Brian Setzer: Boogie Woogie Christmas : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The smattering of Christmas classics that open Boogie Woogie Christmas -- while buoyant and flawlessly executed by axeman Brian Setzer and his big band -- beg the question that holiday releases often engender: Does the world need yet another version of "Jingle Bells" or "Winter Wonderland"? The answer is sure, as long as they're accompanied by a few surprises, as they are here. The elegant horn arrangement of Setzer and company's version of "The Nutcracker Suite" actually swings. Ann-Margaret purrs and giggles her way through a duet with Setzer on "Baby It's Cold Outside," as light congas add a space-age bachelor pad feel. If it seems like Setzer is going through the motions at times, that's likely a byproduct of his ability to make tossing off jazzy guitar runs and crooning Christmas-style sound so damn easy. Doubters need only hear the fierce solo on "Sleigh Ride" and Setzer's deadly serious, deeply vibrato-ed vocal on "O Holy Night," backed up by a choir of angelic carolers, to comprehend his sincerity.