{"id":26349,"date":"2023-10-25T05:30:27","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=26349"},"modified":"2024-12-11T08:07:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T13:07:21","slug":"album-review-stax-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/25\/album-review-stax-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Stax Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\u2018Tis the season \u2013 well, almost \u2013 for holiday music. While holiday-themed tunes have a comparatively short shelf life, there is indeed something special about them. And that\u2019s even more the case when considering a collection of songs by Stax artists. The Memphis-based label\u2019s legendary roster featured some of the biggest names in soul and r&b, and the idea of bringing them together for a set like Stax Christmas makes all sorts of sense. What\u2019s surprising is that it didn\u2019t happen sooner.<\/p>\n

But here we are in 2023. A set of a dozen songs from Stax stars, Stax<\/i> Christmas<\/i> is a mixture of traditional tunes and originals written to capitalize on the holiday theme make up this collection.<\/p>\n

Something thematically similar was put together in 2007 with the Christmas in Soulsville<\/i> set, but because the vinyl revival hadn\u2019t yet taken hold, that was a CD-only release. This new set presents the music on good old fashioned vinyl (It\u2019s also available on CD and via major streaming sites, but there\u2019s something special about spinning these tunes on a turntable.)<\/p>\n

Otis Redding\u2019s previously unreleased \u201cMerry Christmas Baby\u201d is a solid and soulful cut. While personnel isn\u2019t listed, everything about the recording suggests that the Stax house band and Memphis Horns provided the lean and sympathetic backing for Redding\u2019s vocals. Change the lyrics and remove the (commendably subtle) sleigh bells and you\u2019ve got a year-round Otis tune.<\/p>\n

Count on the Staple Singers to serve up a conscious tune. \u201cWho Took the Merry Out of Christmas\u201d was originally released as a single in 1972, but it\u2019s nice to have it here as well. Booker T & the MG\u2019s\u2019 take on the chestnut \u201cWinter Wonderland\u201d is here in an alternate take; the instrumental was featured on the aforementioned Christmas in Soulsville<\/em> as well. (If you dig this tune, you simply must track down the non-Stax Christmas in Memphis<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Another previously unheard recording, Carla Thomas\u2019 reading of \u201cBlue Christmas\u201d slows the tune way down, wringing all of the pathos and heartbreak out of it. A classic arrangement makes it even better. Isaac Hayes released \u201cThe Mistletoe and Me\u201d as a single in \u201869. Her he reminds us why he was the king of the romantic slow jam.<\/p>\n

Some tasty Hohner Clavinet (and a bit of those sleigh bells) enliven the already plenty funky \u201cSanta Claus Wants Some Lovin,\u201d a tune one could easily imagine being part of the Rufus Thomas catalog. But King\u2019s guitar solo puts his indelible stamp on the track.<\/p>\n

Speaking of the World\u2019s Oldest Teenager, Rufus chimes in with another \u201870s era single, \u201cI\u2019ll Be Your Santa Baby.\u201d Here it\u2019s deep funk time, with shades of Billy Preston. One of Stax\u2019s lesser-known acts, Cix Bits doubles down on the funky clav with \u201cSeason\u2019s Greetings.\u201d Everything about the track is ace, but the kinetic bass line and sharp guitar fills make it extra appealing. Like most of the tracks here, it was released as a single (in this case, from 1973).<\/p>\n

The Rance Allen Group takes on \u201cWhite Christmas,\u201d with an arrangement that suggests Isaac Hayes\u2019 involvement (though that\u2019s merely a guess; Stax had plenty of arranging talent at its disposal). The Temprees chime in with another string-laden track, Mel Torm\u00e9\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s Christmas Time Again (The Christmas Song)\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Emotions\u2019 \u201cWhat Do the Lonely Do at Christmas?\u201d was a 1973 Volt single. It\u2019s a sweet and subtle performance with some heartfelt vocals. And Rufus and Carla Thomas wrap up this delightful set with an original, \u201cThat Makes Christmas Day.\u201d Like the other tracks on this record, it largely steers clear of clich\u00e9 (save for the sleigh bells, which are again lightly applied).<\/p>\n

Stax mainstay Deanie Parker<\/a> contributes a brief yet heartfelt liner note for the set. And her instructions to the listener are spot on: \u201c…bless, serve, and enjoy your Stax<\/i> Christmas<\/i>. Now, repeat.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Tis the season \u2013 well, almost \u2013 for holiday music. While holiday-themed tunes have a comparatively short shelf life, there is indeed something special about them. And that\u2019s even more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,37,49,60,65,69,73],"tags":[2032],"class_list":["post-26349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-compilation","category-holiday","category-new-release","category-rb","category-review","category-soul","category-vinyl","tag-stax","cat-19-id","cat-37-id","cat-49-id","cat-60-id","cat-65-id","cat-69-id","cat-73-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26349"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28680,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26349\/revisions\/28680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}