Jersey Boys, the successful Broadway musical that chronicled the story of
the Four Seasons, the vocal group that gave the world classic pop hits like “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Dawn,” “Silence Is Golden,” “Sherry,” and so many others, has become its own sort of cottage industry, spawning several stage runs internationally and a national touring group, and now, a holiday album featuring various cast members from around the world singing Christmas songs and carols in the
Four Seasons vocal style.
Seasons Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas was produced by Bob Gaudio, a founding member of the original
Four Seasons and the group’s main songwriter and arranger, so naturally he knows exactly how to get that vocal style, although he has one huge problem. There’s only one
Frankie Valli, the group’s iconic lead singer whose high, soaring vocals defined everything, and
Valli isn’t involved in this project. That doesn’t mean
A Jersey Boys Christmas fails as a recording. It’s actually quite interesting, full of joyous energy and delightfully quirky arrangements, some of which intertwine bits of
Four Seasons hits into the mix, and it drives along on big drums and bold rhythmic signatures. The various vocalists who take turns at being
Valli do a pretty good job of approximating his signature vocal style, but it’s never more than a close facsimile, so it’s probably wrong to approach this album from a
Four Seasons perspective. It really sounds as much like the kind of album
Brian Wilson and what’s left of
the Beach Boys would make if they were to reconvene in a studio these days, which means, well, less than it could. That said, this set makes for a pretty darn good Christmas album, once one stops wondering what it might have sounded like if
Valli had been out front. Highlights include a
Drifters-influenced doo wop version of “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” (with traces of “Bye Bye Baby” embedded in the arrangement), and a gorgeous “Carol of the Bells/Angels We Have Heard on High” medley, among others. The whole album is of a piece, and it rocks with joy and drive, and if it isn’t exactly
the Four Seasons, it comes close enough to bring a whole lot of good cheer. ~ Steve Leggett