Canuck rock and blues master Colin James teams up with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for a swinging Christmas concert last night at the Winspear Centre. (JACK DAGLEY/ SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA)

Ever notice that at least one out of every three Colin James songs contains the word "baby?"

It's a lot, anyway.

And that goes double for his Little Big Band material, showcased with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for a sold-out show at the Winspear Centre last night.

It would work out seeing as this was a Christmas show - he must be talking about the "baby" Jesus - but Colin James doesn't seem to like Christmas music very much, even though he was promoting his new Little Big Band Christmas album.

Hey, a lot of people get twisted up at this time of year.

After whipping through one sleazy shuffle after another, with ESO keeping up with the relentless swing as best they could - symphony orchestras tend to swing like a herd of elephants, but apparently the ESO is one of the best at it in Canada - the 43-year-old bandleader of many talents let out a sigh.

"Well, we're going to go back to Christmasland now," James said, then a shrug and a pause.

"It's a good place. It's about stuff."

This heralded a woeful version of Please Come Home for Christmas - schmaltzy to the core, straight down the middle of the road and entirely bereft of soul.

For all of his gifts - rocker, bluesman, Canada's Brian Setzer - James simply does not have the voice for this kind of warm, fuzzy ballad.

It demands a real crooner. Colin James is not a real crooner.

Fast tempos, rocking out and ready access to a guitar lick to fill the spaces is where he is comfortable.

In this song, he sounded awkward.

He looked awkward - without one of his vast arsenal of guitars slung about his neck, a strange sight indeed.

And he admitted he felt awkward without a guitar, which, while endearing him self to the audience, only made the song worse.

Whose idea was it to do this tune, anyway?

Well, 'tis not the season to dwell on the negative, but I've seen this guy at least seven times and this show was not a favourite.

We've come to expect greatness from Colin James. This show was merely OK, a nice Christmas-ish sort of evening for the folks, heavy on the swing.

Not that the sleazy shuffles weren't fun.

These guys can do this stuff with their eyes closed and make it look easier than easy. His hit Surely (I Love Her) was a crowd favourite.

As for cool, yuletide songs, the faster and sleazier the better - such as Boogie Woogie Santa Claus or Shake Hands With Santa Claus. Santa-related material usually has more potential for fun.

When you start dealing with the baby Jesus or lonely people wanting loved ones to come home for Christmas, you've got to be sober about it.

There was also a solid reading of Blue Christmas, a song whose performers must always work under the shadow of Elvis; and a not-so-solid rendition of Leon Redbone's barmy Christmas Island.

Get those changes straight, boys.

The best tune I heard before deadline was the heartbreak anthem Make a Mistake, from James's masterful 2003 album, Traveler.

He followed that record up with the equally strong Limelight in 2005, showing a seasoned songwriter and singer (a singer well aware of his capabilities) who has matured beyond being plunked into the narrow genres he'd grown up in.

And no, "adult contemporary" isn't really a genre.

Now here he is back hammering out jump jazz with the Little Big Band, which occasionally became an actual big band last night thanks to the hard-working brass section.

Yes, he was doing this long before every Tom, Dick and Rod jumped on the big bandwagon, but it all came off as faintly corny, old-hat, like he's playing it safe.

I can only conclude that Colin James has released a Christmas album for the money.

Of course, why else would anyone do it?