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After Tony Bennett brought a bit of cheer to my hectic holiday season with his new album, .nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800657.php>A Swingin’ Christmas, I was ready to venture out a bit more into the world of Christmas music. So I dove headfirst into jazz crooner Harry Connick, Jr.’s latest, What a Night!: A Christmas Album, hoping to find more of the same upbeat holiday classics. But while I did find a few songs that were exactly what I needed to get me through the holidays, I found a whole bunch of other stuff, too.
What a Night! is a widely varied holiday album. Here, you’ll find everything from soulful Christmas classics to silly original tunes. You’ll find hits, and you’ll definitely find misses.
Like Bennett’s album, What a Night! opens with a jazzed-up holiday classic. With its horn-heavy big-band style, Connick’s version of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is the perfect album opener—one that’s sure to get you in the holiday spirit from the very first notes.
Throughout the album, you’ll find plenty of holiday hits. There are playful numbers, like “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” and there are smooth, soulful tracks, like “Please Come Home for Christmas.” There are all kinds of great instrumental moments, too—and plenty of peppy piano solos.
Unfortunately, though, there are also some misses. The worst is the painful “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” an awkward duet with Kim Burrell. But a few of the misses are Connick’s original holiday songs—especially “Santariffic,” a disturbing track that’s sure to make you consider covering up your chimney, just to prevent that creepy old pervert, Santa Claus, from sneaking his way into your house.
A couple of Connick’s other originals are just so-so: the fun but forgettable “What a Night!” and the slower, dramatic “Christmas Day.” But, on his fourth original track, he finally finds himself a hit. “Song for the Hopeful” is the last track on the album—and it’s definitely the best. It’s not the jazzy, upbeat style that I was looking for, but this beautifully simple duet (once again with Kim Burrell) ends the album on a touchingly hopeful note.
With its playful instrumentals and its classic Christmas carols, What a Night! has its share of memorable moments. But while I love Connick’s cool, New Orleans style, I’m going to name Tony Bennett the winner of this year’s Battle of the Jazzy Christmas Albums.
