Modern Christmas Classics In Various Styles, Blitch Bango (Chobbs)

Your basic CD-is-as-advertised title, Blitch Bango is the doing-business-as name for a guy named B. Mathis, who put this out just three weeks before Christmas 2001. No question the title is accurate; there's reggae on "Blue Christmas," a choppy almost-ska "Holly Jolly Christmas," a sitar-drenched belly-dancing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," Gang of Four influences on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," what sounds like a foxtrot (I'm lousy on detecting the fancy dance tempos) version of "Let It Snow," a touch of exotica on "Sleigh Ride," a bit of Bo Diddley on "O Christmas Tree," a "Little Drummer Boy" who's trying to impress "My Sharona," and so on. A little sedate in places, and maybe 12 cuts instead of 18 would have been just the thing, but overall a solid rocker.