Swing Cats Present Rock-A-Billy Christmas, various artists (Cleopatra)

This 2002 release appears to be an amalgamation of several acts with similar lineups featuring Danny B. Harvey, Gary Twinn and former Stray Cats Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom. Indeed, the Honeydippers, Harvey and Twinn, released a Christmas CD in 1997, 12 Days of Christmas, and I'm guessing the tunes on here credited to that act are from that album. The whole CD is perfectly authentic rockabilly versions of Christmas carols performed well, along with four originals, and as 50s rock continues to recede into history you might want to be reminded of those days without having to resort to the sappiness of "Happy Days" or "Grease." The Fifties version of "Hepcat Holiday (Night Before Christmas)" is good, though this kind of thing has been done before. Some of the attempts at variety fall a little flat, though, like straight instrumental readings of "Jingle Bell Rock" and "We Three Kings," along with a conventional reading of "I'll Be Home For Christmas." And I still don't get why people think "My Favorite Things" is a Christmas song. Still, a worthwhile followup in your CD carousel right after the Elvis holiday CDs.