Our Review
Diana Rae's 1999 Christmas release, A Noel Nighty Night is, if nothing else, a tour de force in the art of contemporary Christmas songwriting. When I gave her CD a close listen, I found a treasure trove of original new Christmas gems. Ms. Rae is an accomplished Nashville songwriter so I wouldn't have been surprised to find a couple of interesting new songs. But I found nine notable and unique contributions to the season (most of them co-written by Ms. Rae and Patty Way), sung beautifully, against the backdrop of a finely crafted pop country CD that was at times stylistically and thematically reminiscent of Kenny Rogers best Nashville work.
On the surface this CD appears to be a children's record. Ms. Rae has a knack for capturing the season's wonder, as if seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child. But her messages are actually for those adults who each year attempt to recapture that wonder for themselves and their children. Using contemporary country arrangements, she has put together a set that holds its own with anything country music has to offer this year.
I liked both the arrangement and the message of Wise Men Still Seek Him, a song obviously just waiting to be picked up by the next made-for-televisional holiday movie classic. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to hear any or all of these songs prominently featured on television and radio this year.
With its above-average songwriting, vocals, and arrangements, Diana Rae's A Noel Nighty Night is a CD I wholeheartedly recommend.
--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2000)
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From the liner notes:
Diana Rae is an award-winning performer/songwriter/voice actress whose works have appeared on gold, platinum and Grammy-winning albums recorded by artists including dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Confederate Railroad, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Aaron Neville's Disney's The Little Mermaid. Her voice has been heard on many national and regional commercials, including Folgers Coffee's "the best part of waking up" series.
Diana Rae
A Noel Nighty Night
Artist link
Label: Raeworks
Length: 33 minutes
Genre: Country
Release: 1999
Track List
| Song Title |
|---|
| The Hardest Night to Sleep |
| The Man in Red |
| Pawprints in the Snow |
| God Bless Santa Claus |
| Wisemen Still Seek Him |
| Sleepytime Sleighride |
| Fa-la-la-la Lullaby |
| Red Flannel Jammies |
| Nöel Nighty Night |