Marva Wright - My Christmas Song

 Not exactly 'feelin' it this year, poverty sucks, but here is a fine slice of NOLA Christmas.

For my friend Feillimed:

I have known for a long time that there was a Marva Christmas disc that I'd never heard. You would think that since I had everything else, I would have diligently tracked this down...but no, I kind of wrote it off as likely a half-ass obligatory type recording. This year I said "What the hell, get it and if it's bad...so what." Unnnh...Ooops! Do you notice where this is leading....Oh You Silly, Foolish Old Man! Are You Out Ya Mind?!

The first track opens with swelling organ, the unmistakable keyboards of Davell Crawford, the rest of the band kicks in and oh here comes the choir! It's Go Tell It On The Mountain "Damn THIS is rockin'" ...and Whoa, here comes Marva! (an enthusiastic 'chair boogie' follows) "Gee, I may have underestimated this one a bit." ya think? ...a nice sax intro, and My Christmas Song, part one  of a  classic Southern Soul tale of an abandoned woman and her inner strength to hold her family and herself together thru the Holidays...Now it really starts to get deep as Ms Marva gets your tears going with a soul stirring rendition of Silent Night....and now "OH Hell Yeah, time to get up and dance!" If Marva's Holiday Shuffle don't get ya moving...well you know.

Okay so now we are clear...I WAY underestimated this album. I mean I'm 4 tracks in and I've already laughed, cried and danced! ...now some more strong DC piano and here comes the triumphant part two of our tale of the abandoned woman, I'll Be Fine, If this one doesn't move you then you are a heartless bastard!

A Holiday Medley is just that, a nice little piece that may or may not be live. Freddie King's classic Christmas Tears follows...beautiful...I'd guess that this is something of a tribute to the late Johnny Adams, who loved to sing that song...unh oh we goin' to church AND we gettin' funky! What follows are a trio of beautiful Christmas songs that you've never heard that are clearly born of the church. Each of them is a wonderful gem. Some spastic 'old man dancing' is left to your imagination.

 What Christmas Means To Me is so deep into Marva's wheelhouse that I'd have been shocked if she hadn't absolutely crushed it, ...no shock, song crushed! Christmas Comes But Once A Year could be a third part to the story of our heroine, she somehow makes it all magic for her kids...there is a weary joy to this one.

Marva even manages to make the finale of Auld Lang Syne memorable, no mean feat! Today my favorite Marva Wright album is this one right here!

Johnny Adams - Christmas In New Orleans

Certainly one of the more maudlin Christmas albums ever, but it IS Johnny Adams so...

".....In 1975, he recorded his only Christmas album (A Christmas With Johnny Adams - Ace 2046) which has since been re-released on vinyl in 1987 as Maison de Soul LP-1023 with a different cover, then in a 1993 CD by Ace with the original LP cover, and again as a 1994 CD by Mardi Gras Records with still another cover and the title changed to Christmas In New Orleans.

His effortless handling of a mix of traditional carols and some of the more memorable Pop/R&B Christmas tunes ever written, all recorded at New Orleans' Sea Saint Studio and produced here with excellent sound reproduction and new and informative liner notes written by Jeff "Almost Slim" Hanusch, makes this the perfect album for Holiday enjoyment."

Backing musicians include guitarists Walter Washington and Jimmie Moliere, pianist/organists Sam Henry Jr. And Raymond Jones, pianist Isaac Bolden and drummers Danny Jones and Benson Dupre."

Okay, not Johnny's finest by any measure, but it is seasonally appropriate.

Ray Charles - The Spirit of Christmas

Rather than trot out my Christmas compilations yet again (if you really want to hear them you can stream them on mixcloud), I thought I'd just share a few choice holiday records.

This second record is one of at least three Ray Charles records that I've seen, but I think it is the best of the bunch. Yes, sometimes silly, sometimes schmaltzy, but it IS Christmas music and hey, it's RAY CHARLES!

The Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell It On The Mountain

Go Tell It On The Mountain (2003)

1. Last Month of the Year
2. I Pray on Christmas (ft. Solomon Burke)
3. Go Tell It On The Mountain (ft. Tom Waits)
4. Little Drummer Boy (ft. Michael Franti)
5. In The Bleak Midwinter (ft. Chrissie Hynde with Richard Thompson)
6. Joy To The World (ft. Aaron Neville)
7. Born in Bethlehem (ft. Mavis Staples)
8. The Christmas Song (ft. Shelby Lynne)
9. Away In A Manger (ft. George Clinton with Robert Randolph)
10. Oh Come All Ye Faithful (ft. Me’shell Ndegéocello)
11. White Christmas (ft. Les McCann)
12. Silent Night

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Best of Christmas Gospel

A little pre-Christmas Gospel service...not a bad little collection.

Christmas Blues

This was originally part one of the Merry Christmas Baby set, but it needed a little work. Now it gets a new cover and name too.

Christmas Blues by Kingcake on Mixcloud

The Soul of Christmas

The Soul Of Christmas by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Merry Christmas Baby

Merry Christmas Baby by Kingcake on Mixcloud

The Blind Boys of Alabama & Guests - Go Tell It On The Mountain

This Grammy winner is a perennial favorite, selling throughout the year — because it’s the hippest ‘holiday’ album ever made. The septuagenarian Gospel greats enlisted a star-studded gallery of guests — including Aaron Neville, Chrissie Hynde, Mavis Staples, Michael Franti, George Clinton, Robert Randolph, Tom Waits, Solomon Burke, Shelby Lynne — winning their third consecutive Grammy in Traditional Soul Gospel.

1. Last Month of the Year
2. I Pray on Christmas (ft. Solomon Burke)
3. Go Tell It On The Mountain (ft. Tom Waits)
4. Little Drummer Boy (ft. Michael Franti)
5. In The Bleak Midwinter (ft. Chrissie Hynde with Richard Thompson)
6. Joy To The World (ft. Aaron Neville)
7. Born in Bethlehem (ft. Mavis Staples)
8. The Christmas Song (ft. Shelby Lynne)
9. Away In A Manger (ft. George Clinton with Robert Randolph)
10. Oh Come All Ye Faithful (ft. Me’shell Ndegéocello)
11. White Christmas (ft. Les McCann)
12. Silent Night

Blind Boys of Alabama and Taj Mahal - Talkin' Christmas

Review by Steve Leggett

Although this wonderful Christmas set is billed as a joint project between Taj Mahal and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and Taj does play guitar, banjo, ukulele, and harmonica here and sings on a couple of tracks ("What Can I Do?" and "There's a Reason We Call It Christmas"), it's really a Blind Boys holiday album, which is hardly a bad thing. It isn't a blend of blues and gospel, either, as some of the promotional material suggests. It's a seasonally bright and sincere mix of gospel and lightly swinging R&B, which is exactly what the Blind Boys have been doing so well for so many years. Four of the tracks are originals, and they fit nicely with covers of traditional Christmas songs and hymns like the opener "Do You Hear What I Hear?," speeded up and done with a graceful dash of funk, and the lovely, delicate and halting acoustic version of "Silent Night." The original "Who Will Remember?," a gentle gospel waltz, is another highlight. All of it is delivered in signature Blind Boys style, making this one of the season's nicest releases.