Mike Solof - Riding With The Kings At Christmas (2019)

As a special Christmas treat Mike has sent me a show that he put together to celebrate the festive season when he was working in a little bar in Medellin, Colombia. He used to do a weekly show from the bar that was built around his love of the blues, and at the end of 2019 he produced this show with a Christmas blues theme. The title of the show was inspired by the B. B. King & Eric Clapton album of the same name, hence the cover. 

Track listing

01 Blue Christmas Without You - Bruce Springsteen

02 It's Christmas Baby - Ms. Jody

03 Lonesome Christmas - Joe Bonamassa

04 Christmas Blues - Jimmy Witherspoon

05 Everyday Will Be Like A Holiday - William Bell

06 Christmas Tears - Eric Clapton

07 Christmas Time Pretty Baby - Robert Plant and The Honeydrippers

08 Back Door Santa - Clarence Carter

0. Run Run Rudolph - Chuck Berry

10 Christmas Love - B. B. King

11 Christmas In Jail - Ain't That A Pain? - Leroy Carr

12 Christmas Day Blues - Phil Wiggins and John Cephas

13 Please Come Home For Christmas - The Eagles

14 Christmas Train - Carey Bell

15 Sleigh Ride - The Ronettes and Phil Spector

16 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - James Taylor

17 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen 

Have A Soulful Christmas 2024

Christmas will soon be upon us, and so here is a nice collection of Christmas songs with a soulful feel to them to pass the time until it arrives.

Track listing

01 Someday At Christmas (Stevie Wonder 1967)

02 At Christmas Time (Luther 1976)
03 Merry Christmas Baby (Otis Redding 1968)
04 What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas (The Emotions 1973)

05 Santa Claus Goes Straight To The Ghetto (James Brown 1968)
06 Give Love On Christmas Day (The Jackson 5 1970)

07 Christmas Every Day (The Miracles 1963)
08 What Christmas Means To Me (Al Green 1983)
09 Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 2009)
10 Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday (William Bell 1967)
11 Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Darlene Love 1963)

12 Presents for Christmas (Solomon Burke 1968)
13 The Mistletoe And Me (Isaac Hayes 1969)
14 What Christmas Means To Me (Stevie Wonder 1967)

15 I Want To Come Home For Christmas (Marvin Gaye 1972)
16 Back Door Santa (Clarence Carter 1968)
17 This Christmas (Donnie Hathaway 1970)
18 Christmas Here With You (Four Tops 1995)

Soulseek tip - search 'christmas aiwe' for all my Christmas albums.

Have A Folky Christmas 2023

It won't be long before Christmas is upon us once again, so here is a fine selection of folk-inspired Christmas tunes, without a folkified carol in sight. 

Track listing

01 The Bells Of Dublin/Christmas Eve (The Chieftans 1991)
02 On A Quiet Christmas Morn (Mary Chapin Carpenter 2008)
03 Christmas For Cowboys (John Denver 1975)
04 The Coventry Carol (The Young Tradition with Shirley & Dolly Collins 1969)
05 Christmas Passing Through (The Roches 1990)
06 Gaudete (Steeleye Span 1973)
07 Song For A Winter's Night (Gordon Lightfoot 1967)
08 Upon A Winter's Night (Cara Dillon 2016) 
09 Christ Is Born On Christmas Day (John Fahey 1991)
10 River (Joni Mitchell 1971)
11 Silent Night All Day Long (John Prine 1993)
12 In Dulci Jubilo (Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band 2005)
13 Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) (Laura Marling 2009)
14 Sing We Noel (The Kingston Trio 1960)
15 Candlemas Eve (Kate Rusby 2008)
16 I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day (Burl Ives 1965)
17 Coventry Carol (Joan Baez 1966)
18 On Christmas Night All Christians Sing (The Christmas Albion Band 2003)
19 The Seven Rejoices Of Mary (Loreena McKennitt 2008)
20 Christmas Carolling (The Irish Rovers 1999)

Search 'christmas aiwe' for all my Christmas albums.

Have A Blues Christmas 2022

Christmas is looming, so here are some fine bluesy Christmas songs to get you in the mood.

Track listing

01 Christmas Time, Part 1 (Jimmy McCracklin 1966)
02 Merry Christmas, Baby (Charles Brown 1950)
03 Blues For Christmas (John Lee Hooker 1961)
04 I Wanna Spend Christmas With You (Part 2) (Lowell Fulson 1967)
05 Love For Christmas (Felix Gross 1950)
06 Santa (Lightnin' Hopkins 1966)
07 Christmas Tears (Freddy KIng 1961)
08 Christmas Eve Baby (Johnny Moore's Blazers with Johnny Ervin 1955)
09 Christmas Blues (Ralph Willis 1971)
10 Christmas (Chuck Berry 1970)
11 Merry Christmas Darling (Hop Wilson 1961)
12 Hello Santa Claus (Cecil Grant 1950)
13 Sonny Boy's Christmas Blues (Sonny Boy Williamson 1951)
14 Empty Stocking Blues (Floyd Dixon with Johnny Moore's Three Blazers 1950) 
15 Happy New Year (Lightnin' Hopkins 1953)

Soulseek hint   blues 2022

Have A Reggae Christmas 2021

Here's a great selection of reggae Christmas songs, with not a reggae-fied carol in sight. 

Track listing

01 All I Want For Ismas (Jacob Miller & Ray I 1978)
02 Christmas Stylee (Johnny Osborne 1984)
03 Christmas Jambree (Sugar Minott 1978)
04 Santa Claus Dub (The Aggrovators 1975)
05 Holy Christmas (The Cimarons 1971)
06 Santa Claus Never Comes To The Ghetto (Yellowman 1998)

07 Christmas Is Here (The Wailers 1964)
08 Happy Christmas (Toots & The Maytals 1972)
09 Christmas A Come (Eek A Mouse 1981)
10 Irie Christmas (Freddie McGregor 1980)
11 Ding Dong Bell (The Ethiopians 1969)
12 Christmas Time (Michael Powell 1983)
13 Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (Lee Perry 1986)

Have A Swinging Christmas 2020

We need some cheering up after one of the worst years we've ever lived through, so as an alternative to the usual Christmas songs that we're inundated with, here's a selection of Christmas tunes from my favourite jazz artists. I've tried to go for the less obvious song choices, so no 'Jingle Bells' or 'Silent Night', although I have topped and tailed it with two different approaches to 'White Christmas'. Even if you're not that much into jazz then do give it a try as you'll probably find a few tracks that will appeal, and you never know, it might turn you on to a new genre of music that you hadn't appreciated before. The artists that I've chosen are among my all-time favourite jazz musicians, and although I'd loved to have included something by Thelonious Monk, he never recorded a Christmas tune, although he did write a couple, so Benny Green's version of his 'Christmas Wonderland' is a fine replacement.

Merry Christmas  

Track listing

01 White Christmas - Charlie Parker Quintet 
02 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Duke Pearson
03 The Christmas Song - Dexter Gordon Quartet
04 Winter Wonderland - Bobby Timmons
05 We Free Kings - Roland Kirk
06 Snowfall - Ahmad Jamal
07 Blue Christmas - Miles Davis
08 Christmas Blues - Ramsey Lewis Trio
09 Christmas Wonderland (Monk) - Benny Green
10 Winter Wonderland - Chet Baker
11 Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bill Evans
12 Greensleeves - John Coltrane
13 Skating - Vince Guaraldi
14 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Jimmy Smith
15 White Christmas - Kenny Burrell

Solstice Tidings: An Alternative Christmas Album (2019)

If, like me, you've heard the same dozen Christmas songs over and over on the radio and in the shops over the past few weeks, then here's an album to take the edge off the festive period. They're still Christmas/Winter-themed songs, but by some of my favourite bands (most of them already have a post on the site), and the majority are in the alternative genre, with just a couple of more mainstream acts, but with songs that tend not to make it to the ubiquitous Christmas compilation albums. Low issued one of the best ever Christmas albums in 2010, and I was tempted to include the up-beat 'Just Like Christmas', but instead I went for a lesser-known song from it, although do check out the whole thing as it's a classic. Cheap Trick, Ramones, The Flaming Lips, Sparks and AC/DC give us a cynical or left-field viewpoint of the holiday, while the offerings from Squeeze, Smashing Pumpkins and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are surprisingly restrained. Galaxie 500's take on Yoko One's 'Listen, The Snow Is Falling' is simply breath-taking, and I've also included songs by two of my favourite current singer/songwriters, with  'Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)' from Laura Marling and 'Winter Song' from Billie Marten. I hope that this hour-long collection of little-heard Christmas songs adds some joy to your holiday. 

Track listing

01 Christmas Christmas - Cheap Trick
02 A Christmas Song - Jethro Tull
03 Christmas Was Better In The 80's - The Futureheads
04 Listen, The Snow Is Falling - Galaxie 500
05 Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) - Ramones
06 Christmas Time - The Smashing Pumpkins
07 If You Were Born Today (Song For Little Baby Jesus) - Low
08 All I Want For Christmas - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
09 Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
10 Winter Song - Billie Marten
11 Christmas At The Zoo - The Flaming Lips
12 Father Christmas - The Kinks
13 Home For Christmas - Kate Bush
14 Thank God It's Not Christmas - Sparks
15 Christmas Day - Squeeze
16 (We Wish You) A Protein Christmas - The Fall
17 There Ain't No Santa Claus On The Evening Stage - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
18 Mistress For Christmas - AC/DC
19 Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling