Roulette R-25095-A 1958 LP with Joe Reisman And His Orchestra This seasonal effort by folk-rocker Jimmie F. Rodgers was first released in 1959 at the height of his North American popularity, which began after several appearances on Arthur Godfrey's syndicated television show two years earlier. His performance of "Honeycomb" created such a fuss that Roulette Records brass Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore both auditioned and had Rodgers in a recording studio within 24 hours. By the time this platter hit store shelves for the 1959 holiday season, the vocalist had scored 11 Top 40 singles, and also had a half-hour weekly musical variety TV program on NBC. Noted pop arrangers Jim Tyler and Maury Laws were brought in to embellish the melodies and instrumentally enhance Rodgers' lead vocals. Although he had worked with orchestras and string sections before, this was somewhat contrary to the smaller combos that usually accompanied him. Likewise prominent are the overwhelming number of sacred -- as opposed to secular -- tunes included within the dozen sides. This too seems slightly out of character for an artist primarily (and quite well) known for his light and folksier fare. The exceptions being the cozy and intimate cover of Mel Tormé's "Christmas Song" (aka "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire"), as well as Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" and the title track, "It's Christmas Once Again." Interestingly, the latter also created a minor stir for Rodgers' concurrent Roulette Records labelmates -- the doo wop-driven Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers. Although somewhat staid, on the whole, Rodgers' presentations are both tremendously heartfelt and sincere. The strength and timbre of his intonations reveal that he could have easily been a successful crooner à la Tony Bennett or Steve Lawrence. 1. O Holy Night 2. The First Noel 3. Silent Night 4. We Three Kings Of Orient Are 5. O Little Town Of Bethlehem 6. O Come All Ye Faithful 7. What Child Is This? 8. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear 9. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day 10. White Christmas 11. It's Christmas Once Again 12. The Christmas Song
