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A tropical breeze is in the air on Kenny Chesney's ebullient Yuletide offering, All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan. The title song is a lilting, Jimmy Buffett–style musing on living the good life in the sun and the sand. "Jingle Bells" gets up and goes with a galloping rhythm and sparkling steel drums energizing the gaiety, and even the lovely ballad "I'll Be Home for Christmas" takes on a Caribbean cast, thanks to the dreamy vibes solos and languid acoustic guitar punctuations. But not to worry -- Chesney gets down to brass-tacks country on Eddy Raven's lively, tenderhearted "Thank God for Kids," and he brings Alabama's Randy Owen on board for a heartfelt salute to a southern-style holiday season on the surging "Christmas in Dixie." Chesney himself co-wrote a fine Yuletide love song for this outing, the rocking "The Angel at the Top of My Tree," its sweet nothings heightened by some stinging guitar solos and a driving, celebratory feel. And for good measure, Willie Nelson helps balance this otherwise upbeat exercise with some blue-Christmas reality in the form of the poignant duet "Pretty Paper." Closing on a contemplative note, Chesney offers up sincere renderings of "Silent Night" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem," big, orchestrated productions with a basic band adding appropriate pop-country ballast throughout. A little bit whimsical, a little bit blue, a little bit traditional -- that's a winning formula for this genial, contemporary take on the Christmas sensibility.
Condition:NEW. Drilled case
TRACK LISTINGS
1. All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan
2. Jingle Bells
3. I'll Be Home for Christmas
4. Christmas in Dixie - Randy Owen
5. Thank God for Kids
6. Silver Bells
7. Just a Kid
8. The Angel at the Top of My Tree
9. Pretty Paper
10. Silent Night - Grigsby Twins
11. O Little Town of Bethlehem
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