Strut have had an amazing year, with a stream of sublime, exhaustively-annotated packages spanning anything from African jazz to classic New York disco so it’s no surprise that they have released the best variation on the much-abused Christmas album concept to appear for years. This set delves back into the deepest vaults of 60s and 70s soul to present a steaming collection of funky seasonal gems like Milly & Silly’s naughty take on ‘Jingle Bells’, while the other side of life in the US is movingly presented by the Harlem’s Children’s Chorus’s ‘Black Christmas’. Other names include Jimmy Reed, Zebra and Elmo McKenzie plus Seattle’s Black On White Affair covering new year’s as well with their blistering ‘Auld Lang Syne’. If only you could walk into a department store and hear this wonderful set instead of endless reruns of the same dozen tunes. The good thing is, this can be played all year.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs
