American R&B singer Eric Benet is the latest star to throw Santa’s hat into the ring and spin a Christmas album out of the seasonal market – the cover has him in 1950s mode, in a deep leather armchair in front of a coal fire in magnolia jumper and slacks and a pair of Christmas socks. Cosy.
Guests to Benet’s Christmas party include Nina Nelson, sharing vocals on a Christmas cut with a Hawaiian bent from the Bing Crosby stable, “Mele Kalikimaka”. Elsewhere Stacey Ryan shares the mic on one of Benet’s own songs, getting the tone just right for the jazzy, sprightly gait of “It’s Christmas”. Benet’s daughters Lucia and Luna share backing vocals on another self-penned tune, “Christmas Morning” that, like advocaat, may go down easy, depending on the levels of sweetness you tolerate.
Classics like “Christmas Time is Here” enjoy the spirit of generous renewal, elevated by a sophisticated jazz backing, and warm, not suffocating strings. “I wanted it to feel timeless,” he says of the album, “like something you might have heard on the radio 20 or 30 years ago, and something that will still feel at home 20, 30, even 40 years from now.” Is it timeless? Time will tell.
It’s got a variety of settings and moods, without breaking the seasonal spell that corrals Christmas albums into their own peculiar orbit, appearing just the one time each year. The finesse of the production, the vocals and the playing pays dividends across the 11 tracks. The slow blues of Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home for Christmas” (once covered by The Eagles) is one of most welcome of guests to grace the album, and the Jackson 5’s 1970 hit “Give Love on Christmas Day” may send older listeners back to the tinsel and paper chains of early 1970s festive fare. Now pour the advocaat.
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