A tweaked collection of standard Christmas carols redone in a minor mode resulting in trippy, alternative moods. Perfect for that "Altared" holiday get-together.

Who brought the Hash Fruitcake?

"An Altared Christmas" is a totally tweaked collection of Christmas carols offered up by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Rhan Wilson.

With this CD, he asks the musical question, "What happens to joyously major-key songs when they are suddenly recast in a minor mode?"

The result is "An Altared Christmas," a sometimes spooky, often funny, completely bizzare and oddly satisfying collection of nine familiar Christmas carols, bent by Wilson's inspired vision.

The record gives nine hackneyed holiday songs a fresh angle while retaining the original lyrics and melodies. It opens up with an eerie, ambient "Silent Night." "A Visit From St. Nicholas" gets a quiet, quirky jazz treatment reminiscent of Lord Buckley, that takes a turn when Santa sparks up his famous pipe. The normally chirpy "Deck the Halls" becomes the lament of a mournful mom tending to her wailing baby. On a comic note, a mall girl whines her way through "Away in A Manger," at the same time cracking her way through the lyrics. (Like, what is like, nigh?)

A closing bonus track of even more edgy laughter is sure to send you back out into the Christmas chaos refreshed and ready to face the rigors of the season - with renewed energy and a slightly naughty smile.