They chose "Baby It’s Cold Outside" to open the album, but they gave it a bit of a different twist. They flipped the roles so that instead of the guy convincing the girl to stay, this time Olivia Newton-John is convincing John Travolta to stay because it’s just too cold outside to leave. They do a very good job playing off of each other. For some reason, some days I love this rendition and some days I’m not that keen on it, but the more I listen to it, the more I find funny nuances that make me like it more. Next up is "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" with Kenny G on the Tenor Sax. It’s not my favorite rendition of the song that I’ve heard, but it’s still pretty good.
Barbara Streisand guests on "I’ll be Home For Christmas." I really didn’t recognize it as her though. It’s not my favorite on the album, but then that song usually isn’t my favorite. I do think that I like John Travolta’s voice better on it than on any other song he sings on. "This Christmas" features Chick Corea. I am not really familiar with the song and I’ve never heard of Chick Corea, but the song has a fun sound to it that I really like. I also really like their version of "Silent Night." It’s a very traditional sounding version with a bit of a Celtic sound thrown in there. I really like the combination. There’s a kid’s chorus that enters after the second verse. There’s even a bit of "The Little Drummer Boy" sound in with the kids. They sound truly angelic. "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" is a song that I almost always love and this time is no different. It has a very "Rat Pack" feeling to it and I think that’s partially because of the guest voice of Tony Bennett. He is a truly amazing artist!
There are a couple of songs that I just don’t care for on the album, all of them for the same reason. "The Christmas Waltz" seems like a song where the sound should be more happy and upbeat, but instead it sounds too somber. I don’t particularly care for the combination on it. I don’t really care for "The Christmas Song" for the same reason. You just don’t hear the Christmas cheer in their voices. I know that’s a difficult thing to put your finger on. They’re amazing singers, but it just doesn’t have the joyous sound that Christmas should. Other than those two songs, I have enjoyed the rest of the album. There are several more songs than what I’ve mentioned here, including one called "I Think You Might Like It" which was written as a bit of a sequel to "You’re the One that I Want." If you’re a fan of John Travolta and/or Olivia Newton-John, I highly recommend that you go pick up This Christmas.
