After 25 years at the helm, conductor/pianist
Peter Nero has finally found the time to make a record with the Philly Pops, his 67th album overall. It is not unlike a holiday concert by the Pops in Philadelphia, offering light orchestral arrangements of seasonal favorites such as "Jingle Bells" and "We Three Kings," piano solos by
Nero on "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "White Christmas," and a guest star, singer
Ann Hampton Callaway, who joins the Pops for five of the 11 selections, among them her own "Christmas Lullaby," previously recorded by
Barbra Streisand.
Callaway's voice recalls
Streisand's here and there. She is at her best on the somewhat melancholy "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The orchestra manages a good combination of orchestral and big-band styles, making this a varied and enjoyable Christmas album in an easy listening mode. ~ William Ruhlmann