Search - Lou Rawls :: Merry Little Christmas

Lou Rawls sings up a Merry Little Christmas for us all!

Jennifer Burke | The Adirondacks, NY | 12/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I grew up listening to Lou Rawls sing, as only he can, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." He absolutely OWNS those songs, in my memory. There is a bounce and a swing in every note, and his wonderful rich voice just fills my house with happiness every holiday season. In my mind, the only thing that keeps this CD from a perfect 5 star rating is that I wish it had MORE tracks. But for this price, you can't beat this album for a holiday party (even if it's just you and your sweetie celebrating!."

Breezy holiday fare

Gregor von Kallahann | 05/17/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Lou Rawls in a breezy, lite jazz holiday mode. Fans will enjoy it for sure, and newcomers to Rawls' music will find it a comfortable, engaging intro to his work. (Bargain priced CDs-holiday or no--are often an ideal way for newbies to check out a performer's work.) What this album lacks, however, is any real emotional heft. Rawls specialized in sophisticated pop, of course, but his best work also had a bit of bluesy, funky edge. He cut his teeth playing "the Chitlin' Circuit" after all. There are a few such moments here, but overall the album is fairly lightweight. And that's fine. It's a holiday record, after all. But Lou was capable of providing a little more emotional punch, and it would have been nice to have a little more of a taste of that side of Rawls' art as well. Maybe it's the largely secular nature of most of the tunes here. Most holiday records are a blend of the secular and the sacred, and that usually gives them a little more emotional weight. The only religiously themed song here actually is "Little Drummer Boy," which is not the most solemn of carols to begin with. It would be nice to hear Lou tackle something as simple and beautiful as 'Silent Night" (which indeed he may have done, as this in NOT his sole Christmas record). On the other hand, you've got "Christmas Will Really Be Christmas" makes a strong statement about what Linus Van Pelt might call "the true meaning of Christmas." Overall a pleasant enough holiday sampler and well worth the price. And if it gets people to check out more of Rawls' extensive body of work, well, that certainly can't hurt either."