Track 1- Frosty the Snowman- A wonderful jazzy version, this track starts the CD off right. The Trumpet solo is very glitzy, and sensational. Not the fantasy child-like version, but certainly jazzy, and great for the adults. Track 2- Blue Christmas- A different bluesy version, not my favorite of Harry, but his vocal abilities are pretty good.
Track 3- The Christmas Waltz- Great Saxophone and Trombone accompanists. This is a `newer Christmas song, It is totally Jazzy and cool!!
Track 4- I wonder As I wander- A great version of a traditional Christmas carol, the Tenor Saxophone, just blows me away, Harry is so smooth on this one. Truly one of the best songs on the CD...
Track 5- Silver Bells- This is where the CD starts to take a weird turn, this is by far not Harry's best work, he is off beat, and slow with the musical accompanist, it almost sounds as if he has been drinking..
Track 6- Mary's Little Boy Child- this must be a new song, I have never heard it before, not too Christmasy. The vocals are ok, not all that hot.
Track 7- Santa Claus is Coming to Town- This is a loud, boisterous version, makes you want to get up and dance. The Trombone and Trumpet have wonderful solos. A really bluesy- showy version of a classic.
Track 8- The Happy Elf- Again you get the feeling that Harry was a little tipsy on this one, both during the writing process and the singing process. I think I know why the elf is so happy, and it is not because of Christmas, it is because of Jack.. Jack Daniels by the pint that is. I can almost see Harry in the studio, dancing around with a bottle in one hand and the microphone in the other. Furthermore this song has NOTHING to do with Christmas..
Track 9- I'll be home for Christmas- This is a classic Christmas Carol, Harry sings it with such sadness, I was constantly thinking to myself, if you are that depressed, maybe you should not come home for Christmas!! Again you can hear the booze in his voice, especially after the saxophone solo, it seems as though Harry misses his cue to begin singing again, like maybe during the solo (which is long...long enough for one to say swig a pint or two of vodka). When he begins singing again, he is even more depressing. The musical accompanist is wonderful, at least the saxophonist is not boozing it up, during this number, this is certainly not Harry at his best, or dare I say most intoxicated~ after all this is ONLY track 9, it basically goes downhill from here on out. Now is the time to grab the wrapper out of the trash and try to figure out how to get it back on, so that you can return this CD, for whence it came.
Track 10- I come with Love- The title would be more appropriate, I come with BOOZE.. Again, not a good Christmas song, this song is not about Christmas at all.
Track 11- Nature Boy- Now is the time to call up the store, explain to them that you opened the CD, but you NEED to return it. The only thing good about this song is the saxophone solo, at this point, you can visualize Harry in a corner, just drinking merrily along, the lyrics are so senseless, it is unreal. I don't know why this song is on this Christmas CD.
Track 12- O Little Town on Bethlehem- this song is sung slowly and without any passion whatsoever, Harry sound as if he was awaken from a drunken stupid to supply the vocals, this is not especially jazzy.
Track 13- I'm Gonna be the First One- Boring, not too good, I was not impressed with this song. By now you may as well be content with the fact that the store is not going to take this CD back, so you can just count this as a loss.
Track #14- This Christmas- This song has the potential for an other wise crappy CD to take a good turn, but unfortunately it only gets worse. On a couple of verses Good Ole Harry is slurring his words, even the Big Band cannot save this tune. Harry tries to add soul, but it comes in all the wrong places, and it is just disastrous! By now I am wondering how all the people in the studio can watch Harry self destruct, and not try to stop him, or at least sober him up before they hand the microphone to him. A Christmas classic turned catastrophic.
Track #15- Nothin' New For New Year- Terrible!!! If you thought that this CD could not get any worse.. Well then you were mistaken. For some reason, one can only guess it is again excessive alcohol, Harry takes on a country twang, Maybe because he recorded this song in Nashville, and he thought it would add to the song, to attempt a country-style twangy version. This is an insult to the 1 or 2 dozen authentic country music artists out there.
Track #16- Silent Night- This is by far the absolute worse version I have ever heard, it is so horribly distorted, you cannot even tell that it is supposed to be Silent Night. Clearly Harry, at this point has reached an all-time low on this CD, he is totally sloppy drunk, and I don't even know how he thought he could pull this one off. He is OBVIOUSLY slurring throughout the whole song. The only reprieve is when it is over. If you are a Harry Connick Jr fan, then do not listen to this song. It makes you wonder when he is going to get help for the drinking. He butchers this song so bad, words cannot begin to describe it. To stop your ears from bleeding, rip out the CD and burn it. This is NOT what Christmas is all about, unless of course you are a drunk.
