| Track by Track Review
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Jackson Trio - Jingle Bell Hop
This romp is a lot of fun. It has plenty of jazz and blues built into it. It’s a smoking hot piece. |
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The Moonglows - Hey Santa Claus
This classic groove is so strong. I’ve always dug this one. Blues and jazz are definitely both on hand here. |
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Ray Agee - Merry Christmas, My Love
More of a contemporary pop based rock and roller, this works pretty well. I just don’t think it’s a strong as the two songs that preceded it are. |
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Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters - White Christmas
Doo wop vocals, an old school music arrangement and more merge on this track. I have to say that this is not my kind of thing, but the harmonies are great. |
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Moose Jackson - I'll Be Home For Christmas
I like this song in general, but this overly mellow version doesn’t work that well for me. The track is a classic, though. The recording actually sounds like it’s running slower than it should to me. |
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Joe Turner's Orchestra - Christmas Date Boogie
Now, this is more like it. Rock and roll, blues and jazz are all merged on this fun groove. |
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Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - Christmas Time For Everybody But Me
I really love this bluesy holiday tune. It works so well. |
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B.B. King - Christmas Celebration
I love B.B. King and was fortunate enough to see him live once. This romp is so much fun. It has all the magic I have come to expect from the King of the Blues. |
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Lonnie Hewitt You've Been A Bad Little Girl
Here we get another guitar blues romp. The bass work on this is so strong. |
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Louis Jordan And His Orchestra - May Every Day Be Christmas
This track is packed full of a bluesy jazz groove. The organ is a little overpowering, and the whole arrangement is a little underwhelming for me, but the whole tune has its charms. |
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Freddie King I Hear Jingle Bells
I really like this guitar rocking tune a lot. It’s a lot of fun and a big improvement over the last tune. |
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John Greer - We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo
This romp has a lot of style and energy. It’s fun stuff. |
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Cecil Gant - Hello Santa Claus
The piano and stripped back arrangement on this are both great. This is a real blues based number that works well. |
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The Voices - Santa Claus Baby
The saxophone on this is a nice touch, and the tune has some killer energy and style. |
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Bill Doggett - Winter Wonderland
The organ on this makes me feel like I ought to be at a baseball game. This instrumental works pretty well. |
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Titus Turner - Christmas Morning
With a real soulful, blues vibe, there are some hints of jazz in the mix here, too. |
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Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - Santa Claus Is Coming
This has a lot of gospel music in the mix. There is also some jazz here. This is entertaining. |
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The Marcels - Merry Twist-Mas
I’m not crazy about the doo wop angle on this, but this rock and roller works well enough. |
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Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns - Rock And Roll Santa Claus
This rock and roller Is effective. It’s a lot of fun. |
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Billy Ward And His Dominoes - Christmas In Heaven
A slow, bluesy, soulful tune with a real gospel vibe it, this one doesn’t really work well for me. |
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The Voices - Santa Claus Boogie
Starting with a little “Jingle Bells” on the piano, this rocking romp has a healthy helping of jazz in the mix. I’m not completely enthralled with the doo wop backing vocals, but the song works well despite those. |
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Sonny Boy Williamson - Sonny Boy's Christmas Blues
Including some killer blues harp, this is a smoking hot blues tune. |
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Lightnin' Hopkins – Santa
Here we get an acoustic guitar blues number. This works really well. While I don’t like it as well as I do the track that came before it, this is very strong. |
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Jimmy Butler with The Blues Express Orchestra - Trim Your Tree
Here get a bouncy romp that is so classy and fun. |
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Jesse Belvin - I Want You With Me Xmas
The arrangement on this crooner tune doesn’t work that well for me. Still, this is stronger than some stuff here. It’s just a little too show tune like for me. |
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Washboard Pete - Christmas Blues
Down-home blues is on the menu here. This is a great tune that’s among my favorites on this disc. |
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Charles Brown - Please Come Home For Christmas
This classic is great. It has a bouncy bluesy soul groove at its heart. This is one of the highlights here. It features a particularly strong vocal performance. |
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Big Maybelle With The Ernie Wilkins Orchestra - White Christmas
A jazz ballad approach is the idea behind the musical arrangement on this. I really love the vocal performance on the tune. It elevates this to the level of one of the strongest pieces here. |
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