VOA慢速英语2012 AMERICAN MOSAIC - 'Tis The Season for New Christmas Albums

 

AMERICAN MOSAIC¹ - 'Tis The Season for New Christmas Albums

Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English.

I’m June Simms with Christopher Cruise². Tuesday is Christmas. New Year’s Day comes a week later. As a result, you hear holiday music right now in almost every public place in America. It is being played in stores, restaurants and on the radio. And, today we are playing holiday music on AMERICAN MOSAIC.

Every year, many performers record new Christmas music albums and singles. June and I are going to talk about, and listen to, some of the recent releases.

That is Rod Stewart and Michael Buble performing “Winter Wonderland.” The song can be found on Rod Stewart’s album “Merry Christmas, Baby.” It is the first holiday album he has recorded in his 50-year career.

Michael Buble is not the only guest artist on “Merry Christmas, Baby.” Rod Stewart sings “We Three Kings” with Mary J. Blige.

Cee Lo Green is also on “Merry Christmas, Baby.” But the R&B singer also just released his own holiday album. “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment” includes traditional religious songs like “Silent Night,” children’s’ hits like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and even lively dance songs like this one, “What Christmas Means to Me.”

Lady Antebellum has a lot to celebrate this holiday season. Twenty-twelve was a great year for the American country pop band. The group received its seventh Grammy Award and its second Grammy for best country album of the year with “Own the Night.”

This year, Lady Antebellum also released its first seasonal⁴ album. “On This Winter’s Nights” includes several songs the group recorded earlier in its career. But their recording⁵ of the well-loved Donny Hathaway song “This Christmas” is all new.

Also new for 2012 was a first Christmas album from country singer Blake Shelton. The 36 year old star was born and raised in Oklahoma. He talks about Christmas there on a video you can see on his website. He says an Oklahoma Christmas is the only one he knows and it is all about family.

“It’s fun. I came from a really big family --- huge family, when it comes to and aunts and uncles and cousins and nephews. I’m not even sure how some people are kin³ [related] to me. I just see ‘em every holiday.”

Here, he sings “Oklahoma Christmas” with another country music star: Reba McEntire.

Now, Blake Shelton shares a song with family. He and his wife, singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert, perform “Jingle Bell Rock.”

There are sweet and sad notes on the first holiday album from Tracey Thorn⁶. She sings Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas,” with such simplicity⁷ that the words about the pain of loss seem truer than ever.

Tracey Thorn also wrote two of the songs on “Tinsel and Lights.” In “Joy” she describes life’s conflicting forces: good and bad, light and dark. She sings: you loved it as a kid / and now you need it more than you ever did / It’s because of the dark / we see the beauty in the spark / that’s why / that’s why / the carols make you cry.

There are also some new albums that do not need words to express the spirit of the holiday season. Saxophonist Jeff Sparks’ “Jazzy Christmas” is all instrumental⁸. Here he provides a fresh feel to the traditional Christmas carol “O Holy Night”.

If you like a reggae sound to celebrate the holidays, Maxi Priest⁹ has it with his new album, “Time of the Year.” The 51 year old British musician said he had a lot of fun making the record, the first holiday album of his career.

We leave you with Maxi Priest performing “I As A King.” and more on American Mosaic in VOA Special English.

1 mosaic   

n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的

参考例句：

• The sky this morning is a mosaic of blue and white.今天早上的天空是幅蓝白相间的画面。
• The image mosaic is a troublesome work.图象镶嵌是个麻烦的工作。

2 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。

3 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

4 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

5 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

6 thorn   

n.刺，荆棘，带刺小灌木

参考例句：

• The little boy stepped on a sharp thorn.那小男孩踩着了一根尖刺。
• The dog had a thorn in its pad.这只狗的爪垫上扎了根刺。

7 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

8 instrumental   

adj.仪器的，器械的，乐器的，起作用的，有帮助的

参考例句：

• It is an instrumental work.这是一部可以用乐器演奏的作品。
• He was instrumental in catching the criminal.在捉拿那个罪犯的过程中，他起了作用。

9 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。