Comments by Kristine Allen

Comment for "The Raven (2005) (Audio Drama)"

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Review of The Raven

This is a very well done reading of "The Raven" with interesting and well-executed audio effects. It contains no intro or outro - just the poem. ti will make a very nice drop-in within a Halloween Night (mostly music) program I'm creating for our station. Kudos!

Comment for "A Jethro Tull Christmas With Ian Anderson"

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Review of A Jethro Tull Christmas With Ian Anderson

NOT YOUR ORDINARY HOLIDAY SPECIAL! For something completely different, audition this! In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess up front that I have been a devotee of Jethro Tull since age six. That said, this program is a refreshing take on the "holiday special". The music is great, of course! I particularly love Anderson's very jazzy riffs on "Greensleeves" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - and there are some interesting original songs for the holiday, too. There is also is a very nice flow between music and Anderson's comments, which are alternately funny and intriguing. Stations may shy away from this because Jethro Tull is famous as a "rock" band, but they have always had roots in folk, blues and even classical music. There is much in these sophisticated,jazzy versions of Christmas songs that says "public radio" to me. There are also songs well off the beaten path, and Anderson brings them to us with plenty of personality and attitude. He tells some interesting anecdotes about his musical past, just as if he were sitting in our living room. He doesn't really "introduce" the music per se -it just appears at the appropriate moment. I decided it would work quite well in our schedule coming out of "Christmas from the World Cafe" late on a Saturday night, when we normally air blues. Check it out for some fresh and unusual holiday fare!