CD Review: The Keys of Christmas (Josh Townsend)

Want to know two things that I love? Here they are: Christmas music and instrumental CD's. Today's review gives us the best of both worlds, combined into one CD. What's that CD? The Keys to Christmas, which is the sophomore release from Legacy Five piano player, Josh Townsend.

1: Joy To The World/Santa Claus Is Coming to Town- Thematically this is an interesting blend, but it really works! It has that retro-jazz feel that puts me right into the Christmas spirit!

2: God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Ok... so I have to say this is about the only swung arrangement of the song I've ever heard! It totally works though! Also, listen closely to the first verse because it's in the bass and not the piano so it's hard to catch if you don't listen for it!

3: Hark the Herald Angels Sing- The first verse and chorus sound like a stereotypical "carol" style, but then after that the style drastically changes into this cool Calypso-sounding thing. It's a bit hard to explain, so I guess you'll just have to hear it to understand!

4: Away In A Manger- This one goes where the last one would be expected to. And good thing too, because this song is really more of a lullaby. Wouldn't want to wake up baby Jesus... It's got such a soothing sound!

5: Angels We Have Heard On High- The tricky part of reviewing instrumental albums is that you feel like you have to explain the style of every single track (at least I do). I feel like this one is sort of carol-ish but not 100%. Oh well. Guess this one requires personal listening as well! :)

6: We Three Kings- This arrangement really caught me by surprise! It starts off with a swing feel, then straightens out and then there's one verse of staccato. Quite the interesting arrangement! On a sort of side note, the first time I heard this I thought the intro sounded like it could have gone into Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho and not sound out of place. But that's just me, I guess...

7: Silent Night- This one features a bit of instrumental before Josh sings a verse, then transitions into more instrumental. I was glad to hear him sing on this, because in addition to being one of the most talented young musicians out there, Josh is also a talented vocalist.

8: Deck The Halls/Up On the Housetop- This is another one that just gets me into the Christmas spirit. If it doesn't have the same effect on you... BAH HUMBUG!!! Seriously. Hopefully it does though!

9: The First Noel- Another traditional carol/lullaby type of arrangement. But don't worry too much about falling asleep because there's somewhat of a crescendo at the end. At the same time, please don't fall asleep because you don't want to miss it!

10: In the Bleak Midwinter- This one does not feature any instrumentals from Josh, just vocals. There is instrumental accompaniment from others, though. Unlike the last track, this one just might result in listeners being lulled to sleep. Again, PLEASE TRY TO STAY AWAKE long enough to listen to the whole thing!

Wondering what to get your friends and relatives for Christmas this year? Well, this is exactly what the doctor ordered if you (and they) love good piano playing and Christmas music as much as I do! This one quickly went straight to the top of the nice list!