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Rod Stewart — ‘Merry Christmas, Baby’

By Clint Rhodes weekend Magazine Music 3 min read
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After quickly recovering from a state of sugar overload as a result of shamefully consuming all the treats garnered from a bountiful Halloween, itĢƵ the perfect time to focus on the Christmas season.

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is waiting in the (turkey) wings, but now is the time artists begin releasing new Christmas albums.

Colbie Caillat, Blake Shelton, Richard Marx, Lady Antebellum, Steven Curtis Chapman and Christina Perri are a few of the artists delivering new holiday albums that I’ve got an eye (and an ear) on.

I openly admit after collecting nearly 100 Christmas albums over the last 20 years that I’m a self-professed Christmas music junkie.

By mid-November, the Christmas decorations go up and the holiday music marathon begins and doesn’t come to a closing final note until the arrival of New YearĢƵ Day.

Despite the impressive musical collection, I still get excited when the new releases come out each year.

This yearĢƵ top Christmas pick is Rod StewartĢƵ “Merry Christmas, Baby,” StewartĢƵ first-ever Christmas album and my top choice to make spirits bright come December.

The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee adds his raspy, well-seasoned voice to holiday classics like “White Christmas,” “Silent Night,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Auld Lang Syne.” The album also includes some noteworthy duet moments.

On “Winter Wonderland,” Stewart partners with Michael Bublé as both crooners set the seasonal mood by stirring up images of relaxing with a cup of hot chocolate by a cozy fire as snow blankets the ground in a covering of sparkling white. The flamboyant Cee-Lo Green joins Stewart on the title track adding a Motown flavor to the Christmas classic.

“We Three Kings” has always been a personal favorite of mine, and my enjoyment of it is now heightened as Mary J. Blige infuses her soulfully passionate vocals to this dynamic arrangement. “What Are You Doing New YearĢƵ Eve?” features a virtual duet with Stewart and Ella Fitzgerald, featuring trumpeter Chris Botti. “Merry Christmas, Baby” includes one original track in “Red-Suited Super Man” composed by Stewart, David and Amy Foster and featuring Trombone Shorty.

Stewart offers a touching cover of the Disney favorite “When You Wish Upon a Star” as a perfect fit to a collection of songs conveying the innocence of childlike faith, hope and joy. With “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow” quietly playing in my car, itĢƵ never too early to get in the Christmas spirit.

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