Two caveats for this review: I do not watch TV reality singing contests at all and so have no idea who these people are (old-timer Danny Aiello was a minor part of the evening and the only face I recognized).  The other is that I saw the first preview and the sound mix was not yet well balanced.  A rather ragged Broadway show plugged into an open slot and apparently hurriedly assembled.

That being said, the familiar holiday music was set in uninspired arrangements; the setting and direction of the cast had a third rate TV variety show flavor without the relief of closeups to break it up.  The band was hopping but the sound mix did it no favors, especially the overwhelming percussion section.  It was also surprising that one of the featured singers decided she had a philosophical difference to keys selected by the band but fortunately her mic was not prominent, the one saving grace from the sound board.

I can say that of all the new faces I was most impressed by a young lady named Candice Glover.  This lady deserves to go far, she was fantastic.  Her voice is still in training but has a solid foundation to develop as she grows.

As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes

TOMORROW – The Holidays start with Thanksgiving!