Leon Redbone Christmas Island
Released: November 11, 2003 Origination Year: 1987 Time: 29:43 Tracks:11 Produced by: Leon Redbone Style: Studio Format: CD Enhancement: None Label: Rounder Records Website: www.leonredbone.com
Track Listing White Christmas Winter Wonderland Frosty the Snowman Blue Christmas (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays Toyland Christmas Island That Old Christmas Moon I'll Be Home For Christmas Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Christmas Ball Blues Kitty Cats' Christmas
Leon Redbone

Everyone has his, her or its own personal relationship to holiday music. Some are obsessed with it (and you know who you are). Some can’t stand it, usually due to prolonged exposure to those in the first camp. And some, like me, like it just fine if the season’s right and it’s done well.

Ah…there’s the little caveat that turns so many potential Tiny Tims into dour-faced Scrooges. The days when artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald would turn their talents to making spirits bright are long gone. These days, it seems most Christmas albums are released by folks you wouldn’t be caught dead buying a regular album from, much less one festooned with mistletoe and candy canes.

Christmas Island, a 1989 release from Leon Redbone recently reissued by Rounder Records, is a happy exception to this rule. The mysterious Redbone introduced his unique blend of ragtime and blues to the world in the 1970’s and established himself as something of a cult phenomenon, thanks in part to his appearances on Saturday Night Live. With his distinctive look and throaty voice, Redbone is one of those performers who cannot be mistaken for anyone else. It’s always struck me as somewhat odd that the people at Disney or Pixar have never tapped Redbone to voice a character in one of their films. Still, Redbone’s music does not immediately bring to mind Norman Rockwell paintings, sleigh rides, and Santa. Perhaps he’s an odd choice to cut a Christmas LP but it’s that distinctive sound that makes Christmas Island such a delight.

The album starts off somewhat traditionally, with solid if uninspired versions of the holiday chestnuts "White Christmas" and "Winter Wonderland". But the fun really kicks in on track 3 with arguably the definitive version of "Frosty the Snowman", a duet between Redbone and Dr. John. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to learn that the only reason this album exists was to give Redbone a chance to record this song. He and the good doctor were born to sing, “Bumpity-bump-bump, look at Frosty go.”

As with most Christmas albums since the dawn of recorded music, most of Christmas Island’s relatively brief running time is composed of holiday standards. "Blue Christmas" and "Let It Snow" are fine interpretations of tunes most of us know by heart. Another highlight is the spare "(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays". Beginning with just Redbone’s voice and a banjo, the song for the first time conjures up some real melancholy. You can picture a boxcar full of hobos riding the rails on December 24, singing plaintively into a bottle. The same wistful nostalgia can be heard on "I’ll Be Home For Christmas", with a waltz feel that would make the song feel at home in a martini-soaked nightclub in 1930’s New York City.

Of the less familiar numbers, the title track is a Polynesian holiday tune that made me wish Redbone had also covered Bing Crosby’s oddball classic "Mele Kalikimaka". "Christmas Ball Blues" is a slow, spinning number that, if possible, should be played toward the end of your office Christmas party after everybody’s good and drunk. "That Old Christmas Moon" swings merrily to Dr. John’s piano, with only some subtle chimes added to remind us that yes, this is still a Christmas song.

Still, there are a couple of misses here. "Toyland" is an unfortunate lapse into saccharine sweetness, layering on the strings and slowing down the album just when it should be popping along. And the calypso-flavored "Kitty Cats’ Christmas" is a nice idea for a song but it feels unfinished, leaving the album without a real conclusion.

Nevertheless, Christmas Island is a fine addition to the holiday canon. If you’re looking for something to spice up the stereo at your holiday parties this year, Leon Redbone makes a splendid antidote to such overplayed staples as Bobby Helms’ "Jingle Bell Rock" and the complete works of Burl Ives. Even if the weather outside is frightful, Christmas Island will make it 80 degrees and sunny inside.