Ten years ago: Bob Dylan, 'Christmas In The Heart,' and the Kubler-Ross model (My review)

Credit: SONY/Searching For A Gem

Just over ten years ago,on December 22, 2009, I published this review of Bob Dylan's 2009 holiday album, Christmas in the Heart, for my Bob Dylan Examiner column, which is no longer available online. I thought I'd re-post it here for 'tis the season. Note the preview of the so-called Sinatra-era.

Enjoy!

Review: Dylan, 'Christmas In The Heart,' and the Kubler-Ross model - National Bob Dylan | Examiner.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT DECEMBER 22, 2009 BY: HAROLD LEPIDUS (c)

When there is some sort of shock in one's life, there is a theory that one goes through five stages
of grief, also known as the Kubler-Ross model. These stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

Bob Dylan fans are familiar with these feelings. When he went electric. When he went country.
When he put out Self Portrait. When he "found Jesus" and stopped singing his old songs.
When he made Hearts of Fire. When he asked Michael Bolton to collaborate on a song. If you were a Dylan fan during any of
these endeavors, there's a good chance it was a shock to your system.

Then the Kubler-Ross model kicks in. Denial - "This can't be happening." Anger - "It's not fair! Who
is to blame?" Bargaining - "If I can just go on long enough until he's onto something else."
Depression - "I give up." Acceptance - "Dylan does it again. It took a while, but I love it! "
Who among us have not felt that way about something Dylan has done ?

Well, with only slight exaggeration, that's the way I felt about Dylan's Christmas In The Heart album.

When I first heard about Christmas in the Heart, I couldn't believe it was true. Then I realized that it
could be a really interesting album, like Good As I Been To You with Dylan digging up some obscure songs, educating us about some long forgotten holiday folk or
blues songs, maybe even write a few, new Christmas classics of his own.

Then a track listing appeared on the JPC Jazz Pop Classic website. Fifteen songs, almost all among the most overplayed holiday classics. This can't be happening! Amazon U.K. temporarily had samples of all fifteen tracks. Sweet female vocals? Male singers from another era? Strings? Once the samples were removed, they still ended up on You Tube. Who's to blame? Then everyone seemed to be mocking it. It was difficult to defend. It certainly sounded bizarre. Fans started making apologies almost immediately. They commented that they liked the least "cliched" songs, like "Must Be Santa" and "Christmas Blues." Can I really defend this one? Maybe it will sound better in context? Am I going to hate this album? Should I just give up?

           

Luckily, this story has a happy ending. I received the album in the mail on release day and listened to
five times over the next two weeks. The first one was rough, but with each subsequent listening
experience, all the criticism, and cynicism, melted away. By the fifth time, it sunk in. I finally got it!

I had so many thoughts about the album that I decided to share some of them with you. First of all,
that Amazon U.K. sample did more damage to the album's reputation than one can imagine. Out of
context, the Christmas In The Heart samples sounded ridiculous. However, when you play the CD
from the beginning, it starts with the sound of jingly bells. Then the lively and charming "Here Comes Santa Claus" comes bouncing in, setting the tone. The playing is spirited, nimble, and immaculate. Dylan's vocals on the early tracks sound as if he's actually smiling while he's singing. It's an odd image, but one that is now integral to enjoying this release.

The trouble begins on "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas," where Dylan
seems to be straining to hit the higher notes. This is made even more obvious by the smoothness of
the backing vocalists. Once you hear it a few times, however, all you feel is a heartfelt performance,
untouched by any other modern devices that smooth out vocals to make them sound "in tune," yet
simultaneously deaden the soul.

Seeing Dylan live last month also helped with the appreciation of this album. When he recently played at the Wang Theater in Boston, like at all other stops on the tour, Dylan spend some time center stage, with just a bullet microphone and his harmonica. No guitar. No keyboard. Dylan was not defined as a folk singer, or a rocker, or any of the previous labels people placed on him. He was now a vocalist, delivering passionate performances that highlighted the evening. By following the lineage and history of the vocalist, performing his material and connecting with the audience, he was channeling the singers and songwriters from decades past, the ones who brought these holiday classics into the hearts of many for the last half century or more. It's a shame Dylan didn't perform any of Christmas In The Heart on the fall tour, as I think those who were not captivated by the album's charm would have been singing its praises by the time they left the theater.

It was interesting to gauge the reaction of people I knew. It seemed fans who were not deeply
entangled in the Dylan myth loved it unconditionally, immediately getting into the spirit of it. Then there
were those who were cynical about it from the start, dismissing it outright. One thing I learned about
Dylan is to wait and see. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt. As he's proven time and time
again, it may take time to understand it, but there is definitely something going on. For example:
When I saw Dylan in 1978, I was terribly disappointed. There was already an avalanche of bad press
dumped on the public before he had played a single note. It seemed Dylan didn't know what he was
doing, or didn't care. Looking back on it, it's one of the absolute favorite concerts I've ever witnessed.
There have been plenty of similar examples of not getting what Dylan was up to at the time. As time
passed, however, I feel I've been able to catch up, and have been educated by this musicologist from Minnesota.

When Dylan sings on Christmas In The Heart, I listen to the lyrics just as I would any of his other
albums. It's interesting to pay attention to the craft of songwriting that inhabits each and every song
here. You can see why he chose these classics. To Dylan, the cliches are invisible. What's even more
fascinating to me is that the lyrics are more Dylan-esque than one would ever imagine. Can't you just
hear the lines, "The ox and lamb kept time," or "Jump in bed and cover your head" on Bringing It All Back Home? How about "As we dream by the fire to face unafraid the plans that we made, " or "Some
day soon we all will be together, if the Fates allow. Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow"
on Time Out Of Mind?

The album makes perfect sense after Dylan spent a few years hosting his Theme Time Radio Hour show. That program mined a century's worth of music, and Dylan's introductions dusted off the
cobwebs of prejudice surrounding such out-of-fashion songs as "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The
Window?" to find the hidden craft within. The same goes for this new album. Now whenever there is a
Christmas classic playing in some retail store, I hear Dylan's heartfelt and sincere delivery replacing
the more dulcet tones of Nat "King" Cole, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, and Bing Crosby. Even for
songs like "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" which isn't even on Christmas In The Heart! I still hear Dylan unmistakable voice, taking a classic song, and making it his own.

So, now I love Christmas In The Heart. Not just like it. I love it ! Without apologies. While writing this review, I listened to it again.
It keeps getting better and better. Thanks, Bob. Great gift ! Happy holidays . . . .

(c) Harold Lepidus 2009/2019
Music from Christmas in the Heart by Bob Dylan.
Spoken word by Bob Dylan from Theme Time Radio Hour WithYour Host Bob Dylan.