Bob Dylan has done it all. Countless innovations and self-reinventions in a career spanning nearly half a century, little remains that Dylan has yet to dabble in. The 1997 release Time Out of Mind brought attention to a fresh, refined sound and earned him his first platinum CD in 18 years. Love and Theft (2001) and Modern Times (2006) solidified Dylan’s return to the charts and introduced a new studio producer with an ironically prophetic moniker. Actually, Dylan produced them himself under the pseudonym Jack Frost. And on Tuesday, Jack Frost released a Christmas album.
This may be Bob Dylan’s 47th official release, but it is first and foremost a collection of Christmas songs Bobby D happens to cover. Unless the listener was born under a rock — and stayed there — most of the carols are universally recognizable sing-alongs. Although a few defining Dylan-isms do show up — like slyly dropping names of former presidents among names of reindeer — the holiday focus goes to show Santa Claus is still the cultural icon to reckon with.
Genre established, let’s talk about the music.
Dylan obviously felt the holiday cheer while putting this album together. “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Must Be Santa” are hilariously enthusiastic, good times tracks that mingle giddy laughter between the slower, more serious hymns. The songs generally fall into three major categories: the aforementioned “fun songs” and somber hymns, along with a few charming nostalgic soothers.
Vocal sincerity rings throughout the 15-track collection. He feels what he sings and he sings it with triumph, but sometimes triumph can be painful. His voice walks on thin ice at times when he shoots for vocal range — blame “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “Silver Bells” — but the 68-year-old’s effort generally adds to the album’s warmth. Picture Dylan as your pipe-smoking grandpa, leading the family in carols and singing over his ramshackle accordion.
Feeling warm and fuzzy yet?
Angelic choir vocals back up nearly every track and even carry a few. Don’t worry. When Dylan’s growl gets to be too much, the choir girls take over.
In addition to the Dylan-meets-Christmas novelty, other songs contain some notable Dylan firsts. “Must Be Santa,” Dylan’s — and possibly Christmas’s — first polka, is what fans have feared since this year’s accordion-riddled Together Through Life. He polkas indeed, with a call-and-answer song an old-school Dylan fan would pretend not to like while dancing through the snow. Amusing as it is, the polka fits awkwardly among the other tracks, probably because it is as much Christmas as it is Bob Dylan.
The old man gets nostalgic in mellow ’50s loungers’ “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Christmas Blues” and “Christmas Song,” which actually gain much of their appeal from Dylan’s raspy growl. Atmospherically, these songs would seem equally fitting in a smoky Chicago bar alongside Tom Waits as they would playing behind a cozy family dinner. Showcasing sparse harmonica riffs, “Blues” is truly a smooth, jazzy track and a high point of the album.
Bob Dylan pushes his American iconic status to the next level with his first Christmas album. Christmas in the Heart captures the egg nog emotions of the holidays, providing sweet somberness, smooth tunes and a few chuckles. This will be an album to break out in Decembers to come, but hopefully will not be the last we hear from Mr. Frost. Together Through Life (2009) needs a strong, original follow-up.
3 stars out of 5.
