Daniel – Holiday Time (Le Temps Des Fêtes)

Since last December, there has been a stack of Christmas CDs directly next to my computer monitor. At one point, the stack numbered around 60+ albums and stood around two foot high.

I have several things that I do whenever I get a new Christmas CD. I have an Excel spreadsheet that contains all the albums, songs, and artists in my collection.

I also scan the front & back covers of each of my albums for two reasons - 1.) possible trades with fellow collectors 2.) insurance purposes.

Lastly, if the album is available through Amazon.com, I generally post a scan over there - sort of a backup copy of things. Click on the link and you'll see about 85% of all the CDs I own.

I can happily report that after much documentation (the steps above and the reviews here at the blog), the stack stands now at merely two CDs. This is the first review of those two discs.

While shopping at my local Borders store, I was perusing their bargain sections and found this CD wedged in the other clearance CDs and leftover 2006 cat calendars.

Upon first look, the disc seemed to be French - with a title like "Holiday Time (Le Temps Des Fêtes)" and the playlist on the back with both the English and French titles of the songs, how could it not be French? Asking price: $1.00. SOLD!

Daniel Nault is a former resident of Canada and emigrated to America to pursue his career in the early 1980s. One night while singing lullabies to his children, he came across the idea of teaching children to speak French through music. This led to five successful albums (including this one) released between 1996 and 2000 - each one picking up a Parents Choice award in the process.

This CD is a nice change of pace. Daniel begins a standard Christmas song (good sound / arrangements) by singing the English version then slowly and craftfully works in the French version. It's a treat to hear him sing both versions of standards like "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". The standout track is the bilingual version of "Driedl, Driedl, Driedl" - not a song you'd hear everyday in French!

If you want to teach your children French through music, check out Daniel's kiddie website. If you're looking to hear some adult music from Daniel, his latest release can be heard through this page on his website.

On to the next new Christmas CD in my collection...


Capt