HomeMusicChristmas with Ella & Friends album review

Christmas with Ella & Friends album review

Thereā€™s an argument to say that the market is flooded with Christmas albums every year making it difficult to choose which ones to invest in. I would say you can never have too much Christmas music and the rich variety of choice is one of the great things about this time of year. Every December Iā€™ll dig out Christmas albums by Mariah Carey, Michael Buble and the like and after this year Iā€™ll be digging out the fantastic Christmas With Ella & Friends that was recently released by Decca.

Everyone knows that if you want the real spirit of Christmas feeling, you can only get it from the classics and thatā€™s exactly what Christmas With Ella & Friends delivers. On this 2-CD release Ella Fitzgerald leads an all-star pack that includes Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Doris Day, Andy Williams and Eartha Kitt to name a few. The set features 50 classic songs over its two discs and is sure to set the right mood at any Christmas party.

Opening with Ellaā€™s version of Winter Wonderland, the collection gets off to a strong start and to be honest it doesnā€™t falter really. The only thing I can criticise the release for is that on occasion there are two versions of the same song sequenced a little too close together. Itā€™s not a big issue but it did make me wonder if the CD had got stuck on repeat.

Across the collection there are so many fantastic songs including Dinah Washingtonā€™s amazing Silent Night, Ellaā€™s rendition of the uber-festive Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, Peggy Leeā€™s The Little Drummer Boy and Burl Ivesā€™ Holly Jolly Christmas. Bing Crosbyā€™s White Christmas is easily the definitive version of that song, and Doris Day adds a bit of perkiness on the highlight Here Comes Santa Claus.

Elsewhere on the collection the iconic Louis Armstrong delivers the goods on Cool Yule and The Andrews Sisters bring harmonies galore to the swoonsome Christmas Island. The best song though is the under-rated Kay Starr classic (Everybodyā€™s Waitinā€™ For) The Man With the Bag.

Christmas With Ella & Friends isnā€™t just a great festive release, itā€™s THE festive release you need to own this Christmas. There are so many classic songs featured here that itā€™s pretty much only collection youā€™ll need for the festive season. Oozing with class and reminding you that no one does it as good as the greats of music, Christmas With Ella & Friends is going to be worn out in my house this Christmas.

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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