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Our Review

I love the simplicity and guilelessness of Uncle Rock's Express Your Elf, from the song selections to the arrangements. Completely acoustic and lacking any production trickery, the record is so understated at times one can scarcely hear it at all. And aside from the title, there is very little contrived silliness here: Uncle Rock's arrangements are warm, straightforward and entertaining on their own merits, without the need for vocoders or other gimmickry.

I enjoyed every song on the CD, but I particularly liked the original interpretation and painstaking enunciatation on You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch. I also liked the apparently original Santa's Coming In a Whirlybird.

If there were something to knock about Express Your Elf it's the length: it could have gone on for another five songs or so for my money. Nevertheless, this is an easy-to-recommend Christmas record. Not just for children, this one will be fun for the whole family.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

Uncle Rock: vocals, acoustic steel and nylon string guitar, electric guitar, Fender Jazz bass, Hammond B3, sleigh bells, percussion
Mark Lerner: fender Precision bass, mandolin, dulcimer and harmony vocals, harmony vocals and Fender VI
Lukas Lerner: drums
Edith Lerner: vocals
Nancy Howell: vocals, vocals and handclaps
Jack Warren: vocals and handclaps
Dean Jones: trombone
John Parker: upright bass
Eric Parker: drums
Josh Roy Brown: electric guitar
Martin Keith:bass
Neil Eisenberg: accordion
Kt Legnini: harmony vocals
Laurie McIntosh: harmony vocals
Ira McIntosh: acoustic guitar, harmony vocals

Uncle Rock

Express Your Elf

Artist link

Track List