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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Harry's third holiday album featuring covers of popular Christmas hits, newly written songs and more!", November 19, 2008
As a long time listener of Harry Connick, Jr., one of my favorite Holiday-related album (and laserdisc) that I purchased was from Harry Connick, Jr. back in 1993 with "When My Heart Finds Christmas".
Fifteen years later, I still listen to the album a lot and although Harry released a sophomore Holiday album in 2003 with "Harry for the Holidays", it didn't capture the same magic as the first album but still enjoyable.
So, here we are five years later, with another Christmas album from Harry Connick, Jr. and it features a good combination of Harry Connick, Jr.'s style of singing popular Christmas classics, his own written songs and also featuring instrumental tracks as well. Most of all, Harry and his big band is back. So, you get a bit of music that are jazzy or songs that other beautiful arrangements featuring an orchestra.
In this album, there are a few interesting collaborations. The first is with jazz/gospel artist Kim Burrell who joins Harry Connick, Jr. for "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and "Song for the Hopeful". With the former featuring a beautiful orchestra-style arrangement and the latter featuring a Harry Connick, Jr. written song featuring a more jazz, contemporary style of track.
The surprise on the Christmas album is the duet with Harry Connick, Jr.'s second daughter Sarah Kate singing with her father. She does a very good job and has her father's flair. What's interesting is that Sarah wasn't even born when the first Holiday album was released and when the second was released, she was only five. So, it's good to see Harry and his daughter (now at the age of 11) singing on this album, considering that Harry Connick Jr. first recorded an album at ten which was titled "Eleven".
There is also a third collaboration with Harry's long time friend and trombone player Lucien Barbarin who joining Harry Connick Jr. in an enjoyable big band style song "Santariffic" which is an original Christmas song by Harry Connick Jr.
Overall, I did enjoy "What a Night! A Christmas Album", I still enjoy the first album more for its holiday ballads and of course, it's more of nostalgia for me and my family. But it's still an enjoyable Christmas album that Harry Connick, Jr. fans will truly enjoy.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Santarrific!!!, November 10, 2008
Harry Connick Jr. knows how to bring the Christmas spirit and he really delivers once again with his 3rd Christmas album "What A Night!".
Harry adds his own flavor to many of the Christmas classics and he has also given us 4 brand new songs that he wrote himself.
My favorite song on the record is "Winter Wonderland" where he does a duet with his 11 year old daughter Kate. There is playful banter in the song and they each sing several verses in their own unique style. Kate has a magnificent voice and looks to have a bright future ahead herself.
His new song, "What A Night!" is brilliant. Very catchy tune that you will be singing in your head long after the album is through playing.
Other favorites include "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Holly Jolly Christmas", "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies", "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas", "Santarrific", "Zat You Santa Claus", "Jingle Bells", "We Three Kings"
All in all, this cd is splendid and will make you want to grab a hot cup of cocoa, sit by the fire, and be filled with Christmas spirit and love for the season.
Thanks once again Harry!!!
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20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very disappointed, December 8, 2008
I like Harry Connick Jr. and have many of his albums, including his first Christmas album from several years back. So, when I ordered this one I expected to find more of the same. Boy, was I disappointed. I will never buy another album without listening to the samples available on Amazon, etc. This album is truly almost unlistenable. Harry has always been a better musician than a vocalist, but on this album he is frequently off-key and just plain lazy in his singing. Many times the lines just trail off where he seems to just give up hitting the right note. Whether this is simply his "style" or not, it is just too casual. Someone with a better voice, like Dean Martin, can get away with such a casual style of singing, but not Harry. His duet on "Let There be Peace on Earth" is truly awful. What should be a very simple and pretty song becomes an overblown funeral dirge - for some reason they keep repeating the line "to take each moment", trying to build it up into a crescendo when they finally complete the line. By that time I found myself cringing and saying "just finish the song!" His duet on "Song for the Hopeful" is better, but by the time that track rolled around I was so frustrated with this album that By that time I found myself cringing and saying "just finish the song!" His duet on "Song for the Hopeful" is better, but by the time that track rolled around I was so frustrated with this album that I was ready to pitch it from my car. Since first listening to the album 3 days ago I have been unable to get the title track "What a Night" out of head - and not because I like it! With lines like "Jingle, jingle, watch out for Kris Kringle" it sounds like a rejected song from one of the old Rankin and Bass Christmas specials. Harry's daughter Kate sums it up best on "Winter Wonderland" when she says "that's nice dad, but your version puts me to sleep." When, I was not gritting my teeth at the abovementioned moments in the record, I too was falling asleep listening to what seemed to be Harry sleepwalking through the album.
On the plus side, the musicians are fabulous and the album is at it's best when they and Harry are jazzing up the songs. However, this is not enough to save this album. Again, I am a fan of Harry Connick's which is probably why I was so irritated at this album. He can certainly do better than this.
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