Everybody Knows It's Christmas

Chris Isaak distinguishes his second holiday album -- the first, the plainly titled Christmas, arrived back in 2004 -- by designing Everybody Knows Its Christmas as a throwback to the pre-Beatles days of rock & roll. Not for nothing is this released on Sun Records; the album consciously evokes the simple, spare rockabilly pioneered at the landmark Memphis studio in the 1950s. That doesnt mean this is a greasy, Dixie-fried affair, though. Working with producer Dave Cobb, Isaak achieves a clever blend of the Sun aesthetic and the form of early Elvis RCA Records. Its lighthearted and playful -- its a Christmas record, after all -- but its not drenched in extraneous studio sweetening; whenever there are supporting vocal harmonies, theyre not pushed into the forefront, theyre used as subtle coloring. Isaak and Cobb get the vibe just right, and the singer/songwriter also contributes a number of snappy originals, like the clever "Almost Christmas" that bops like vintage Ricky Nelson. All of it adds up to a minor Christmas miracle: a deliberate throwback that feels fresh and fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine