William Shatner has released “Shatner Claus: The Christmas Album.” There are some real highlights on an album that includes such a strange potpourri of guests including: Henry Rollins, Brad Paisley, Jethro Tull flutist Ian Anderson, Cars’ guitarist Elliot Easton, studio whiz Todd Rundgren and Artimus Pyle (from Skynyrd), ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Rick Wakeman of Yes, folkie Judy Collins and a serious but still creepy “Silent Night” by Iggy Pop and Shatner. Fans of the actor’s past singing efforts, such as 2004’s “Has Been” produced by Ben Folds, or the classic “The Transformed Man” from 1968, know the deal. Shatner plays up his cheeseball reputation by typically speaking the lyrics in exaggerative thespian fashion, with oddly morphing inflections sometimes within the space of one sentence.
A rundown of some highlights from “Shatner Claus”: While it’s cool hearing the album kick off with punk rocker Henry Rollins barking the chorus to “Jingle Bells,” before leading into the second track, a swaggering honky tonk version of “Blue Christmas” with Brad Paisley really giving it his all – my Shatner antenna perked up on “Little Drummer Boy.” Featuring the ghostly blues guitar of Joe Louis Walker, the song’s slow climactic build of onomatopoeia “pa-rum-pum-pa-pum pum” is perfect Shatner territory. And listen how he makes “I play my drum for him” sound like a creepy come-on, probably unintentionally.
Another standout was the celebratory “Feliz Navidad” featuring Dani Bender. Shatner just sounds so excited here that it’s hard not to get swept up in the festive song – at one point he’s laughing maniacally. This is a good example of how he’s constantly trying different voices and approaches in his head just to make reading the lines more interesting to himself.
And what about that “Silent Night” with Iggy Pop? It’s pretty straightforward and respectful, starting with Shatner delivering a serious, hushed tone lyrical reading, before Mr. Pop kicks in with a creepy, wavering chorus that makes him sound much older than Shatner’s 87 years. Then we’re back to Shatner talking about “radiant beams from thy holy face” conjuring his famous role as Captain Kirk from “Star Trek.” Don’t get me wrong: the song is not done in some religion-mocking way. You can tell everyone on this album is putting forth serious effort: It’s just that Shatner can’t help sounding like an overacting machine. He could be reading the phonebook and it would sound like an overly indulgent Shakespearean fop. It’s his schtick – instead of fighting it, he embraces it.
It’s hard not to mention the grand weirdness of hearing Shatner begging “rejoice rejoice Emmanuel” just before a woozy, space-age synth solo by Rick Wakeman of Yes, kind of the perfect instrument for Shatner’s sci-fi persona. And the album closes by bringing Henry Rollins back for an even more punk rock take on the opening “Jingle Bells.”
There’s a little something for everyone here. The people who want serious Christmas music and those who just want to hear Shatner get weird. So go ahead and add Mr. Bill to the long list of Jewish entertainers who have made Christmas albums from Streisand and Diamond to Torme and Manilow. Except really – none of theirs could possibly be this cool or weird.
