Watching the Snow
Watching the Snow is a jazz album by American singer Michael Franks. It was released in Japan by Columbia Records in 2003, in the U.S. by Sleepy Gypsy in 2004, and again in the U.S. by Koch Records. "Watching the Snow" was Michael Franks' first Christmas album. Rather than covering other holiday music standards, Franks wrote all the songs. According to the liner notes, sales from the album were donated to Hearts United for Animals. Reception. Writing for AllMusic, Christopher Monger described the album as "comfort food with all the trimmings" and that each track was "lovingly  crafted, astronomically inoffensive, and wine-drunk silly and sincere." Comparing the album to the holiday themed releases of Franks' peers, he concluded it was a "testimony to Franks' laid-back demeanor and subtle humor that an entire record of original holiday songs can complement a snowy December day rather than accentuate its forced seasonal cheer."