Recording information: 1959 - 2006.
Although high-living Rat Packer Dean Martin may not be the first figure one associates with the holidays, the entertainer's place in American iconography is fixed, making a Christmas record as natural as spiked eggnog and lingering under the mistletoe. CHRISTMAS WITH DINO is compiled from two earlier Martin Christmas albums (a 1953 single entitled "The Christmas Blues," the set's earliest recording, is also here). Though there are alternate versions of some songs--"White Christmas" and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" are included in their 1959 and 1966 renditions--the record moves along with the panache and swing one expects from Dino.
The arrangements are nicely balanced between big-band swing ("I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm") and string-sweetened mainstream fare ("Silver Bells"), keeping the vibe hip and traditional at once. (The choir on Martin's version of "Silent Night" adds just the right touch of reverence to the swinging fireside antics elsewhere.) Naturally, Martin's mellow, off-the-cuff singing style is paramount throughout, and his suave, dinner-jacket approach blends comfortably with the warm atmosphere of Christmas. With its swing and nostalgia factors (Martin's performances evoke a bygone American era), CHRISTMAS WITH DINO makes a great soundtrack for finger-snapping holiday fun.
