Christmas Reggae Music: part 1 of 2

The holiday season is upon us, and of course that means listening to Christmas music. Now, casual reggae fans certainly have no idea exactly how many reggae-based Christmas albums there are, and even long-time reggae fans may be surprised at who has released a Christmas tune or three in the last two decades.

The next two editions of this column will be dedicated to giving an overview to reggae Christmas albums. I'm going to try and cover a fair amount of ground, but for what I don't cover, check out the UA Journal (http://www.uajournal.com/ ) for extended coverage in the next few weeks.

First up is Irie Irie X-mas, a RAS compilation originally recorded in 1984 and re-released in 1993 by Munich Records in Holland. Though not exceptional by any stretch of the imagination, this short collection does contain a few gems. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" opens up the album, featuring Eek-a-Mouse, Freddie McGregor, Peter Broggs, and several others (all of whom have one other track on the album). It's a decent rendition, but is particularly notable for (as far as I know) the only appearance on an album by head RASman himself, Dr. Dread. He doesn't sound a like a Doctor or a Dreadlock to me. :) Other good tracks include Peter Broggs' "Twelve Days of Christmas" (a track that lends itself to lyrical creativity) and Eek-a-Mouse's "The Night Before Christmas."

RAS Records' later effort in 1991, Sly & Robbie's Taxi X'mas was much less listenable. The Tamlins contributions were thoroughly bland and most of the opening 23-minute medley was a waste, aside from Red Dragons short introduction. There's very little of any reggae edge here, aside from Beres Hammond's version of "The Christmas Song" (which is by far the best track on the album). It's much more like a low-budget R&B album.

Out of the three releases covered this week, the 1998 Rhino compilation, Natty and Nice is certainly the best. Featuring Lee Perry ("Merry Christmas, Happy New Year"), Toots & the Maytals ("Happy Christmas"), Jacob Miller ("Wish You a Merry Christmas"), and Johnny Clarke ("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"), it's hard to go wrong here. 18 tracks deep, Natty and Nice gives fans of roots some really solid holiday music for the season. Perry's contribution is absolutely catchy, with backup vocals provided by Sandra Robinson. Jacob Miller's own Natty Christmas (to be reviewed next time around) is one of the best reggae Christmas albums, and his "Wish You a Merry Christmas" shows exactly why. We also have the aforementioned Beres Hammond version of "The Christmas Song" and The Kingstonians' "Merry Christmas"; both are solid tracks. The liner notes talk about Christmas in Jamaica as well as reggae Christmas music. This is a good starter disc with lots of classic tunes from reggae's legends.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic