James Brown's Funky Christmas is a compilation of the best songs from James Brown's three earlier Christmas albums, 1966's James Brown Sings Christmas Songs, 1968's A Soulful Christmas and 1970's Hey America It's Christmas. This album was also released under the title of 20th Century Masters: The Best of James Brown, The Christmas Collection.
| James Brown's Funky Christmas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by James Brown | ||||
| Released | October 17, 1995 | |||
| Genre | Christmas | |||
| Length | 64:52 | |||
| Label | Polygram Records | |||
| Producer | James Brown | |||
| James Brown chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Austin Chronicle | [2] |
Critical reception
editRichie Unterberger of AllMusic writes, "his 17-track compilation includes selections from seasonal albums cut by Brown in 1966, 1968, and 1970. Good Christmas rock and soul is somewhat of an oxymoron, but if you want some, you're better off with this than most anything else."[1]
Andy Langer of The Austin Chronicle gives this album 3 stars and writes, "J.B.'s effortless melding of rhythm, tempo, and bridges galore does the unthinkable - it makes this a James Brown collection worth pulling off the shelf in July."[2]
The Washington City Paper's Eddie Dean writes "Instead of harping on the usual Hallmark platitudes, Brown targets Christmas as payback time for an oppressed people; instead of tearful wishes, he’s got some demands to make."[3]
Rolling Stone lists James Brown's Funky Christmas as No. 3 in its list of 10 best Christmas albums of all time.[4]
Randy Anthony at Hip Christmas reviews James Brown's Christmas albums and says of "Funky Christmas" that James Brown "was no less brilliant during December than during the other eleven months of the year."[5]
T. Ballard Lesemann of The Charleston City Paper writes, "Some songs really jump. The crisp syncopation and jazzy horn work on "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto" creates an effective groove over which JB can do his thing, and it's not just shoutin' and gruntin'. The tricky rhythms, trebly guitar chords, trumpet accents, and Brown's hollers and "Look'a here!" exclamations on "Soulful Christmas," "Christmas is Love," and "Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)" resemble his most fiery hits."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Go Power at Christmas Time" | Nat Jones | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Let's Unite the Whole World at Christmas" |
| 2:42 |
| 3. | "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto" |
| 3:00 |
| 4. | "Merry Christmas Baby" |
| 3:54 |
| 5. | "Let's Make Christmas Mean Something This Year" |
| 6:28 |
| 6. | "Soulful Christmas" |
| 3:05 |
| 7. | "The Christmas Song (Version 1)" | 2:40 | |
| 8. | "Sweet Little Baby Boy" |
| 5:14 |
| 9. | "Christmas Is Love" | Nat Jones | 5:59 |
| 10. | "Please Come Home for Christmas" |
| 3:20 |
| 11. | "Santa Claus Is Definitely Here to Stay" | Nat Jones | 4:21 |
| 12. | "Tit for Tat (Ain't No Taking Back)" |
| 3:03 |
| 13. | "Santa Claus, Santa Claus" |
| 4:01 |
| 14. | "Merry Christmas, I Love You" |
| 2:30 |
| 15. | "Signs of Christmas" |
| 4:35 |
| 16. | "Christmas in Heaven" | Billy Ward | 2:54 |
| 17. | "Hey America" |
| 3:56 |
| Total length: | 64:52 | ||
- Track information and credits taken from the album's liner notes.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. James Brown's Funky Christmas at AllMusic
- ^ a b |first=Andy|Last=Langer |date=22 December 1995|Austinchronicle.com
- ^ Eddie, Dean (15 December 1995). "James Brown's Funky Christmas". www.washingtoncitypaper.com. Washington City Paper. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (19 December 2012). "The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ Anthony, Randy. "James Brown rhythm & blues". hipchristmas.com. Hip Christmas. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ Lesemann, T. Ballard. "James Brown adds a touch of heart and soul to the holidays". charlestoncitypaper.com. Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ James Brown's Funky Christmas (liner notes). James Brown. Polygram. 1995.
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