Customer Reviews

Merry Christmas Baby

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lou Rawls is one of the best of all time. In this CD he's in top form with that great voice and doing takeoffs of old and new favorites. I'm still listening to a Christmas CD and it's February.

~ Merry Christmas, Baby features all 11 tunes from Rawls' 1967 holiday album "Merry Christmas Ho! Ho!" Ho!, seven of the fifteen selections from 1993's "Christmas Is the Time", and two songs from his final recording session. Since the CD clocks in at just over 58 minutes, it makes one wonder why all fifteen tracks of "Christmas Is the Time" were not included. The fact that Lou Rawls made several Christmas recordings during his career, including his last known recording session, shows how much he liked that time of year and the music associated with Christmas. That joy is evident in his delivery of all of these songs.
~ The 1967 sessions have been repackaged and released in various forms over the years, but this time the sound was improved with digital remastering of most tracks in 2006. The 1967 sessions have Lou supported by a swinging brassy jazz big band with an excellent rhythm section. Unfortunately the musicians and arrangers are not credited.
~ The 1993 recordings, with their more polished production values and background vocal choir, have a more laid-back smooth jazz feel than the swinging rollicking 1967 sessions. The 1993 recordings focus on the more traditional and sacred Christmas music, while the 1967 sessions emphasize the secular and sentimental Christmas music.
~ For the two songs from the final session Lou is backed only by a rhythm section and he puts a rocking blues feel to the songs.
~ The closing number of the CD, from the 1993 session, is offered with no backing musicians - just that beautiful soulful voice.
~ Collectively we are blessed with the outstanding vocals of a man who always delivered quality performances in many settings.
~ I have a fair number of instrumental Christmas CD's but when it comes to vocal Christmas CD's this one is near the top of my listening list. The only reason for giving the CD four stars instead of five is because it could have been improved by including more of the Lou Rawls Christmas music that has appeared on other collections.

This CD was purchased as a gift but I have this CD. This is a classic by a wonderful artist no longer with us and I was able to share with a friend who had heard of this CD many years ago. My friend said she turned her new Bose system up, put Lou Rawls on and was in 7th heaven.

yes its true , its about yule and money, not about christ as purported and i hate the christmas season and christmas songs. Scrooge ? Grinch ? ..whatever....But Lou ! when I heard this cd over a brothers home I had to get it ..Lou is awesome and the band is terrrific..the sound are digitally cleaned up ..its great "merry christmas baby!"