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Under the Mistletoe: Reindeer & Romance is another excellent compilation from Shout Factory's three-piece Wonderland Series, and this one is my favorite. The two other CDs in the series (Cool December and Yulesville, both reviewed on this site) are outstanding offerings in their own right, but Under the Mistletoe puts it all together for me. The song selection is absolutely classic, the production values are superb, and the chosen artists make me jingle all the way!

Like the other two Wonderland offerings, Under the Mistletoe cleverly combines old-time classy acts (like Peggy Lee in 1949 & Sarah Vaughn in 1950) with marvelous modern music makers (like Laura Nyro in 1990 & Steve Tyrell in 2002), and the results are all good. The album opens with a smokin' Lou Rawls on "Merry Christmas Baby" (1967) setting the stage for a stellar evening of easy-listening excellence. Legends come to life on Under the Mistletoe: Ella Fitzgerald sings "Rudolph," Rosemary Clooney sings "White Christmas," and on and on! Just magic! And when I thought this CD could not get any better, the hip and soulful Laura Nyro sings an unusual "Let It Be Me/The Christmas Song" medley. Excellent!

Under the Mistletoe does what a great music compilation should do--it puts together a diverse--and outstanding--music mix for the holiday season. So head "under the mistletoe" this season, and be prepared for a most worthwhile, 50-minute kiss.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2005)

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From the liner notes:

Produced and Compiled by Brad Benedict
Digitally Remastered by Bob Norberg
Liner Notes by RJ Smith

We have subtitled this collection "Reindeer and Romance" to celebrate the seasonal voices. We sing the praises of the infinitesimal things that pile up during holidays, the way snow piles up in drifts. We sing the praises of those who sing the praises.

Plain and simple, we like crooners. We like how Peggy Lee glows on "The Christmas Spell," and we like how Bobby Darin goes big screen on "Christmas Auld Lang Syne." When Dinah Washington ("Ole Santa") and Carmen McRae ("The Christmas Song") turn their jazz chops on the most unbending of standards, the results are glorious. These are veterans of the perfect mood, laying back, pouring a glass of mulled cider, and warming us all by the fire.

We've included a selection of contemporary torch bearers, too. Kevin Mahogany is one of the great jazz singers of this era, possessor of a deep, sonorous voice who is ably assisted by pianist Brad Mehldau on "I'll Be Home for Christmas." Broadway and cabaret veteran Ann Hampton Callaway ("Manhattan in December") and John Pizzarelli ("Santa Claus is Near"), are both children of musicians who made more than good on their own. Both are warm and fuzzy as a reindeer's antler. Steve Tyrell's classis pipe-and-slippers voice lends "Here Comes Santa Claus" a hearty hearthside manner.

"White Christmas" was originally written by Irving Berlin for the finale of the 1942 movie Holiday Inn. Rosemary Clooney sang in the picture, but not on the soundtrack. Here is the 1954 version she had all to herself, a glorious revisiting of a glorious song.

Another novelty: Laura Nyro, a chanteuse like no other, recorded the unlikely but sweet medley of "Let It Be Me" and "The Christmas Song."

From the Web site:

Under The Mistletoe is a classic collection of sixteen savory chestnuts just warm enough to melt your snowcone. With an essence of reindeer and a touch of romance, this compilation includes Rosemary Clooney "White Christmas", Bobby Darin "Auld Lang Syne", John Pizzarelli "Santa Is Near", as well as Ella Fitzgerald, Kevin Mahogany, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington and many more. Sweeter than a peppermint swizzlestick, passionate enough to make cupid quiver.

Santa, please pass the eggnog.

Various Artists

Under the Mistletoe: Reindeer & Romance

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Track List