Following a recording hiatus that stretched for over two decades, Steve Perry returned to the studio for 2018's Traces, his third solo album and first since leaving Journey in 1998. Having re-established himself in the 21st century, the Bay Area rock legend offers up his first-ever holiday album in 2021's The Season. Leaning heavily on his jazz chops, Perry plays the crooner on eight well-known Yuletide favorites. In terms of material, there are no great surprises here; standards like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" are delivered with a relatively casual elegance, relying on little more than voice and piano. Elsewhere, though, Perry cranks up the seasonal schlock, turning "Winter Wonderland" and "Silver Bells" into forgettable soft pop exercises unworthy of his talents. He's at his best on the more understated jazz arrangements like "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," a slightly lesser-known midcentury chestnut originally made popular by singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson. The Season is a bit too slick and, like many holiday collections, totally unnecessary, but at 72, Perry's voice has aged into the kind of sweet whiskeyed tenor that sits nicely in this milieu.