Holiday Review: Frank Sinatra-The Classic Christmas Album

Release Date: October 7, 2014
Label: Legacy Recordings
Website

Frank Sinatra is one of the best known crooners of his time and this year Sony Legacy has brought together a fourteen track album of his best loved holiday hits with two previously unreleased tracks."Baby It's Cold Outside" with singer Dorothy Kirsten and an alternate version of "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" with the Page Cavanaugh Trio. Another version of “Let It Snow” is also on the second track of the album with The B. Swanson Quartet and the two pieces are very different indeed. One is bright and shiny and the other more subdued, but both invoke the magic of the season.

As I sit at my writing desk and listen to this master performer belt out songs from my childhood and beyond, I can’t help but be reminded of a simpler time. That, to me, is the magic of Sinatra’s voice. You can here “Let It Snow” a million different ways, but when Sinatra does it, I always stop a moment and sigh.

“Adeste Fideles” or “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” is another classic that brings a sense of nostalgia. The bells and ornate instrumentation have an attention to musical detail that is often lost in modern performances. It made me feel like I did after watching a favorite old black and white holiday movie with my husband. Happy and dreaming of days when mangers were seen in front lawns and churches and Christmas trees were celebrated on main street and in our hearts. Not just the retail rush, but the rush of love for friends and family in this hectic time of year.

“Baby It’s Cold Outside” is from the MGM performance of “Neptune’s Daughter” and is one of two tracks previously unreleased until now. This track alone is worth getting the album. Joyful and full of the magic of young love, this song has always made me smile. This recording brings to life the visage of old Hollywood and lets us visit the sweet playfulness of yesteryear.

Frank Sinatra is the epitome of a music legend. His voice invokes the magic of the holidays and brings us back to simpler times in our lives we have only momentarily forgotten. For those who haven’t heard his magnificent voice, this album with two rare songs is a perfect one to start with. Chock full of the magic of the season, it will warm your heart.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Adeste Fideles, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Tracks:

01. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Frank Sinatra

02. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Frank Sinatra with The B. Swanson Quartet

03. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Frank Sinatra with the Ken Lane Singers

04. I've Got a Home in That Rock
Frank Sinatra with the Charioteers

05. Adeste Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
Frank Sinatra with the Ken Lane Singers

06. Christmas Dreaming
Frank Sinatra

07. Jingle Bells
Frank Sinatra with the Ken Lane Singers

08. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Frank Sinatra

09. O Little Town of Bethlehem
Frank Sinatra with the Ken Lane Singers

10. Jesus Is a Rock in the Weary Land
Frank Sinatra with the Charioteers

11. Silent Night, Holy Night
Frank Sinatra with the Ken Lane Singers

12. White Christmas
Frank Sinatra

13. Baby, It's Cold Outside (From the MGM Film, "Neptune's Daughter")
Frank Sinatra with Dorothy Kirsten

14. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (From the CBS Radio Broadcast, "Songs by Sinatra") Frank Sinatra with the Page Cavanaugh Trio

Dana Wright, Sr. Staff Writer

November 25, 2014

Review Provided By Write A Music Review