BLUEGRASS UNLIMITED - December 1998

"Kelly Bogan is a one man band. On his all-instrumental compact disc, 'Bluegrass Christmas,' he plays banjo, guitar, mandolin, resonator guitar, fiddle (just a bit), bass, zither, harmonica, and percussion. He is the source for every track on this recording.

The CD contains instrumental renditions of 12 of the best-loved Christmas carols. Bogan, a guitar and piano teacher in Spokane, Wash., has done a fine job of accompanying himself. The arrangements are straightforward, the parts played very cleanly. Kelly Bogan is a talented musician, as can be noted in the crisp banjo rolls and the warm tones he draws from the resonator guitar. What the album may lack is a little of the inspiration that comes from including other musicians in the mix. An occasional vocal part would have given the profusion of instruments something to play against.

Interesting moments on the album include the bass/percussion break on 'Joy To The World,' the guitar introduction to 'The First Noel,' and the Country Gentleman-esque arrangement of 'God Rest Ye, Merry Gentleman.' These and the other pretty pieces here would make lovely background music for any Christmas party. Christmas music lovers take note." NP

BLUEGRASS IN REVIEW - Tim Farrel

"Kelly Brogan (sic) makes his living teaching piano and guitar. On this album he shows his prowess on guitar. But he also shows ability with great picking on banjo, mandolin and Dobro while adding tasteful flashes on fiddle and solid bass accompaniment. On top of this he adds interesting bits on zither and harmonica. With the aid of multitracking and digital recording Brogan (sic) plays all of the instruments on this album. This technique also allows him to break the songs up into smaller parts, lay down perfect tracks and then put it all together. The result is a double-edged sword. On the up side the album is technically flawless, each note is perfect and all of the parts fit together seamlessly. On the other side, the music on this album could not be reproduced in a concert setting, but this would not be expected from a one-man-band recording such as this. Highlights from this recording are 'O Come All Ye Faithful', 'Angels We Have Heard On High' and 'Joy To The World'. 'A Bluegrass Christmas' is an excellent seasonal project. It is an easy listening bluegrass album, which shows off the talent of this multifaceted musician."