Destiny's Child - 8 Days of Christmas

Chilly, forced, and overdone, this mixed bag of modern classics, tarted-up traditional carols, and trio of tunes penned by Beyonce Knowles doesn't conjure a single warm and fuzzy image of chestnuts roasting on an open fire or Jack Frost nipping at your nose. Rather, it's just another forum to showcase the band's Gucci bag of vocal gymnastics and crass materialism. The Texas trio takes seasonal classics like Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," "Silent Night," and "Little Drummer Boy" and embellishes them with their own trills and off-kilter harmonies, obscuring the songs' simple beauty. "On the eighth day of Christmas, my baby gave to me a pair of Chloe shades and a diamond belly ring," brags Knowles in the title song, a takeoff on the "12 Days of Christmas," without ever explaining why they lopped off four days. The band is shamelessly self-indulgent throughout the dozen songs found here, taking untold liberties, like renaming "Carol of the Bells" "Opera Bells" and recasting "Silver Bells" as "Platinum Bells" to reflect their multiplatinum status. But the low point of the record is when Destiny's Child hawk their Hasbro-manufactured dolls in the intro of "Platinum Bells": "Ladies, remember long ago we asked Santa to give us Christmas dolls? This year the dolls are you and me under the tree." Humbug. --Jaan Uhelszki Amazon.com

itz good

not great but good. of course i am a lil biased considering i praise myself as the biggest dc3 fan in the world lol November 17, 2006

Upbeat Christmas Music

I was looking for a Christmas album that was a little more upbeat than the norm. I thought Destiny's Child did a pretty good job of it. Their songs are fast-paced and fun! I'm not normally a fan of Destiny's Child but enjoyed this CD rather than the slower-paced Christmas CDs we are used to. November 14, 2006

Hope these '8 days' go by pretty fast

They're young, hot, and dominating the charts. But they just don't have what it takes to make a good holiday album.

Destiny's Child attempts to take traditional Christmas carols and make a modern, fan-geared holiday album. And, sorry to say, but it just doesn't work here.

The album opens with the title track, which I'll admit is a catchy spin off of the original "12 Days of Christmas." But the lyrics are ridiculous. Example: "On the eighth day of Christmas my baby gave to me/A pair of Chloe shades and a diamond belly ring."

The next track, "Winter Paradise" is the best of the original tracks on the disc. It's a more moderate R&B number that talks about Christmas memories. It's pretty good. But, "Spread a little love on Christmas" is about on the same level as the title track, but it focuses on all the other holidays going on at Christmas.

The girls DO get a few things right. The ridiculously-titled "Opera of the Bells" (featured on the Victoria's Secret holiday commercial) is a slowed-down version of "Carol of the Bells," complete with nice harmonies that are actually quite enjoyable. "This Christmas" is also complete with tight harmonies that give it an enjoyable spin and make it almost unrecognizable. "A DC Christmas Medley" is a fun assortment of kid's Christmas carols, such as "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Frosty," and "Holly, Jolly Christmas." And the best track on the disc, "Do You Hear what I Hear," is a wonderfully original take on the classic that doesn't wander too far from the original sound of it.

However, the album also takes a turn for the worst in a few places. "Platinum Bells" is a ludicrous cover of "Siver Bells" that talks about the group's success (platinum albums). And the cover of "The Little Drummer Boy" is absolutely laughable. The girls don't even get the story right! ("And then he smiled at me/the little drummer boy smiled at me" -- correction... baby Jesus smiled at you, and YOU ARE the little drummer boy!)

Download the few good tunes off this album from I-tunes and save yourself the money of every single song on here. Trust me, buying the whole CD is not worth it.

Best Song: "Do You Hear What I Hear" (great original take, true to classic song)

The good:
"Winter Paradise" (enjoyable, laid-back original with good harmonies)
"This Christmas" (a different take, very original)
"A DC Christmas Medley" (it's fun)
"Opera of the Bells" (nice harmonies)

The OK:
"Silent Night" (pretty good, but Beyonce oversings it)
"8 Days of Christmas" (catchy, but with stupid lyrics)
"Spread a Little Love on Christmas" (ditto)

The bad:
"The Little Drummer Boy" (at least get the story right)
"White Christmas" (I don't like their version of this)
"Platinum Bells" (too stupid to even laugh at... worst track on the album)
"O Holy Night" (I'm very critical of covers of this song because it's my favorite Christmas tune and Michelle's voice just doesn't fit it) November 3, 2006

The best holiday and the best album

I love this album! It rocks. It's up beat and fun. Instead of singing the same old songs the same old ways each song has a new flavor and style that brings new life and joy to Christmas. I enjoy listening to it every year. This is my all time favorite Christmas album. October 22, 2006

save your money!

That Eight Days of Christmas track really says it all about this shallow,tacky, soul-less drivel. Also, I admire her, but Beyonce needs to stop working on blue jeans and become a better musician. You can always tell a song she's written because her melodies and choruses are limited to the same four repetetive notes. See if the 8 days doesn't sound just like Independent Woman. Seriously. Why is she afraid to use the whole scale? December 25, 2005

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