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by
Greg Beets
The Christmas Song (Capitol)
Few vocalists ever transmitted more emotional warmth than Nat King Cole, which makes his take on Mel Tormé & Bob Wells’ “The Christmas Song” (aka “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) the definitive article. Three versions of the song, including a posthumous 1998 duet with daughter Natalie, appear here alongside convincing renditions of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” and “O Tannenbaum.”
This article appears in December 23 • 2005.
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Greg Beets was born in Lubbock on the day Richard Nixon was elected president. He has covered music for the Chronicle since 1992, writing about everyone from Roky Erickson to Yanni. Beets has also written for Billboard,Uncut, Blurt, Elmore, and Pop Culture Press. Before his digestive tract cried uncle, he co-published Hey! Hey! Buffet!, an award-winning fanzine about all-you-can-eat buffets. More by Greg Beets