Mistletoe and Holly … Cole

Holy Cole’s 2001 Baby It’s Cold Outside is a low-key and sultry contribution to the holiday genre, and a welcomed reprieve from the hustle of holiday stress.

While Ms. Cole does include some often-covered holiday fare, her approach to them is inventive and subtle. For instance, Cole’s only accompaniment on Sleigh Ride is David Piltch on bass. I’ll Be Home For Christmas and The Christmas Song get jazzy renditions, while the title track has Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies dueting with Cole.

Cole and her pianist/arranger/coproducer Aaron Davis include less frequently covered tunes and they are the highlights of this collection. Merle Haggard’s If We Make it to December and Percy Faith’s Christmas Is get coverage on Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

The three standout songs on this album are ‘Zat You Santa Claus, Santa Baby, and What About Me. Ms. Cole gives very sultry performances and shows off her range. Baby, It’s Cold Outside is an exceptional collection of holiday music, along with being a great jazz album to be enjoyed by new and old fans of Holly Cole. If you don’t know Holly Cole, then this album will make you want to hear more of her, over and over again!

Videos:

I Can See Clearly Now

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Make It Go Away Or Make It Better