"Slower than Christmas" is an atrocious faux pas in every nuance of the word; yet it bristles with a comedic wisdom that is so endearing and enticing that it is hard to resist. Here's a litany of reasons why "Slower than Christmas" is socially and morally repellant: first, supporters of PETRA will definitely burn with indignation as Mountain Man has no qualms making jokes about the gory details of killing animals.  Second, politically correct activists will have a field day picking on all the tangential quips Mountain Man has made without paying an iota of sensitivity towards anything that is non-discriminatory.  Third, music purists whose ears will tingle at the slightest note sung off key will have their ears bleeding by the end of the first track.  Mountain Man hardly sings in the right key.  Worse still, he sings two or three notes slower than the melodic line making him sound like Willie Nelson on steroids.   Fourth, he makes parodies out of the traditional carols that often come out as inappropriate and downright insipid. Yet, with everything that is wrong with "Slower than Christmas," there's something in these songs that reaches and grab us without letting go.

Before we delve into an exposition of this album's enigmatic appeal, it's fair to say a word about Mountain Man first.  Mountain Man also known as Tim Guradey is TV's favorite neighbor.  Operating his own air-conditioning repair business and co-hosting a local radio talk show, Mountain Man is the neighbor of the Robertsons in the runaway hit TV show "Duck Dynasty."  "Duck Dynasty" is arguably the most successful reality TV show on cable.  During its third season premier, the show tallied an 8.6 million viewership.  Mountain Man is the show's semi-regular cast member who is not part of the Robertson family or an employee of Duck Commander. Guraedy's weekly radio show on local station Z107.5, Big Z Country has become popular all over the globe, with people tuning in, via the Internet, to hear Mountain Man's delightful mix of common sense, sports, music - and usually a Bible verse or two. 

Following in the footsteps of the Robertsons who has had just released their own Christmas record, Mountain Man debuts his own with "Slower Than Christmas."  However, unlike the Robertsons' festive effort, "Slower than Christmas" consists of songs as well as spoken narratives by Mountain Man himself.  Just like his normal slow speaking demeanor, Mountain Man sings in the same manner as he talks; to him rhythm means nothing, in fact, he sings at the pace he wants to.  So, what's the appeal of this record?  First, the never taking life or himself too seriously, Mountain Man can see humor in the little things in life that we often missed.  Take his bizarre tale of how he killed Santa's Rudolph on the "The Dead Deer Parade" as an example: Mountain Man has a way of taking a nonchalant hunting incident and making it such a belly-aching fun story.  Kermit the frog certainly would not have guessed he would have a career outside the Muppet Show as he would have on "It Came Upon a Midnight Frog." .

Second, despite often singing out of tune, there is a simplicity in his songs that takes us away from the hustle and bustle of life.  Thanks in part to producer Steve Ivey (Bill Anderson & Crystal Gayle), the acoustic cum bluegrassy country backings to songs like "Frosty the Slow Man" and "Slower Than Christmas" bring out a familial warmth so needed at Christmas time.  Yet, not all is fun and gore, "The Real Christmas Story" finds Mountain Man using his Kris Kristofferson-like vocals to read the Biblical narrative of the birth of Jesus Christ.  And just like he would cite a Bible verse here and there on his talk show, it certainly warms our hearts to hear him read Scripture with so much affection. At the end of the day, whether we admit it or not, one of the album's greatest appeals is Mountain Man's unceasing love for the Christ of Christmas.