The Original Soul Christmas

Festive 14 track comp w/ Ray Charles, Booker T, Otis Redding & more Originally issued as an Atlantic compilation back in 1968, Soul Christmas is just what is says: a collection of songs featuring R&B legends such as Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, Clarence Carter, William Bell, King Curtis, and Booker T. & the MG's. But if you're looking for a compilation of mostly traditional Christmas tunes, this is not the record to buy. Apart from nods to time-honored classics like "White Christmas" (gloriously reinterpreted by Redding), Booker T.'s perky "Jingle Bells," and the R&B favorite "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" (featuring sax man King Curtis at his bluesy best, along with a guitar solo by Duane Allman), the songs are all tailor-made originals that fit the style of the respective artists. Thus, Carter's "Back Door Santa" is a hilariously salacious cut; Tex gives us a preacherlike "I'll Make Everyday Christmas (For My Woman)"; and Thomas is at her most cute and innocent with "Gee Whiz, It's Christmas." Redding's version of "Merry Christmas Baby" (a hit for Johnny Moore's Three Blazers) is an obvious standout, while Bell's "Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday" is the only bona fide charted single (albeit back in January 1968). For added value, Rhino has included three bonus tracks, including a 1978 recording by Ray Charles of "Christmas Time." --David Nathan

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