Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/13/2009
Since
Manilow released his previous delightful
holiday album
A Christmas Gift of Love in 2002, the legendary singer and entertainer became a Las Vegas staple and experienced a
pop chart renaissance with his collections of greatest songs of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. True to its title, his engaging third
Christmas CD is more swinging and jazzy than his other two, which had an interesting musical variety but were definitely more
pop. Since his '70s heyday, the singer has done everything from brilliant
jazz,
big-band, and
show tune projects to a fanciful
Sinatra tribute, and here he creates unforgettable arrangements of many familiar songs that draw from all of these genres. Texturing his own voice, he creates a
Take 6-flavored twist on
"Silver Bells," then on
"Jingle Bells," mixes a hard-driving
jazz trio and '40s
big-band-flavored approach with a touch of the whimsy of
Barbra Streisand's famous version. His
MaD Fusion trio featuring the wild piano improvisations of
Matt Herskowitz adds inspired energy to a medley of two songs we've heard a million times but rarely as entertainingly,
"Joy to the World"/
"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." Beyond enjoying
Manilow's mix of unique jazzy vocal approaches with tender straightforward deliveries (as on
"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,"), what makes this perhaps his best
Christmas disc are a few unexpected song choices: the beautiful
"Violets for Your Furs" (best known as a song on
Frank Sinatra's legendary 1954 album
Songs for Young Lovers); the easy swinging, brass-inflected
"Toyland," from
Victor Herbert's
operetta Babes in Toyland, and
"Count Your Blessings," the "other song"
Irving Berlin wrote for the film
White Christmas. Fans of
Manilow and
Christmas music would pick up this disc even if it was average and prosaic, but the obvious love the artist put into these fresh choices and arrangements makes it one of his most unique and inspired efforts ever. [This release features the bonus tracks
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and
"Christmas Is Just Around the Corner."]
~Jonathan Widran, All Music Guide
;)
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