Let It Snow, Baby... Let It Reindeer

I personally thought this CD was quite amazing. I haven't heard anything like it. First off, I love Christmas music, so if you share my love you will definately like it. Even if your not the biggest fan of Christmas music, I think you will find this album to be quite enjoyable. There is a whopping 17 tracks and 3 brand new songs available on iTunes. They open the CD with a fun version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" followed by an upbeat rendition of "Sleigh Ride". While all of the songs on this CD are amazing, their "Silent Night/Away In A Manger" medley and "I Celebrate The Day" stick out in my mind. They are both amazing songs that have touched my heart and I'm sure will touch yours. Relient K has reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and I am truly grateful for that. I also enjoyed their sped up version of "12 Days of Christmas". I usually hate any version made of that song, but I love theirs. The 3 bonus songs are also quite impressing. They are "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman", "Silver Bells", and "O Holy Night". I think those 3 are 3 of the best. So in the end I HIGHLY recommend you pick up this album, it's amazing!

Basically Let it snow Baby… Let it Reindeer is a chance for fans who didn’t pick up Relient K’s previous Christmas album to get it again. Only this time its better, with six new tracks. Making the total count sixteen songs plus one bonus song.

The songs from the former Christmas album, Deck the Hall, Bruise your Hand, will remind fans of a punkier style of Reliet K, especially on “12 days of Christmas”, which is done in an amazing three minutes and thirty seconds, and “angels we have heard on high”. For the most part Releint K only makes the non Christ’s birth songs (“Deck the halls”, “12 day…”, and “we wish you a merry Christmas”) faster, with the exception of “angels we have heard on high”.

“Silent Night/away in a manger” are good redoes of the classics, and they set up brilliantly for the soft yet terrific “I celebrate the day”. The sad “I hate Christmas Parties” would be a pathetic song if it didn’t sound so great. There is a clear change in sound in the new songs than the older, despite “sleigh ride” and “I’m getting nuttin for Christmas”. The sound of new tracks “Merry Christmas and here’s to many more” and “Boxing day” are more refined as they sound great.

The song inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe “in like a lion (always winter)” was released on their Apathetic EP, and it’s perfect on the album. The music is slightly more instrumental than punk/rock, which is a good thing for the Christmas album, as the best songs, and most likely to get attention, is the softer music. Releint K must have been on ten cups of coffee when they did "Handel's Messiah", and they must have been taking lessons from the Beach boys on “Auld Lang Syne".

The tone of the album (on tracks “merry Christmas and here’s to many more”, Bowing day”, and “Auld Lang Syne”) is for joyful Christmas and a great new year. The fact that the ending, a word from Matthew Thiessen and Matt Hoopes, of the CD (not counting the bonus song) has nothing to do with Christ’s birth is disappointing.

A totally un politically correct Christmas album which is the best of the year. A great bunch of new Christmas songs and original renovations of Old classics All equals a master piece for Relient K

Next to Charlie Brown, this is a must have for your Christmas collection, because if you listen to any Christmas album nowadays, they all seem the same, no deph, no substance, what you see is what you get, and what you've heard a million times before. This album on the other hand, defies all conventional Christmas music logic, because I guarantee you Harry Connick Jr. never put out a song that had lyrics like, "Rudolph's puking ball of holly, and ole St. Nick ain't all that jolly."

For those of you who are long-time Relient K fans, and got their Deck The Halls CD back in the day (a few years ago), you already have half the album. Unfortunately, I became a fan like most, after listening to MMHMM, therefore, we never had a copy of the CD, I had listened to most of it in various places, but it still remains one the most elusive Relient K Cd's I don't have. So, the packaging together benefits people like me who did not own the previous CD.

The first song off this album might not be the most eye-catching song off the album, but it's nice in it's own little way. "Sleigh Ride" is great on this album, but even better live with the whole experience the band creates for the audience. The song starts off a little jazzy and slow, than to its normal pace, than it rockets toward the finish in true Relient K fashion.

Song like "12 Days of Christmas," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" are what made their first Christmas album such a success, amazingly Christmas music seems to be the only time of the year when rock is not openly welcomed, well, that's not the case here. These songs are short punk-rock styled Christmas classics, and they work brilliantly. Why hasn't anybody done this before? "I'm Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas" is a new addition that seems to go perfect with this group of songs, with this fast-paced novelty. The best part is the little part at the end of the song, listen for it, Santa Clause is mad.

The before mentioned "Santa Clause Is Thumbing To Town" is truly a Relient K original, and while not one you'll want to carol to the local nursing home, it's a fun blasting stereo listen. "Handel's Messiah" is great for any time of the year, since the first 20 seconds is the hallelujah chorus, and perfect for any triumphant moment. However, there's a tale of two sides of the album, in that it goes from punk-rock to emotional stunning ballads, and back again. This is my biggest quibble about the album: the flow.

"Merry Christmas, Here's To Many More" is a great song with heart, soul, and hope for the holidays. A perfect original by the band. The melody of Silent Night and Away in a Manger is perfect together, and is a sweet ballad that really showcases Matt Thiessen's vocal talents. The next song flows into another great Christmas original that really puts the focus on Christ, but really shines in the last 30 seconds. "In Like A Lion (Always Winter)" isn't really a Christmas song, as much as it is a winter song. Written for the mediocre album inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia movie, but rejected, the band put it on Apathetic EP, and now finally two years later, on its first full length album. A bit out of place, but still nice nonetheless.

"I Hate Christmas Parties" is a very emotional song about a breakup at Christmas time. I wonder if something like it really happened, because the emotion really seeps through Matt Thiessen's voice. "Boxing Day" is a somber song about the boxing of Christmas lights, reflection of the past year, and the hope of a new one, "Christmas, it makes way for spring." This is a great New Year's song, and really conveys the thoughts you have when Christmas is over, a new year is upon you, and you stop and think where you've been since the last time.

Before I rant on the flow of this album, among other things, let me just say, skip tracks 16 and 17, because there really is no point to them. Anyways, this album is not a Christmas album, as much as it is a Holiday album, from Christmas to New Year's, and maybe a little after.

This album in terms of song quality is second to none, the album quality on the other hand, is rushed. While 1, 2, 3 flow fine, as does 7, 8, 9, they belong at the end of the album, instead of going fast, slow, slow, fast. This method doesn't leave any room for the listener to get into the music, there's no flow of emotion flowing throughout the album, it's visible here and there, but it's quickly interrupted. I would have greatly liked the album to flow a whole lot better, and in my book keeps it from being the best Christmas album ever, Holiday album yes, but not Christmas. Sorry, Charlie Brown keeps that distention another year longer. Good Grief.

So pick up the album, even if you have Deck The Halls, because the new songs are truly worth it. If you don't own that album, this is a must-have. To not listen or buy, would be a crime.