Harry Connick, Jr. – What a Night! A Christmas Album (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
November 4, 2008 by Dennis Amith
“It’s Harry Connick, Jr.’s third Christmas album and for me, a Harry Connick Jr. Christmas album is always welcomed during the Holiday Season! Featuring covers of popular Christmas hits, newly written songs and more!”
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ARTIST: Harry Connick, Jr.
ALBUM: What a Night! A Christmas Album (Digital Version)
LABEL: Columbia
DURATION: 58:55
RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2008
- It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- What a Night!
- Christmas Day
- Have a Holly Jolly Christmas
- Please Come Home For Christmas
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies
- Let There Be Peace On Earth
- Winter Wonderland
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
- Santariffic
- Jingle Bells
- Zat You Santa Claus
- We Three Kings
- Song for the Hopeful (feat. Kim Burrell)
As a long time listener of Harry Connick, Jr., one of my favorite Holiday-related album (and laserdisc) that I purchased was from Harry Connick, Jr. back in 1993 with “When My Heart Finds Christmas”.
Fifteen years later, I still listen to the album a lot and although Harry released a sophomore Holiday album in 2003 with “Harry for the Holidays”, it didn’t capture the same magic as the first album but still enjoyable.
So, here we are five years later, with another Christmas album from Harry Connick, Jr. and it features a good combination of Harry Connick, Jr.’s style of singing popular Christmas classics, his own written songs and also featuring instrumental tracks as well. Most of all, Harry and his big band is back. So, you get a bit of music that are jazzy or songs that other beautiful arrangements featuring an orchestra.
In this album, there are a few interesting collaborations. The first is with jazz/gospel artist Kim Burrell who joins Harry Connick, Jr. for “Let There Be Peace on Earth” and “Song for the Hopeful”. With the former featuring a beautiful orchestra-style arrangement and the latter featuring a Harry Connick, Jr. written song featuring a more jazz, contemporary style of track.
The surprise on the Christmas album is the duet with Harry Connick, Jr.’s second daughter Sarah Kate singing with her father. She does a very good job and has her father’s flair. What’s interesting is that Sarah wasn’t even born when the first Holiday album was released and when the second was released, she was only five. So, it’s good to see Harry and his daughter (now at the age of 11) singing on this album, considering that Harry Connick Jr. first recorded an album at ten which was titled “Eleven”.
There is also a third collaboration with Harry’s long time friend and trombone player Lucien Barbarin who joining Harry Connick Jr. in an enjoyable big band style song “Santariffic” which is an original Christmas song by Harry Connick Jr.
Overall, I did enjoy “What a Night! A Christmas Album”, I still enjoy the first album more for its holiday ballads and of course, it’s more of nostalgia for me and my family. But it’s still an enjoyable Christmas album that Harry Connick, Jr. fans will truly enjoy.
NOTE: There are various versions of this album available. The digital version I am reviewing only has 15 tracks. The Amazon digital version has one extra track with track 16 “Auld Lang Syne” and the Barnes and Nobles exclusive version features an additional nine tracks.
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