[.ca] Wishes You a Merry Christmas

From Amazon.com:
It'd be hard to imagine a happier wish than the one this jazz vocal legend wishes her listeners on this urbane-yet-homey collection of holiday favorites. The First Lady of Song recorded these tunes in 1960, at the peak of her interpretive powers. As such, she puts her singular stamp on everything from a sultry vamp like "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" to the sweet and cozy "The Christmas Song." Even potentially shopworn standards like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" sound fresher when they're coming from Ella Fitzgerald. --David Sprague

not necessarily a must-have:
I hate to disagree with so many reviewers, but I definitely don't think this collection is worth owning. I am a huge Ella fan, and own almost all of the songbooks, but this collection doesn't seem to capture the magic of Ella's voice the way some of those other albums do. I bought it, thinking no Ella album could be disappointing, but I was unfortunately wrong. The recordings seem tossed off and don't allow her voice to be fully appreciated. I admit that I generally prefer Ella's ballads to the more up-tempo jazz numbers, so I may simply be biased against this collection. But I find that Christmas songs by Bing Crosby and Burl Ives work better and are more universally loved because the songs compliment their voices more. If you must own everything Ella ever recorded, by all means, buy this album. But for the more casual Ella fan, I think that Ella's talents are wasted on most of these songs, so I recommend that you invest in one of her songbooks and a copy of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" instead.

The ONE holiday cd you MUST get!:
If you enjoy wrapping up in a warm blanket on a cold Winter's day and listening to nostalgic holiday favorites, then this cd should definitly be next on your list of "must-have" holiday cds! The definitive Torch singer has created an instant classic with these classic holiday favorites with a jazzy flare, and it is a MUST for all Christmas music fans! So grab a blanket, curl up in front of your Christmas tree, and enjoy the essence of Ms. Fitzgerald!

One of the Best Holiday CDs Ever:
Most years I kick myself because I forget to get out my Christmas CDs and listen to them. This year I remembered and ended up overdosing on Xmas music. Just when I thought I couldn't stand another Xmas song, I put on this CD again. It's such a great and fresh CD that I can listen to it over and over again, even after I'm burned out on Xmas music. It just has such a terrific, swinging, urbane sound. When she sings, "Hang your head down Rudy," in "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," I get tingles. It's the only Ella CD I have, but it makes me want to get more of her music. Highly recommended for people looking for jazzy Holiday music.

Get ready to dance around your Christmas tree!:
Boy, does this album swing! Ella Fitzgerald not only had a wonderful voice, she also had an instinctive sense of how to sing each song, making everything fresh and somehow her own. This album is proof of that. Even if you're not a fan of Ms. Fitzgerald (yet), this album is a wonderful addition to any Christmas CD collection. It's perfect for any upbeat holiday occasion; if you play it at a Christmas party, people will be dancing in no time. If you're tired of bland renditions of Christmas songs, check out these interpretations. Ms. Fitzgerald manages to breathe new life into many of the old favorites, and there are a few lesser known gems for a good variety. Very, very highly recommended.

Essential Ella and Essential Christmas music:
After working in retail for so long and enduring countless hours of bad Christmas music, it's hard to find a Christmas album that will put me in the holiday spirit. This jubilant and bouncy collection is one of only two Christmas albums that I have and love to play every year (the other is Vince Guaraldi's "A Charlie Brown Christmas"). Ella is in top form, belting out all sorts of classics. A definite for any music lover.

• Jingle Bells
• Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Frank DeVol, Ella Fitzgerald
• What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
• Sleigh Ride
• Christmas Song
• Good Morning Blues
• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
• Winter Wonderland
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - Frank DeVol, Ella Fitzgerald
• Frosty the Snowman
• White Christmas