Jingle Bell Jawn #8: 'Christmas in the Heart' -- Bob Dylan.

I’m not going to lie. I’ve been annoyed at Bob Dylan over the last few weeks. I’ll get over it, but here’s the thing: all year long, I’ve been excited to add his new book, The Philosophy of Modern Song, to my Christmas list. I was even imagining myself reading the book during that odd, liminal – there’s that word again – week between Christmas and New Year’s.  

Sadly, based on some reviews – plus the autopen autography brouhaha -- I’ve decided I’m going to pass on the book. Make no mistake: I love Bob Dylan. His most recent album, Rough and Rowdy Ways, is fantastic. I loved Bob’s show at the Met in Philadelphia last November. It was the best of the five Dylan shows I’ve seen.

And as far as books are concerned, I dig his memoir, the delightfully odd Chronicles, Vol 1. So I don’t really need to hear Dylan sound like a cranky, misogynistic old man, as he apparently does in The Philosophy of Modern Song.

However, I’m happy to say that my annoyance is melting away because today I listened to Bob Dylan’s Christmas album, 2009’s Christmas in the Heart.

That’s the official title: Christmas in the Heart. But I like to call it Bob Dylan’s Christmas Album. I like this alternative title because I am so happy that a Bob Dylan Christmas album exists that I just want to call it what it is: Bob Dylan’s Christmas Album.

Call it what you will. Bottom line is I unabashedly, unironically love Christmas in the Heart, a.k.a. Bob Dylan’s Christmas Album. OK, sure, maybe there’s a teaspoon of irony involved. But no more than that. Just a pinch.

As much as I might not want to admit it, I do realize that a Christmas album by Bob Dylan isn’t going to be everybody’s cupojoe. But even if you can’t do this record, I would strongly encourage you to listen to Bob’s “yuletide extravaganza edition” of his Themetime Radio Hour show. Two brilliant hours of holiday commentary and the best Christmas/New Year’s music that you’ve probably never heard. Seek it out, even if you don’t buy into my Christmas in the Heart hype.

Jingle Bell Jawn #8: Christmas in the Heart – Bob Dylan (2009, Columbia Records).

How Did I Acquire This Album? I don’t remember whether I just picked this up at a record shop, or if I ordered it, with the promise of some additional freebie, from Dylan’s website. The main thing at the time was just making sure I had it.

Does This Album Include a Version of “Jingle Bells”? No, though many of the other Christmas song warhorses, both religious and secular, can be found here. Bob wasn’t going for obscure.

What’s The Story on This Album? Dylan wanted to record a Christmas album. So he did. This is not an album of original Bob Dylan songs about Christmas. It’s a straightforward collection of tunes we’ve all heard and heard again and again all our lives. The band – including the great David Hidalgo from Los Lobos – sound great but play the songs straight. The background singers, so conventional on old-school Christmas records, sound jarring backing up Dylan’s craggy voice, or at least maybe they did when I first heard the album. Now it all just sounds cool to me.

What Does This Album Mean to Me? Wow, it’s just…it’s Dylan singing “Little Drummer Boy” and “Must Be Santa” and “Christmas Island” And more! More! More! Christmas in the Heart, a.k.a. The Bob Dylan Christmas Album simply makes me happy.

Highlights: Every song.

Lowlights: Every song.

Oddities: Every song.

How Do I Rate This Album, in Strictly Musical Terms, on a Scale of 1 to 5 Jingle Bells? I feel confident giving this 4 out of 5 jingle bells. As a Dylan album, it will certainly not shake your existence to the core like Blonde on Blonde might. And, as a Christmas album, Christmas in the Heart won’t be replacing Bing, Elvis, or Mariah in the pantheon anytime soon. Give Christmas in the Heart a chance though, and you’ll likely be singing along before long.

How Do I Rate This Album, in Personal Emotional Resonance (P.E.R), on a Scale of 1 to 5 Partridges in a Pear Tree?Not for any childhood memory reasons, but just on a modern day personal happiness scale, I giveChristmas in the Heart5 out of 5 partridges. The mere existence of this album makes me very happy. Have I mentioned that?