The venerable blues label waited more than a decade before jumping back into the Christmas fray with a new compilation for 2003. Some of the same folks are on both collections, but there are younger artists here as well. Hardly any covers on this CD either, except for the Holmes Brothers' funky take of "Back Door Santa," and I'm not sure if the slow blues "Christmas Snow" by Michael Burks is an old song or a new one. (Sean Delany tips us that it's a cover of Willie Hill from volume 4 of Ichiban's now-out-of-print blues Christmas series.) Carey Bell's "Christmas Train" is a fast shuffle, Li'l Ed and the Blues Imperials get off a medium shuffle on "Christmas Time," and Koko Taylor gets our attention with "Have You Heard the News." Shemekia Copeland flirts convincingly on "Stay a Little Longer, Santa," jazzing things up just a bit. W.C. Clark calls out the big band blues sound on "Christmas Party," C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band breaks out the gumbo for "Zydeco Christmas," and Marcia Ball takes the same approach on "Christmas Fais Do Do." The country blues sound comes courtesy of Cephas and Wiggins on "Christmas Day Blues," Roomful of Blues asks "Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues," Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, boogie-woogie their lighthearted "Really Been Good This Year," Lonnie Brooks gives us the stomper "All I Want for Christmas (Is to Be With You)," Coco Montoya does a pop-oriented "Bluesman's Christmas," Dave Hole's "Fattening Up the Turkey" is pretty gritty, and Little Charlie and the Nightcaps sneak in a little social commentary with "Christmas Time Again (Spend, Spend, Spend)." Solid performances, eminently listenable.
Genuine Houserockin' Christmas, various artists (Alligator)
The venerable blues label waited more than a decade before jumping back into the Christmas fray with a new compilation for 2003. Some of the same folks are on both collections, but there are younger artists here as well. Hardly any covers on this CD either, except for the Holmes Brothers' funky take of "Back Door Santa," and I'm not sure if the slow blues "Christmas Snow" by Michael Burks is an old song or a new one. (Sean Delany tips us that it's a cover of Willie Hill from volume 4 of Ichiban's now-out-of-print blues Christmas series.) Carey Bell's "Christmas Train" is a fast shuffle, Li'l Ed and the Blues Imperials get off a medium shuffle on "Christmas Time," and Koko Taylor gets our attention with "Have You Heard the News." Shemekia Copeland flirts convincingly on "Stay a Little Longer, Santa," jazzing things up just a bit. W.C. Clark calls out the big band blues sound on "Christmas Party," C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band breaks out the gumbo for "Zydeco Christmas," and Marcia Ball takes the same approach on "Christmas Fais Do Do." The country blues sound comes courtesy of Cephas and Wiggins on "Christmas Day Blues," Roomful of Blues asks "Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get the Blues," Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, boogie-woogie their lighthearted "Really Been Good This Year," Lonnie Brooks gives us the stomper "All I Want for Christmas (Is to Be With You)," Coco Montoya does a pop-oriented "Bluesman's Christmas," Dave Hole's "Fattening Up the Turkey" is pretty gritty, and Little Charlie and the Nightcaps sneak in a little social commentary with "Christmas Time Again (Spend, Spend, Spend)." Solid performances, eminently listenable.
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