Diamond Rio The Star Still Shines Curb Records Christmas 10-09-2007

SCORE 87%

Diamond Rio has been around a long time, and unlike some long-lasting groups still has all its original members, so their recent signing to Word seemed like the right time for their first Christmas project. But you don’t have to like country to enjoy these twelve tight holiday tracks. Diamond Rio’s standout musicianship and pristine arrangements of these holiday classics will win you over regardless.

Those rich chops are quickly apparent with the opening title track, bouncy and bright, and the tight vocal mix will grab your attention as well. “Winter Wonderland” is a splashy country take on a holiday classic, notable for its intelligent strings and a brawny 12-string. Things soften up for “The Christmas Song,” the vocals as charming as the soft brush work.

Bouncy pop track “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow,” one of my favorite holiday songs, is an album standout, the picking lush over the country rhythms, and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” mixes classic vocals and nuanced instrumentation for a big sound.  But it’s the pretty pickin’ of “Sleigh Ride” that really snaps your attention, as the formidable harmonic powers of Diamond Rio come out in full force. And the sheer romance and steel guitars shine brightly through “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

By the time Diamond Rio gets to the warm, intuitive closer, “Christmas Is Coming,” they will have you in the palm of their hands, country-music-lover or not. Get ready to be surprised.