A Christmas Favorite

Over the years, Kenny Rogers has become well known for his Christmas albums as well as his country and pop albums.

His album titled "Christmas" was his first holiday release. With Kenny's recent comeback, and return to the top of the charts, Capitol Records decided to cash in on reissues of classic Rogers albums. "Christmas" was reissued as "Christmas Greetings" for Christmas 2000. It was also digitally remastered for the first time on CD ("Christmas" was originally issued on CD in 1987 on EMI America Records).

The album is a great introduction to Christmas Kenny Rogers style. It features a variety of Christmas songs. From the festive, holiday side of Christmas ("White Christmas," "My Favorite Things,") to the religious side of Christmas ("O Holy Night," "Sweet Little Jesus Boy.")

But that's not all. Kenny took the time to find some great original Christmas songs. "Kentucky Homemade Christmas" will pull at your heart and bring a tear to your eye. "Christmas Everyday" reminds us all of the spirit of Christmas. Several other new songs are equally excellent.

"Christmas Greetings" presents a well-rounded feeling of the season. The cover art was also updated to look very modern. Although the album was originally released in 1981, it still sounds fresh. Plus, it gives us another chance to remember all the Christmas seasons we have spent with Kenny Rogers. Pick this one up. Merry Christmas!!

His first Christmas album

Kenny has recorded five Christmas albums - four solo and one with Dolly - but this was the first one he did. It includes an excellent mix of the familiar and the unfamiliar.

The most familiar songs here are White Christmas (the Bing Crosby classic), When a child is born (the song that gave Johnny Mathis his only UK number one hit), O holy night (one of the most popular carols) and My favorite things (originally sung by Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music).

Before you get to them, there are some great songs, of which Carol of the bells is a cover but the others might all be originals. Kenny must like Sweet little Jesus boy a lot - he re-recorded it for the Gift, one of his other Christmas albums, but I particularly like Kentucky homemade Christmas (about a poor family determined to have as good a time as they can) and Kids (about the people who enjoy Christmas most).

This was a great start to Kenny's career as a singer of Christmas music.

Seasons Greetings from a seasoned singer

Kenny Rogers is the ideal singer of Christmas songs. He has a natural warmth in his voice, and with just an added touch of red to his wardrobe, he might even pass for Old Saint Nick. "Christmas Greetings" is a magical musical card, enveloped in cheerful holiday wishes. Listening to Rogers sing these tunes is like hearing a hearty "Merry Christmas!" from your favorite uncle. What makes this release stand above so many others like it is its unique material. Songs like "Kentucky Homemade Christmas" and "When A Child Is Born" are not retreads of the same carols you've already heard at least a million times, if not more. Instead, they shed new light on how this season ought to be celebrated. Music like this makes you feel like you're right at home for Christmas, wherever you happen to be.