Okay, I have to admit up front - I thought John Jonethis' first album, Lounge Freak, was a joke - a very well-told, parodic joke - but a joke, nonetheless. In my mind, the concept was great. Turning a bunch of rock and alternative tunes on their collective ear, deflating a little of the cool out of all the marketing hype surrounding some of the artists who originally recorded the songs - what fun. And the guys in Jars of Clay were even cool enough to be a little self-effacing and back Jonethis up in the "Flood" video. But c'mon - I wasn't going to listen to this stuff over and over again.
So, needless to say, I approached Jonethis' new album, The Ultimate Lounge Christmas, with a lot of skepticism. Where's the joke with Christmas music? Apparently, the joke's on me, because I really like this album!
Essential's press materials for Jonethis play up his stylistic parallels with Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, and it's actually a realistic comparison, at least with this album. Lounge style is exactly the kind of Christmas music that lots of people grew up listening to while decorating the Christmas tree or wrapping presents. Granted, they were mom and dad's records (remember records?), but artists like Sinatra, Bennett, Perry Como, and Bing Crosby were the "official" crooners of the season.
Add John Jonethis to that list now. The Ultimate Lounge Christmas is very true to the genre, and (in my opinion) performed just as well. Jonethis clearly has found the music to which his talents are best suited and has run with it. Most of the 10 standards here are just as swingin' (I can't believe I just used that word) as you'd expect. You can almost see Jonethis leaning against the baby grand, snapping his fingers lightly while singing. And the songs that don't swing (there's that word again) lay back in a velvet groove as they ease their way into your ears.
Jonethis also provides us with a self-penned original song, "The Joy That Christmas Brings," which piles on rich imagery of visions of the season:
Stars wink as if to say, "This is such a special day; The whole world gets a brand new start." The church in candlelight On a cold, clear night, The perfect way to warm your heart. Loved ones come By planes and trains and highways With presents for the tree. Though things will change, This one's unchanging, Feel the joy that Christmas brings.
Musically and lyrically, this song fits so well with the rest of the music, I would be hard pressed to pick it out as the new song if I weren't so familiar with the standards.
All but one of the songs here are "secular" Christmas songs, but as I once heard Bryan Duncan explain, all the secular trappings could never diminish one bit the incredible gift of God's Son, so why not enjoy everything about the season? If you have fond memories of the classic Christmas music of days gone by, or if you really dig the recent resurgence of artists like Tony Bennett, then The Ultimate Lounge Christmas would be a great way for you to do just that.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth October 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydRemember Lounge Freak from last year with its new lounge versions of Jars's "Flood" and dc Talk's "Jesus Freak?" Well, John Jonethis has always wanted to do a Christmas album, and here it is complete with similar lounge versions of some Christmas classics. Although horns, saxes, and lots of piano contribute to an occasional big band feel, I still found the album a little too laid back for my…
