Smokey of course did the Christmas thing as a songwriter and also with the Miracles during his Motown days. This is new for 2017, however, and I'm always wary when historical artists like him make a latter-day lunge for the Christmas market. Smokey leans more to adult contemporary than R'nB in his old age, but he leans right back again too, making this a very listenable album. He does credible takes of "Please Come Home For Christmas" and "This Christmas," a peppy "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" with the help of Trombone Shorty, a very nice upbeat Motown/Latin take on "White Christmas," and a cool original "You're My Present" in which he's backed by the Dap-Kings. Another original, "The Night That Baby Was Born," is a solid performance you could almost hear the E Street Band perform, and he brings Us The Duo along on a remake of his classic "Christmas Everyday." That leaves a very gospel version of "Silent Night" featuring Mindi Abair and set-ender "O Holy Night," done a capella with the help of Take 6. For lovers of classic R'nB, this is definitely worth your while. Oh, it looks like this is an Amazon exclusive, btw.
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