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Our Review

So cool! Christmas in the Caribbean! Hi Tide consists of Shane Allenger (lead vocals, percussion, background vocals) and Sean Hennings (guitars, bass, drums, percussion, background vocals), and together they create the most excellent island pop. "A Cayman Christmas" is exactly what island dreamers would hope for in a holiday offering of this sort. The music is extremely well crafted, conveys a breezy sense of sand and beach without being hokey, and creates a mood that blows a carefree Caribbean breeze across the listeners.

The too-short (just under 34 minutes) album features ten tracks, all well-known Christmas songs featuring Allenger's first-class tenor voice--rich, mellow, and full of heart. The always-delightful accompaniment has an upbeat island flavor and frames Allenger's efforts perfectly.

The opening cut "The little drummer boy" really grabs the listeners' attention, particularly with the heavy-duty drumming of various sorts throughout. Other tracks cry for attention, too; for example, "Away in a manger" impresses with its Caribbean swing, and "Silent Night" features very sweet harmonies. My favorites, however, are probably the brightly jazzy "Winter wonderland" and "Jingle bells" (hey, Hi Tide, come to Minnesota if you really want to experience WINTER!). The CD slides to a stop with a warm and winning "Have yourself a merry little Christmas."

Care to escape the rigors of ice and snow? Need a Caribbean vacation? "A Cayman Christmas" is a terrific ticket out of town.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

Shane Allenger: lead vocals, percussion, background vocals
Sean Hennings: guitars, bass, drums, percussion, background vocals

Guest musicians:

John Shillito: bass on tracks 2, 3, 7 & 9
Kate Copley: violins on track 2 & 10
Jonathan Ebanks: guitar solos on tracks 5 &
Keith Waithe: flute on track 4
Gary Ebanks: sax on track 7

From the web site:

Hi-Tide is the Cayman Islands first contemporary Pop group. There is a hint of the islands in their music, but it is always cleverly mixed in with the sounds of Rock, Blues, Soul, Funk, and even the occasional Country lick or phrase. Founding members Shane Allenger and Sean Hennings have been writing and playing together in bands since 1984.

Hi Tide

Cayman Christmas

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Track List