Mark Lindsay & the Michael Lewis Trio - 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

The last Christmas album with which Mark Lindsay was involved was Paul Revere & The Raiders' 1967 LP A Christmas Present...and Past, one of the more unusual efforts in the genre. Recorded during the Vietnam War era, the disc was imbued with the turmoil of the times, and Lindsay, as the band's lead singer, played a major part in its construction. Decades later, 'twas The Night Before Christmas, on which he shares billing with backing group the Michael Lewis Trio, is a far more conventional collection. Lindsay offers straightforward renditions of seasonal standards in arrangements that sometimes have a cocktail jazz feel, and at other times rock out lightly. Only piano, bass, and drums are mentioned in the credits, but there are some other instruments here and there, notably an electric guitar and certainly some keyboard effects, making for a fuller sound than just the trio could have provided. Lindsay is, perhaps, a bit more comfortable on numbers like "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," than he is on the older songs, and he gives a slight Elvis Presley swagger to "Blue Christmas." His performances are always animated and enthusiastic, particularly on the album-closing recital of the poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." (The album is available from www.MarkLindsay.com.) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide