Dancehall Christmas, various artists (Rohit)

Another compilation of reggae Christmas tunes with sketchy liner notes, this 1991 album was apparently recorded all at once rather than compiled from various sources, since the album credits backup musicians and lists the recording studio (in Englewood, N.J., strangely enough). Artists include Sugar Minott, Horace Andy, Maxine Miller and a number of others. Some of the tunes are standards, like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Silver Bells," but most are original tunes, or toasts in the case of "Spreadout Christmas" by Mikey Jarrett, "Celebrate Christmas" by Governor Twos and "Have a Merry Christmas Baby" by Little George. James Bond and Sluggy manage to put a reggae twist on Phil Spector's arrangement of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" briefly, but then it turns into a toasting arrangement that also borrows "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." The album in total sounds a bit samey-samey, but it's all right for breaking out favorite cuts for a mix tape.