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I paid a lot more attention to the Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame election this year far more than I usually do for two reasons. First and foremost is the fact that Chicago, one of my all time favorite bands, was nominated. Secondly, I discovered Tom Nawrocki's blog. He is an official voting member of the hall and a former editor for Rolling Stone so I quickly became interested in his thoughts behind his ballot choices. Nawrocki voted for The Smiths, Janet Jackson, Chic, Cheap Trick, and N. W. A. He was correct on just two of them. He discussed the reasons behind his choices at Debris Slide . Here are my thoughts on the five winners. N.W.A. I find their music repulsive and their behavior often hard to tolerate. Despite the fact they have an extremely small recorded catalog of one full length, smash hit, album, an EP, and a second album that didn't create nearly as much buzz, they deserve to be in the hall because they are extremely huge cultural icons. They not only help...

A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra was his first and best known Christmas album. It was released in 1957 with Gordon Jenkins conducting the orchestra and The Ralph Brewster Singers providing background vocals. The album is mostly a low key affair with Jenkins' lush orchestra backing the singing legend on an array of carols and traditional holiday standards. Sinatra is mostly subdued on this thirty-nine minute album, and even on the uptempo arrangements he never comes close to working up a sweat. The bouncier tunes include a unique version of "Jingle Bells" on which the singers share the spotlight with him to great effect. "Mistletoe and Holly," is a rarity because Sinatra shares a co-writing credit and while it's not exactly exuberant it stands out as one of the looser, more free-spirited tracks on the record. Sinatra had a way of adding an earthiness to his ballads as "One For My Baby" has always proven but there is no grit on this record an...

Yellowjackets have traces of smooth jazz woven throughout their work but they're too experimental, too free form, and too spirited to fall into jazz's elevator music sub-genre. Perhaps it's the quartet's employment of synths and the soprano sax that create this perception in listeners' minds. If so, they are wrong. This lineup of the revolving door that is Yellowjackets recorded Peace Round: A Christmas Celebration with Bob Mintzer (tenor and soprano), Russell Ferrante on piano and synths, and Jimmy Haslip on bass and synths. Marcus Baylor plays drums. Mintzer and Ferrante are the stars. Both contribute eclectic solos, especially on the title track, an old English canon on which Haslip's bass almost serves as another lead instrument. There is nothing smooth or modern about "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." It's more traditional and that's a good thing. Mintzer stars on "Winter Wonderland" and the set's only vocal, by gue...

Tom Nawrocki's career included several years as an editor at Rolling Stone magazine. He also writes about music on the Internet at both his own site and at more professional sites for many years now. He is also a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Nawrocki's personal blog, Debris Slide , had been dormant for a long time but he has recently revived it to offer his insights on how he will complete his ballot for those artists currently nominated for induction into Cleveland's much maligned museum. You can tell Nawrocki takes his voting privilege very seriously and while I don't agree with all of his points he is more than qualified to be among the people who may cast a ballot. Many of us often think lunatics run the hall but after reading Nawrocki's thoughtful posts it's possible that the decision makers are not asylum escapees after all. Nawrocki's initial post is about first time nominee, Chicago. I've always longed for their inducti...