Prime Cuts: Christmas Time Is Here, All I Want for Christmas Is You, White Christmas
Overall Grade: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
At ninety years old, Herb Alpert continues to redefine what it means to make music with joy, elegance, and imagination. His latest holiday offering, Christmas Time Is Here, proves that the legendary trumpeter still has plenty to express-both musically and emotionally. Rather than relying on nostalgia, Alpert approaches these twelve tracks with the curiosity of a lifelong artist and the ease of a seasoned master. The result is one of the most graceful and uplifting Christmas albums of the decade.
The album opens with a buoyant rendition of "Feliz Navidad." Bright brass flourishes and Latin percussion evoke Alpert's Tijuana Brass glory days without feeling dated. It's festive, vibrant, and utterly alive. "Jingle Bells" follows with a playful New Orleans bounce, driven by swaggering rhythm and jazzy vocal accents that transform the familiar carol into a celebration of groove. His take on "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a revelation-turning Mariah Carey's pop anthem into a silky, jazz-inflected waltz. Stripped of bombast, it becomes an exercise in melody, restraint, and warmth.
The title track, "Christmas Time Is Here," forms the album's emotional core. Alpert's trumpet glides through the Vince Guaraldi classic with tender phrasing and wistful nuance, conjuring images of snow-lit evenings and fireside reflection. Throughout the record, he balances reverence and reinvention with remarkable grace. Standards like "White Christmas," "Greensleeves," and "The Christmas Song" are rendered with elegance and subtle swing, while "Santa Baby" and "Sleigh Ride" add a touch of humor and sparkle. The closer, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?", feels like a romantic curtain call-nostalgic, graceful, and timeless.
Production-wise, Christmas Time Is Here is understated yet immaculate. The mix allows Alpert's trumpet to shine-bathed in warmth, supported by soft keys, gentle percussion, and lush harmonies. It feels both classic and contemporary, a sonic palette that showcases Alpert's intuitive sense of tone and texture. His trumpet doesn't merely carry melodies-it converses, sighs, and smiles.
If there's one reservation, it's that the album plays a bit too safe. With no original compositions, Alpert leans entirely on beloved standards. A few new pieces-or even reimagined medleys-might have added surprise and dimension. Yet within these familiar melodies, Alpert's artistry transforms repetition into renewal. His touch makes every song sound personal, as though he's breathing life into a shared seasonal memory.
Ultimately, Christmas Time Is Here is not an album of risks, but of reassurance. It's the sound of a master content in his craft, finding new meaning in melodies that have accompanied generations. In a season that often feels hurried, Alpert's trumpet reminds us to slow down, listen, and simply feel the joy.
