Chet Atkins

Item: Christmas With Chet Atkins
Author: Jamie Lee Rake

Christmas With Chet Atkins

Reviewed by Jamie Lee Rake

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Label Razor & TieThe LighthouseDecember 1997

classic rock country folk

Sure, we love Razor & Tie as one of the blessed triumvirate of U.S. pop re-issue labels (the others being Rhino and Sundazed, if you had to ask), but if they're going to re-issue an album in total, a little clue as to when it first hit the racks would be sweet.

Christmas With Chet Atkins looks to be a late '50s or early '60s affair, certainly after the time he cemented the country-politan pop sophistication that churned out of RCA's Nashville studios post-Presley to the onset of the Outlaw movement. Oh, for you country history newbies residing both legs knee-deep in the Christian market, Atkins is a world-class guitarist that Phil Keaggy fans would be wise to check out; he also headed RCA's country department for the historically important span of time when it looked like most every other form of music was going to have its rear end kicked by the demon rock-n-roll. You can blame or praise Atkins for a lot of country's pop-friendly facets circa '56-'76.

On this set, he diplomatically plays the middle. The first seven of the 14 selections find him going whole hog pop-country with his twangy hollow-body electric, polite bass/drums/piano accompaniment, and the more polite bgv's of the Anita Kerr Singers (I think it was them, but there weren't any credits to confirm this). Appropriately, he uses this style on Santa-n-snowflakes fluff like "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland," "Blue Christmas," and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas;" though his "Silver Bells" resonates deeply, even with the AKS guys and gals going "bong bong bong bing" oh so politely.

The album's other half is less varnished and takes on more overtly Christian fare on nylon string classical guitar, the AKS's still in tow, but less cutesy. A medley of "Coventry Carol" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is even unaccompanied, as are a few others. Atkins' classical picking is uncomplicated by showy flourishes, sure and pure.

At under 35 minutes, Christmas With Chet Atkins is a shot of instrumental holiday élan that could keep "contemporary instrumental" [read: new age] fans away from the Narada and Windham Hill racks and your country lovin' relations happy outside of their Garth and Reba, if for that little while.