Track Listing

1. Christmas Like a Lullaby
2. First Noel
3. Away in a Manger
4. Children of Bethlehem
5. Jingle Bells
6. White Christmas
7. Marvelous Toy
8. Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
9. The Christmas Song
10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62258 in Music
• Released on: 1996-08-01
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
John Denver's more sentimental Christmas release, Christmas Like a Lullaby, draws upon his favorite religious tunes. Even when he was happy, Denver's voice rang with a melancholy air, and it's this quality that makes his version of "Away in a Manger" all the more somber. "The First Noel" and "The Little Drummer Boy" also benefit from his folky tinge. But the real unexpected wonder here is when Denver steps out of the spiritual aspect of the season for a heart-wrenching cover of "Blue Christmas." For all those who never thought of John Denver as a romantic type, this ought to erase those doubts. True fans will probably already have all of Denver's holiday releases, but for its spiritual/sentimental theme, Lullaby may be the best. --Steve Gdula

Customer Reviews

Here's a CD for the quiet holiday moments
This is a simple, peaceful CD for the quieter moments of the holiday season. All but a couple of the songs are quiet and in a reflective mood. This is a CD you'll appreciate on a cozy night when the tree lights are twinkling, maybe a fire is crackling, and the holiday pressure is off. It would be a good choice to play on Christmas evening, when the guests have gone home and the kids are in bed.

I don't know where the Amazon reviewer gets the idea that this is a melancholy CD. Yes, the first song, Christmas Like a Lullaby, has a sad note. Denver writes about spending Christmas in Australia, when he'd really rather be in Colorado, but the rest of the album is peaceful, not melancholy. This album was made after Denver had lost some of his huge popularity. His first Christmas album, Rocky Mountain Christmas, is much more well known, but it's not possible to really compare the two. This one is basic. The musical arrangements are simpler, but in a way this CD is purer. Denver's voice is at it's best. There's not one trace of his goofier side, which he displayed in songs like Thank God I'm a Country Boy.

Now, if you're looking for a good deal, buy the two CD package titled John Denver Christmas. That set includes this CD and the one he did with the Muppets, which by the way, is a better CD than one might expect from the Muppets.

Lovely JD Christmas Album!
This wonderful album by John Denver is one of my favorite Christmas albums, and for good reason; it serves up both John as well as a lovely selection of traditional Christmas songs, which renders it into a terrific family listening experience. The inimitable Mr. Denver is in top form here, and his selection of songs and arrangements is perfect. Many of these songs are timeless, and a few like "Christmas Like A Lullaby" are very special songs written by John himself. John's voice is in perfect pitch as he soars through "First Noel'", "Away In a Manger", "White Christmas", "Jingle Bells", an interesting interpretation of Elvis Presley's famous "Blue Christmas', along with "Marvelous Toy", "Rudolph The Red Nosed reindeer", and a wonderful cover of "Little Drummer Boy". He seems so very much at peace and happy as he sings all the songs on this album, and it is a comfort to those of us who considered him a special person and entertainer to still have him around with wonderful seasonal albums like this as well as all the more popular albums he left behind as his personal legacy to a grateful world. He has been gone for almost a decade now, but with albums like this to share with millions of kindred souls, John Denver will never be forgotten. Peace!

Jewel tones of John Denver's voice shine on this one.
I purchased this CD when it was first released and has been a family favorite ever since. The title song, written by John, reminds us all that wherever we are, the spirit of Christmas stays with us, for we are always home when we are with the people we love. The guitar and falsetto vocal parts of this song always make me tingle and bring tears to my eyes because they are so beautiful. Other songs on the album are equally as pleasurable.

Children seem to enjoy listening to this CD as much as they enjoy A Christmas Together with the Muppets - especially the songs: Jingle Bells, Marvelous Toy and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone but especially to true John Denver fans. It's wonderful!