Beyond Fantstic

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Our Holiday CD Picks:

World Christmas (Metro Blue CDP7243-8-36928-2-8)

Afro-Pop diva Angelique Kidjo singing "O Holy Night" in French with a percussion ensemble? Diane Reeves and Mino Cinelu doing an almost sexy jazz-blues throwdown on "The 12 Days of Christmas"?? John Scofield and Mardi Gras Indians The Wild Magnolias raving through "Go Tell it on the Mountain"????? You MUST buy this (but we don't sell it)!


Etta James "12 Songs of Christmas" (Private Music 01005-82166-2)

The Queen of the Blues wails on the standards: you can boogie, your Grandma can pray, it's a family thing.


Festival of Light (Six Degrees Records 657036-1001-2) or Volume 2 (657036-1018-2)

Absolutely transcendental odes to Hanukkah from talents as diverse as the Klezmatics to Jane Siberry, Marc Cohn to Peter Himmelman. Classics and originals (Himmelman's original "Lighting up the World" deserves to be a classic). The only thing missing is some comic relief from Adam Sandler.


Blue Yule (Rhino R2-70568)

Yo! Santa! Who's doing Mrs. Claus while you're out dropping toys? Uproarious celebrations of the party side of Christmas from Charles Brown, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, Johnny and Edgar Winter as teenagers and the wonderful Sonny Boy Williamson ranting about Santa getting all up in his baby's drawers (in her dresser!).


El Vez "Merry MeX-mas!" (Sympathy for the Record Industry 350)

YES! From "Santa Claus is Sometimes Brown" to "Feliz Navidad" to "Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus?", this not only rocks out severely, it is funny and reminds you that we live in Azatlan Norte so why not stuff your turkey with Menudo, make eggnog with Mezcal de Oaxoca and put a piñata on top of the tree?


Brave Combo's "It's Christmas Man!" (Rounder 9023)

Have you ever wondered what "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire)" would sound like as a Ska instrumental? "Little drummer Boy" as a revved up, surf influenced Guaguanco?? "Feliz Navidad" as a Cumbia??? Then score a copy of this, a fabulous compendium of Holiday Classics (including "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" as a rockin' Hora) originally made for the Japanese market.


And then, how could you NOT buy "A Flintstones / Motown Christmas" (Motown 314-520-380-2)?!?!?!?

We seem to have missed this but we think this is the soundtrack to an animated special where Fred & Wilma & Barney & Betty go to New Rock City for the Holidays and encounter Smokey and the Miracles ("Jingle Bells"), Diana Ross and the Supremes ("Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus is coming to Town"), The Jackson Five ("Frosty the Snowman") and The Temptations (a GORGEOUS gospel-ish "Silent Night").

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!! Roberto