Not only does bluesman Charles Brown bring his mellow croon and sophisticated piano licks to his evergreen holiday tune “Merry Christmas Baby” here, he achieves a state of earthly bliss on “Christmas in Heaven” and embodies the lonely side of the season on “Please Come Home for Christmas.” His tracks are surrounded by holiday cuts from some famous friends, too: Jimmy Reed gets downright funky on “Christmas Present Blues,” for instance, while Lowell Fulson takes a sad, soulful holiday stroll through “Lonesome Christmas.”