Track Listing

1. What Child Is This?
2. Little Drummer Boy
3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
4. This Time of the Year
5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
6. That Spirit of Christmas
7. All I Want for Christmas
8. Christmas in My Heart
9. Winter Wonderland
10. Christmas Time
11. Baby, It's Cold Outside [*] - Betty Carter, Ray Charles

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6176 in Music
• Released on: 1997-09-02
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
The cover of this holiday classic pictures Ray Charles with a sleigh-full of gifts. That's an appropriate image, since he's so generous with the soulful sounds contained inside. Ray's gravelly growl may turn sweet on such merry romps as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," but he doesn't fully hit his groove until he delves into the set's more grown-up material. He gives "Winter Wonderland" a soul transfusion the likes of which you won't see on many televised Christmas specials, and really lights a fire under "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Now that's the spirit! --David Sprague

Customer Reviews

Bring Ray home for Christmas
I searched high and low for the song that accompanied Clark Griswold's watching of his old family movies during my favorite movie "Christmas Vacation"...Well...I found it on this album. Not only did I get the song I was looking for, but also a bunch of other songs that were equally as enjoyable. You can't go wrong with Ray charles, he is truly a master. And to have him over for Christmas is a true blessing! Don't miss this one! You won't be sorry! A true Chrismas Classic

A must have!
Ray Charles is one of the greatest artists of any time and this cd should be in your collection if you truly want the best Christmas collection ever. While "Christmas Time" shows up on many compilation cd's, the best secret here is the song "That Spirit of Christmas" which can be heard in th movie Christmas Vacation. This one song alone is worth the price.

The Genius of Christmas
This album by Ray Charles was recorded in 1985. It's odd that he hadn't recorded a Christmas album before then. The songs here are given jazzy arrangements, with most songs being four or five minutes long. Of course, Ray's singing is great, as it always is. The bonus track here, which is a terrific duet with jazz singer Betty Carter, was recorded over 20 years earlier than the rest of the CD. It's a shame that Ray is no longer with us, but at least we have albums like this to remember him by.