Rating: NNN
Quartette’s holiday album is great because of what it’s not. In a sea of overwrought production and overdone standards, it’s nice to hear an album of mostly original material stripped down to the basics — four lovely voices and some down-home instrumentation spanning folk, jazz, hints of gospel and bluegrass. Sure, the local foursome’s own stuff is a bit hit-and-miss (The Perfect Christmas Tree is kinda dopey, and A Christmas Waltz verges on schmaltz), but the few standards on I See A Star are truly well chosen, not just the cheesy shit that’s already all over the place. The ladies’ crooning is bolstered by some of the city’s roots royalty, but on several a cappella tracks with feather-light harmonies you just have to marvel at the awesome power of their vocal blend.
