If you’re talking “old school” entertainment, it’s hard to beat this collection of Christmas songs. All of them are from the early days of TV, around 1952, and the show, Kovacs Unlimited, featured one of the true avant garde artists of the fledging media. Here, we have Kovacs on a few tracks as a vocal foil (he was NOT known for his musical prowess), but most of the material has Kovacs guest Edie Adams, the embodiment of the 50s WASP-Truman/Eisenhower era delivering holiday cheer accompanied simply by a pianist. Pasteurized, but a great reflection of an innocent era, the music has cute and nostalgic takes of “White Christmas” and “Winter Wonderland,” as well as a few surprises. Her “Blue Christmas” is quite different from the more famous Elvis reading, and “Christmas in Killarney” is quite endearing. A definite change of pace from your typical Mannheim Transfer sessions!
Omnivore Records