Too Many Santas, The Bobs (Rounder)

I've always had a soft spot for a cappella music, and non-instrumentalists The Bobs are possibly the most inventive such group out there, especially if you include their snarky original songwriting, something few such groups attempt. Here, they take their own twisted stabs at a few rock standards, transforming James Brown with "Santa's Got a Brand New Bag," turning Mack Rice's "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" into "Mrs. Claus Wants Some Lovin,'" and taking the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick" a bit farther south and changing it to "Rasta Reindeer." There's also a more faithful cover of "Christmas In Jail." The rest are originals in the group's irreverent mold; those familiar with such songs as "Bus Tour to the Outlet Mall" and their bumper-sticker litany "Kill Your Television" will know what to expect from "Yuleman vs the Anti-Claus," "Fifty Kilowatt Tree," the title song and all the others on this 1996 disc.