Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Cliff Beach (self-issued)

Cliff's an indie soul/gospel artist with a few previous albums to his credit, and for 2021 he decided to get on the Christmas soul train. Most of what you hear adheres pretty solidly to the 70s funk sound, although his version of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" is more in a New Orleans vein, though with funk-band instrumentation. The title song is the only original in this collection, and it's a solid funky ode to the holidays. There aren't very many surprises in song selection -- as with so many soul artists, he can't resist doing "This Christmas" or the Supremes' version of "My Favorite Things," and he checks in with the album's only straight blues, the classic "Merry Christmas Baby." The funky treatment he gives to "Frosty the Snowman" is a nice touch, he makes "Zat You, Santa Claus" his own with modern touches, and he also does James Brown's "Soulful Christmas," "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)," and a solidly R'nB version of "Run Rudolph Run." Overall, an energetic selection of holiday tunes to pack the dance floor.