Examiner.com Review of The Meaning of Christmas

If youʼre in the mood for a Christmas balls to the wall, guitar hero holiday disc then look no further than Mike Campeseʼs The Meaning of Christmas. For those who canʼt quite place the name, Campese is an American guitar virtuoso and composer best known as a member of the band Trans-Siberian Orchestra. His 2008 CD, the twelve-track The Meaning of Christmas, is his sixth solo album.

Itʼs mainly a Christmas cut cover compilation of intense instrumentals on which Campese himself plays virtually all instruments. The album opener is “Deck the Halls”. This is one of the longest pieces here and that is fortunate as his methodical musical digression might lead listeners astray they donʼt hang on for the wild (sleigh) ride ʻtil he brings it all back home for Christmas.

The second selection is “Joy to the World”. Not to be confused with a cover of the Three Dog Night this is his take on the Christmas carol. Again, once one surrenders to this musical, Mr. Toadʼs Wild Ride, it becomes interesting to extrapolate exactly where Campese where go off on a solo injecting it with new sections and melodies and just when and how he will pull it all together in a seasonal shred storm.

The next number is “Little Drummer Boy”. Campese rocks on here with his metallic cover of this holiday hit and it doesnʼt stop as he plows through “Grinch” which is what some critics call a “rip your face off version” of the Seuss song “Youʼre a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. He soon changes it up, however, with a very nice cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” which exemplifies the work for which he earned a gold record with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

“Chestnuts” provides further variety as Campese goes acoustic with a refreshing version of “The Christmas Song”. Lest anyone forget he is also a composer, however, Campese includes a couple of original tracks including the titular track “The Meaning of Christmas”. This is the longest cut on the disc not that a listener would necessarily notice. Itʼs a poetic break from all the instrumentals and introduces us to his vocal abilities.

Campese covers “Carol of the Bells” next. This is a fan favorite and is followed by another acoustic offering his slightly jazz-tinged take on “Silent Night”. Also included is a noteworthy cover of “O’ Come All Ye Faithful”.

“Christmas in Maui” is the second original song here. The cut contains a memorable melody and also serves as a nice break from the covers. The closing cut is his version of “Auld Lang Syne”. It includes Jessica Campese assisting on incidental background vocals and is an apt album end note in that the tune ends both the CD and the year. It also serves as one final example of why Campese was an honors grad from the Musicians Institute of Hollywood. Overall, Mike Campese (https://mikecampese.com/) ʼs guitar-driven The Meaning of Christmas rocks and will guarantee listeners anything but a dull, quiet “Silent Night”.