Edie Adams Christmas Album

Liner Note Author: Josh Mills.
Edie Adams was a beautiful and gifted actress and comedienne, but surprisingly few people today remember her career as a singer. Adams got her first big break when she became a regular on Ernie Kovacs' television series in 1951, and she frequently showed off her gifts as a vocalist on the show, as well as serving as a comic foil for Kovacs, who would marry Adams in 1954. While Adams was a frequent presence on television and in movies well into the '90s, she also appeared in a number of successful stage musicals and headlined in nightclubs; the classically trained Adams even dipped her toes into opera, starring in the Seattle Opera Company's production of Offenbach's La Pericole. In December 1952, Adams was frequently called upon to sing Christmas-themed material on the Kovacs Unlimited show, and 15 rare airchecks of Adams performing seasonal material are collected on The Edie Adams Christmas Album. These numbers were all performed live, with just a piano for accompaniment, and have been preserved here warts and all; Adams briefly flubs the lyrics on "It's A Marshmallow World," a bird makes an unexpected appearance on "Christmas in Killarney," and while Ernie Kovacs may have been one of the most inventive comedians of his time and the love of Edie's life, his two duets here show he was no singer. But Adams is in splendid form on these recordings; she had a fine voice, and her performances had a genuine charm and imagination, while she was capable of sounding jazzy on "Winter Wonderland," poignant on "I'll Be Home for Christmas," contemplative on "I Wonder as I Wander," and playfully romantic on "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," and handling each with confidence and grace. The album includes a fine liner essay from Josh Mills, Edie's son, attesting to her love of the Christmas holidays, and The Edie Adams Christmas Album shows she loved the songs of the season, and could sing them quite memorably. ~ Mark Deming