Rob Mathes - Christmas Is Coming

Amazon.com

Rob Mathes, who attained prominence as composer and arranger on Vanessa Williams's popular holiday album, Star Bright, is both performer and pop maestro in this Christmas concert filmed before an audience in upstate New York. Guests include Williams, who takes center stage to sing "I Wonder as I Wander" as Mathes conducts the string section; Michael McDonald, who sings "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Silent Night"; and David Sanborn, who lends his saxophone virtuosity to two jazzy instrumentals, "Sweet Little Baby Boy" and "Mary Had a Baby." Actor Ossie Davis also appears onstage to present dramatic readings. Mathes himself plays acoustic guitar and piano and turns in distinctive versions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Deck the Halls." Backing the featured performers is a polished band complete with horn and string sections, and, at the finale, a large choir. And while some of the arrangements are unusual takes on perennial holiday material, they never stray far from being cheerfully middle-of-the-road versions of Christmas fare. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

Rob is a genius.......2003-01-05

Ok, I may only be 19, but I've seen what Rob can do for over three years now... he is the reason I have become a songwriter. This DVD is proof of just how he can take control of music and make the normal bands we listen to just seem so amature. He has an energy that makes even Vanessa laugh a little, and his love for God is seen through every note he plays and every word he sings.

Gotta Love this one..........2003-01-02

The production value is amazing, as is the music.

Christmas-present tense.......1999-12-21

The most enjoyable aspect of this concert is the expression through music that Christmas is both current and relevent in a modern world. The classic songs and the new one's alike are put forward with a passion that makes the listener feel just plain good. Rob Mathes does not have the strongest voice in the world but it is very emotive and convincing. He has become a sought after talent on the music scene doing work for the likes of Sting, Elton John, Vanessa Williams and many others. If you are in the Christmas mood this is a wonderful video.

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