Yule Be Miserable

1. Christmas Blues - Ramsey Lewis 2. 'Zat You, Santa Claus? - Louis Armstrong 3. Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney - Ella Fitzgerald 4. Blue Christmas - Billy Eckstine 5. My Birthday Comes On Christmas - Spike Jones 6. Merry Christmas, Baby - BB King 7. Please Come Home For Christmas - Aaron Neville 8. Stormy Blues - Billie Holiday 9. Good Morning Blues - Count Basie 10. Baby, It's Cold Outside - Ella Fitzgerald 11. Nuttin' For Christmas - Spike Jones 12. Christmas Blues - Eric Reed

The Yuletide washes in the many moods of the season and Yule Be Miserable makes a great attempt at capturing those darker holiday sentiments that come with the holly and the ivy. Still, the title's slightly misleading--even with its cool liner notes by comic book icon Harvey "American Splendor" Pekar. While some of these blues tunes (like the renowned Billie Holiday's "Stormy Blues" and Spike Jones' whiney "My Birthday Comes on Christmas") are decidedly down and out, the performances generally will knock off those stockings hung with care. For every tune like Aaron Neville's pleading "Please Come Home for Christmas" or Billy Eckstine's "Blue Christmas," there's more light-hearted fare such as Louie Armstrong's inimitable "'Zat You, Santa Claus?," the two spirited tracks from Ella Fitzgerald ("Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney," "Baby, It's Cold Outside"), and B.B. King's torn-up "Merry Christmas, Baby." Misery this bad never sounded so good. --Martin Keller

Price: $14.98