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On the back side of the liner notes, "Renaissance Man" Tom Mason presents the following description of A Slide Guitar Christmas: "Sizzling side guitar! Exotic rhythms! Dazzling dobro!" That about says it all--Tom Mason breaks loose in mighty fine fashion on this instrumental holiday album. Very, very nice.

The holiday music market already includes oodles of acoustic guitar instrumentals, but Mason's release is different. Not the quiet reverence of acoustic or classical guitar, Mason wails on slide guitar and dobro, which are the stars here. The accompanying percussive touches and bass flourishes provide great support and creative context. These ten tracks are consistently lovely; the music is vibrant, but relatively low-key.

A Slide Guitar Christmas opens with a syncopated, salsa-licious We Three Kings. It was the perfect eye-opener on a cold Halloween night--energizing, but nothing brutal. Not surprisingly, Drummer Boy is drum intensive; the track includes a bluesy edge and sweetly shifting beats. In fact, most tracks present the unexpected, often flexibly flying around a Latin Christmas tree, and the exotic vibes are naturally addictive. For me, less is sometimes more, making Mason's minimalist Joy to the World a gentle, moving delight, and the brief, bongo-fied Silent Night equally fun.

Everything on A Slide Guitar Christmas should put a smile on the face of most holiday music aficionados. Unfortunately, the smiling fades after only 35 minutes, when the "sizzling slide guitar," "exotic rhythms," and "dazzling dobro" fade away. Even so, Tom Mason's instrumental interpretations are exquisite for the duration.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

Recorded at Blue Bourbon Music, Nashville, by Jerry Hager

Tom Mason: Dobro, Guitar, Accordion & Trombone
Craig Wright: Drums & Percussion
Matt Jackson: Electric & Acoustic Bass
Lonesome Bob: Bongos on "Silent Night"

"What Child Is This?" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" recorded by Eliot Houser & Craig Wright, with
Tom Comet: Bass
Kami Lyle: Trumpet
Joey Spampinato: Saxamaphone
Shakers: Bob Goldstone, Tim Kyne, & Shawny Anderson


From the artist's Website:

Tom Mason is a true renaissance man. Life is a department store and Tom Mason is running up and down the aisles filling his pockets. A fine guitarist, a sizzling slide player and multi-instrumentalist, a seasoned actor, and a passionate songwriter, Mason is above all an entertainer, eager to share his lust for life every time he straps on a guitar or hits the stage.. Since arriving in Nashville in 1993, Mason has not only established himself as a favorite in nightclubs and studios, he's also become a sought after actor in theater and film.

Tom Mason

A Slide Guitar Christmas

Artist link

Track List