(PRWEB) November 17, 2005 -- It wouldn’t be Christmas without the stirring, four-part a cappella harmonies of The Blenders singing beautifully arranged carols and hymns, tricked out holiday standards and their own enduring and endearing Christmas songs. This season America’s award-winning singing group is offering a new holiday album, Most Wonderful Time (Cowtown Records), their fourth CD of Christmas music in eight years (including last year’s hilarious four-song CD Another Folkin’ Christmas by The Folkers, a ‘60s folk music parody that kept last year’s sold-out concert halls howling).
“ Go Tell It on the Mountain ”
Most Wonderful Time offers The Blenders belting out the pop and gospel-powered “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” the spirited choral arrangements of “I Wonder as I Wander,” stunningly sung by Tim Kasper, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and other hymns. “Deck the Halls” gets jacked with a mild dusting of hip hop, while Alan Rust (tenor) turns in a perfect reading of Michael Frank’s seasonally cynical “I Bought You a Plastic Star (for Your Aluminum Tree).”
Add Ryan Lance’s original “All Wrapped Up,” a retro disco blast, bass singer and producer Darren Rust’s richly layered production work that mysteriously morphs vocals into instruments and a kiddy medley of “Frosty the Snowman” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” and the result is another magically memorable Blenders’ Christmas album.
It’s the same kind of rich vocal sound and stylish innovation that inspired international R&B and pop diva Erykah Badu to name the group’s When it Snows (2002) her favorite Christmas CD in the Dallas Morning News!
Originally from that Oscar Award-winning town of Fargo, The Blenders have made Minneapolis home since 1994 and have been together for 15 years. Their annual holiday tour is a Midwest tradition.
“The Most Wonderful Time CD and tour offer that singular Blenders’ sound and sensibility,” notes Tim Kasper, The Blenders’ spokesperson and alto singer. "Every year Christmas gets more and more special because we never know when it will be our last tour or album. But we keep on singing, recording and performing at this most wonderful time because it’s what we love, and we know how much our audiences appreciate it. There’s no better gift than getting into the true spirit of the holidays through music; if we can make that happen every year onstage and on record then we’ve happily done our job.”
Most Wonderful Time
Track Listing:
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Go Tell It On the Mountain
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Santa’s Little Helper (Interlude)
Frosty/Here Comes Santa Claus
I Wonder As I Wander
Deck the Halls
O Little Town of Bethlehem
I Bought You a Plastic Star (For Your Aluminum Tree)
Away in a Manger
Christmas Eve (Interlude)
All Wrapped up (original)
ABOUT THE BLENDERS
Brothers Allan and Darren Rust and childhood friends Tim Kasper and Ryan Lance have spent the past 15-years crisscrossing the country with their unique style of vocal harmony music, mixing together classical, choral and a cappella music with jazz, doo wop, pop, rock and soul music. They have toured 46 states and opened for such acts as Jay Leno, Howie Mandel, Savage Garden, Blues Traveler, Chicago, The Righteous Brothers, Lou Rawls, Chuck Berry, and many more. They also have appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show, The Today Show on NBC, Crook & Chase, CNN, WGN TV & Radio, and National Public Radio.
Two-time recipients of the National Association of Campus Activities award for Contemporary Artist of the Year, The Blenders have now released 10 albums with Most Wonderful Time, including:
· Totally Whipped (1992)
· From the Mouth (1994)
· The Blenders (1995)
· Now & Then (1997)
· Loveland (2000)
· NOG (1997)
· When it Snows (2002 -- one of only three titles nominated for the AFIM (Association for Independent Music) “Best Holiday CD.”
· Holiday Best (2004, featuring Target-only bonus track, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”)
· Another Folkin’ Christmas (2004, The Folkers)
· Most Wonderful Time (2005)
The Blenders’ 2002 top selling Christmas CD When it Snows, (charting on Billboard’s Independent CD Chart at #34) was also awarded the Best A Cappella Christmas Album from CASA, the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America.
For more information – or to request a review copy of Most Wonderful Time or to interview The Blenders – please contact Martin Keller at Media Savant Communications: 612-729-8585.
Visit The Blenders online for more information and a complete bio at:
www.theblenders.com
