Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of Christmas records in much the same way I’m not a big fan of live recordings. I like some of both: Aretha Franklin’s 2008 first seasonal set (“This Christmas Aretha”) is certainly among my favorites of the former along with this year’s holiday CD by Ledisi and as I recall, I enjoyed past yuletide offerings by Stephanie Mills, The Whispers and a way- back-when album on Cotillion that included Luther Vandross, Margie Joseph and others. That said, my assignment to write my regular blog piece for Concord’s website required me to check out a 2007 compilation I’d never heard before – “Christmas In Soulsville.”

Surprise, surprise, it’s an imaginative album that is actually very enjoyable, avoiding the usual trap of including the same songs we hear year in and year out on Christmas records. There are a couple of exceptions: Booker T. & The MGs give us a thoroughly funky version of “Winter Wonderland,” gospel great Rance Allen and his group emote on Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” and The Temprees give us their reading of Mel Torme’s timeless “Christmas Song.” But it’s Otis Redding’s upbeat “Merry Christmas, Baby” and some fine original tunes – like Stax publicist-turned-songwriter Deanie Parker’s “Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas?” recorded by The Staple Singers and The Emotions’ “Black Christmas” (penned by the late Pops Staples) – that are among the standouts.

I loved the pure fun of “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin,’” represented on “Christmas In Soulsville” by bluesman Albert King and the song’s writer (Sir) Mack Rice of “Mustang Sally” fame; Isaac Hayes offers a poignant ballad in the form of “Winter Snow” and The Emotions deliver with the Homer Banks/Carl Hampton tune, “What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?” It’s appropriate that father and daughter Rufus and Carla Thomas - the duo who were responsible for jumpstarting the Stax label back in 1960 –– close the seasonal proceedings with their original “That Makes Christmas Day” on a CD that is certainly in my Top 5 of soulful Christmas albums!

David Nathan
A/k/a the British Ambassador Of Soul
Owner, www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 6:54 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.