Winter Warnerland from its cover might appear to be just another "blah" element of Christmas I sometimes feel with pushy holiday sales and rude people on both sides of the check out lines, but I am happy to report that this collection of holiday jingles, radio spots and easy listening Christmas songs might come in handy with my being one of the holiday challenged.
This CD ranges from the techno dance style in the upbeat "God Rest The House" with Jeff Lorber; Jim Horns' "Silver Bells" offers a soulful rendition; Jesse Ed Davis tears out a bluesy "Santa Claus is Getting Down" and Mark O'Conner's "What Child Is This" opens with a crisp acoustic followed by a melodic instrumental piece. There's even a surprise visit from none other than Beatle George Harrison in the form of Nelson WIlbury of The Traveling Wilbury fame. Other Holiday ID's include ZZ Top, James Ingram, Lou Reed, Randy Travis and more, but Los Lobos, Peter Cetera, Gardner Cole and Randy Travis offer full songs while Warner plugs promotional spots, but I like this release.