Let’s Have A Rockin’ Christmas: Vol. 8 – Various Artists (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Given that Bongo Boy, in their various musical and media guises, are your go-to people for shortlisting, compiling, highlighting, and generally making the process of finding great music, it would seem odd if they didn’t put together their seasonal selection box of festive tunes. And here it is, the aptly named Let’s Have A Rockin’ Christmas: Volume 8, again, a great way of cutting to the chase and accessing everything you need from a soundtrack to keep the Christmas cheer going and the fun and frolics fed.

And if it is a Rockin’ Christmas that you are looking for, then there is no better way to kick it than with The NEW Bardots, and here they give us Christmas Must Be Tonight, the Robbie Robertson favourite that blends the lyricism of a hallowed hymn and a kick arse rock and roll groover. It’s what they do, and they do it so well.

It’s an album that neatly blends original invention and traditional sonic stalwarts. So, as a brilliant counterbalance to the previous exuberant art attack, Lyia Meta is joined by Mark Lanoue for a suitably scintillating and almost operatic rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Similarly, Charles Brown gets in on the same sort of action with a classical acoustic instrumental take on Greensleeves, here built as much of the cascades of me Spanish flourishes as the more sedate English medieval flavours we are used to. A wonderful update, indeed.

Studeo gives us Under The Christmas Tree, a gentle yet groovy pop-rocker that encompasses all of the excitement and anticipation of the tradition of gift giving, an understated tune but shot through with flashes of rock guitar. Boys’N’Barry brings us a song that celebrates what matters. Forget all the material aspects of the season; they tell us that it isn’t about who you celebrate Christmas with but who you spend it with, and Christmas With You is a brilliant and soulful reminder to focus on the people who matter.

Christmas in the Country sees Ma Bell blending country licks and bluegrass jauntiness as she describes the rural experience of the season- banjos pop, mandolins meander, and violins soar as she lyrically sets the scene. The titular track comes next, Jackie Kringle and the Elves, giving us a witty slice of old-school rock and roll, all low-slung grooves and staccato licks. Groovy!

And, talking of groovy, Annemarie Picerno’s Mr. Santa is big and bluesy, soulful and sassy, rattling along at an impressive rate of knots and defying anyone within earshot to jump or jive or bop or boogie. Try it, don’t be a wallflower, not at Christmas.

The NEW Bardots come back for a second slice of the sonic Christmas cake with Santa Don’t Like Politics, the underlying message being that maybe we can put our differences aside for just a few weeks and all celebrate together. After all, there are only two parties in his world: the naughty and the nice!

2020 Christmas Star is a neat piece of folk music from Gregg Wietstock, a deft acoustic piece that wraps itself in chiming acoustic guitars and spiralling violins as he wishes all of us a Merry Christmas. The album rounds off with something a bit different, Rita Faye Tanner’s live version of Little Child in My Arms, part spoken word, part understated devotional folk music, a song of innocence, a reminder of how “the greatest story ever told” began, and the perfect round the album off.

So, you have the soundtrack sorted; all there is to do now is eat, drink and be merry (for tomorrow, we diet) and have yourself a rockin’ Christmas.

More info here