An Ambient Christmas (Independent)

Kevin J. Browne

By Victoria Moon

Occasionally the Christmas season can get a little noisy. With long lines at the malls, the roads backed up with last-minute shoppers, and the endless round of Christmas events it is sometimes nice to return to a relatively quiet home, watch the Christmas tree lights and listen to something like Kevin J. Browne's An Ambient Christmas. This is an instrumental jazz-pop take on classic Christmas songs like "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night" and "Joy to the World" that makes a nice addition to the holiday season.

Brown does an impressive take as arranger and producer of the album as well as the sole performer (other than a guest vocalist track contributed by Pamela Vest). He is a man who obviously knows his way around a keyboard, and fans of synthesized "new age" music will definitely enjoy this album.

The best thing about this album is though it is a slightly unusual rendering of popular Christmas songs, it does not turn the songs into something unrecognizable. It is a pleasant mix of the traditional and contemporary that is quite refreshing.

So if you find your holidays getting a bit loud and would like to take a bit of a break from it all, go find this album, grab a cup of hot chocolate and simply enjoy the peace and quiet.