Though Allan’s maverick image doesn’t exactly fit the sentimentality of the season, he still dives into the holiday spirit with an appealing and diverse selection of songs for this five-track EP. It kicks off with the bluesy doowop sounds of “Please Come Home for Christmas” and ends on a playful note with childhood favorite “Up on the Housetop.” In between, Allan offers a mischievous reading of “(It Must Have Been Ol’) Santa Claus,” retrieved from Harry Connick Jr.’s 1993 Christmas album, and his rough-hewn baritone brings a rich country interpretation to “O Holy Night.”
SUMMED UP: Saucy!
DON’T MISS: Allan steams things up with one new — and downright risqué — original, “Let’s Be Naughty (and Save Santa the Trip)”: “Well, Santa’s face would turn red / if he could only see / what we’ll be unwrapping / underneath our Christmas tree.” Oh my.
