Perry Como's voice was like baritone honey, and his tone and phrasing when he sang always carried an intimate clarity, always soothing, reassuring, calm, and joyous somehow, no matter the song.
Como was simply born to sing Christmas songs. RCA Records (then Victor Records) signed
Como in 1943, and beginning in 1946, started issuing various holiday singles from
Como as 78s, up through 1951. As the recording industry changed and 45s, EPs, and LPs became the standard, RCA continued the practice, up through
Como's last Christmas single, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Forever," which was released in 1981. When all was said and done, and with a handful of radio promos and television performances mixed in, RCA was left with a pretty large Christmas catalog from
Como, enough to fill three albums. Complete with an essay and annotations from
Richard Carpenter (of
the Carpenters), RCA originally released this set in a limited edition in 2010 -- it quickly sold out. Once again,
Como was born to sing Christmas songs. Luckily he left a lot of them, and luckily this archival set collects them and is finally widely available. ~ Steve Leggett