Christmas Island, Jimmy Buffett (Margaritaville)

I occasionally hear from the Parrotheads in the audience that their boy is unjustly neglected here at Christmas Music Central. While I've never drunk the rum-flavored Kool-Aid (with an umbrella in the glass) in regard to Buffett, I have to give him his due, in that a lot of rock fans I grew up with have gravitated to his music over time. So here he is on his 1996 holiday CD, pointing out he was born on Christmas Day the same year W.C. Fields died on the holiday, for what it's worth. If you're familiar with the Buffett sound, there will be no surprises -- mellow tropical grooves overlay everything, right down to the steel band accompaniment on John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." The title song is the classic done by such folks as the Andrews Sisters and Leon Redbone, and other familiar songs include "I'll Be Home For Christmas," a rocked-out "Up On the Rooftop" and "Run Rudolph Run," plus "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Jingle Bells," though the latter seems to clash with the tropical vibe here (snow, sleighs, etc.). Capping off the CD are three originals, "A Sailor's Christmas," "Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rhum" (that's how he spells it), in which Santa takes that overdue vacation in the islands, and "Merry Christmas Alabama (Never Far From Home)," which swings perilously close to a country ballad. A little too mellow for me overall, but I know it's just the right speed for some of you.