A Christmas Celebration of Hope, B.B. King (MCA)

Surprisingly, this 2003 collection is B.B.'s first-ever Christmas album, at least according to the liner notes. Bob Bailey tells us that B.B. recorded "Christmas Celebration" in 1962, a new version of which appears here, and his version of "Merry Christmas Baby," also heard here, goes back to at least 1997. One of history's greatest still-surviving blues musicians, he puts together a 13-track holiday celebration, heavy on the Christmas blues chestnuts. Four are straight out of the Charles Brown songbook: "Please Come Home For Christmas," "Merry Christmas Baby," "To Someone That I Love" and "Bringing In a Brand New Year." He also does "Back Door Santa," a different version than the duet with John Popper on 2001's A Very Special Christmas 5, and contributes a couple of originals, "Christmas Celebration" and "Christmas Love," the latter an instrumental, joining "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and "Auld Lang Syne" in featuring King's guitar rather than his voice. There's a song called "Lonesome Christmas" that I don't recognize; it's not the Lowell Fulson song. If you like B.B. and his big band blues sound, this is a great album, Christmas or anytime.