepts
Art Direction by Chanda Paz, Fruitful Heart Graphics & Design.