FRIDAY FUNK: IN THE CHRISTMAS GROOVE

VA, In the Christmas Groove (Strut, 2009)

Ever wondered why there aren’t many funk and Christmas albums out there? If so, this album is for you. Out on Strut – home of Breakestra – In the Christmas Groove is the latest of the label’s impressive range of crate-digging compilations, which also include looks at disco, reggae, and afrobeat. For this reason, In the Christmas Groove was never likely to be a collection of novelty songs. Instead, what we get (for the most part) are stories of Christmas in the ghetto and how the festive season can help lovers get it together, all set to familiar sounding funk beats and melodies. Some of these tracks are pretty good: Milly and Silly’s “Getting Down for Xmas” and Electric Jungle’s “Funky Funky Christmas,” for instance. However, the really good songs are interspersed with some pretty average and poor ones – though your opinion here is going to have a great deal to do with how you feel about children’s choirs and smaltzy Christmas songs.

Overall, then, In the Christmas Groove is a bit hit-and-miss collection. There’s no doubting, though, that it’s the best Christmas funk compilation anyone’s ever put together.  CR.

Filed under: Uncategorized by J.G.