"Christmas With Sinatra
And Friends"
Frank Sinatra
Concord, 2009
(Review by Jeff Berkwits)
For most true-blue bachelors,
the majority of the year is spent discovering fresh lounge sounds. Still,
when the holidays roll around there's something comforting about hearing
old favorites. This collection of vintage tunes—eight from Sinatra
and four by various contemporaries—is perfect for the season, providing
multiple familiar melodies along with a handful of comparatively unknown
yet still soothing songs.
The Chairman's heartfelt
reading of one of those less familiar compositions, "An Old Fashioned Christmas,"
is a standout, as are his renditions of more famous fare like "Santa Claus
Is Coming To Town" and "The Little Drummer Boy." Mel Tormé's
take on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)" is equally
hearth and heartwarming, as is Rosemary Clooney's performance
of "White Christmas." Though there's not a single new note to be heard,
each track is calming and cozy. In short, perfect for just about any seasonal
bachelor-pad bash.
A long-time aficionado of retro music and movies, Jeff Berkwits
has covered vintage sounds for numerous publications and websites including
Bachelor
Pad Magazine, Filmfax, Outré, and
Amazing Stories.
He can be reached at jeffberkwits@sbcglobal.net.
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