CD Review: Various Artists - A Kool Kat Kristmas
This 2010 compilation from Kool Kat Musik gathers a number of the label’s artists for a holiday party to honor the late Susan Giblin, a veterinary technician and avid animal rights advocate. A portion from the proceeds will benefit the Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare.
“Christmas Time In The City” by Maple Mars depicts a California-based musician looking forward to a holiday reunion with a loved one in his old home state of Connecticut. It’s a mid-tempo track with a fetching melody, but the big guitar-driven production definitely qualifies this as power pop, ala The Smithereens. Parallax Project also goes the high energy route with its love song “All I Want For Christmas (Is A Chance)” while The Smith Brothers and William Duke try a lighter but still catchy approach on “Every Day Is Like Christmas” and “Say Hello To Christmas,” respectively.
On Keith LuBrant’s “The Christmas Spirit,” a frantic arrangement underscores his advice to take the time to appreciate the season no matter how hectic things get. The fast and funny “The Christmas Gifts” is delivered from the viewpoint of kid ransacking the house in search of his presents a good month before the big day arrives. The Sun Kings’ easy-going “Santa’s Calling” has an Abbey Road vibe, and on “Christmas Is Fun,” Frank Royster weaves a tapestry of chimes, keyboards, and layered vocals. The Britannicas’ “Chris Hillman Christmas” should delight fans of The Byrds as it salutes the band’s guitarist with a Country & Western arrangement brimming with ringing guitars, close-knit harmonies, and a few inside jokes.
John Wicks creates a prog-rock hymn with sacred imagery and keyboards on his ornate ballad “Star Of Bethlehem.” The Goldbergs have fun on the catchy “Channukah Guy” but there’s also an underlying religious tone as the title character enjoys the traditions and giving spirit of Christmas while still observing his own Jewish faith. Kool Kat Kristmas offers good vibes and plenty of hooks while raising funds for a worthwhile cause.
A Kool Kat Kristmas (Kool Kat)
For folks who prefer their holiday music a bit more on the rockin' side, "A Kool Kat Kristmas" might be just what they are looking for.
Featuring 11 artists from the Kool Kat music label, the music on "A Kool Kat Kristmas" will appeal to folks who enjoy the sounds of retro-rock and power pop, and bands such as The Beatles, Big Star, Fountains of Wayne and Matthew Sweet.
Maple Mars kicks things off with "Christmas Time in the City," which sounds as if it could have been written by the late Alex Chilton.
The Smith Brothers' "Every Day is Like Christmas" has a Beatlesque feel to it, as do other tracks such as the Sun Kings' "Santa's Calling" and The Goldbergs' "Channukah Guy."
Charleston's own Frank Royster turns in another song, "Christmas is Fun," that would make the Fab Four proud.
Other tracks channel other music acts, including The Kinks (Strands' "The Christmas Gifts"), The Ramones (Keith LuBrant's "The Christmas Spirit") as well as musical styles ranging from '80s synth pop (John Wicks' "Star of Bethlehem") to twangy Americana (The Britannicas' hilarious "Chris Hillman Christmas").
If you're looking for something a little different after hearing "Here Comes Santa Claus" one too many times, then this will bring some welcome variety to your holiday listening.
Key Tracks: "Christmas is Fun," "Christmas Time in the City," "Santa's Calling."
Kool Kat is a way-cool power pop label out of New Jersey, and label head Ray Gianchetti has assembled many of the artists on the label’s roster to contribute to this 11-track disc that is sure to get any self-respecting power pop fan in the holiday mood. All the cuts are original compositions, and each and every one is very good or better, with the best song on the collection leading things off – Maple Mars’ “Christmas Time in the City.” Over a sea of guitars that simultaneously ring, crunch and chime, Rick Hromadka plaintively spins a holiday tale of Christmas in California, set to an absolutely unforgettable melody with superb backing vocals. One of the finest songs I’ve heard this year in any genre, to be sure.
Elsewhere, the listener is treated to jangly treats such as The Smith Brothers’ “Every Day is Like Christmas” and the Goldbergs’ cheeky “Channukah Guy,” as well as Parallax Project’s propulsive, snappy “All I Want for Christmas (is a Chance),” the Britannicas’ country-fried “Chris Hillman Christmas” (complete with the touching holiday message, “I’d rather go back to jail if I have to see the Eagles reform again”) and William Duke’s wonderful, Matthew Sweet-like ballad, “Say Hello to Christmas.”
There are also a couple of punky pop winners in Keith LuBrant’s “The Christmas Spirit” and The Strand’s reckless “The Christmas Gifts,” along with John Wicks’ shimmering, synth-driven “Star of Bethlehem” and solid efforts from The Sun Kings and Frank Royster. It all adds up to a near-perfect collection, and one that also aids a great cause: a portion of the proceeds from the sales of A Kool Kat Kristmas will benefit the Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare, which was formed to honor the memory and continue the good work of Susan Giblin, a noted animal advocate (and wife of Parallax Project’s Mike Giblin) who sadly passed away from leukemia at the age of 46. Great music and an even better cause = a CD not to miss. This one will most definitely rank very high in my year-end top 10. (Available from www.koolkatmusik.com)
Various Artists "A Kool Kat Kristmas"
Wow! A real gift this season is this album full of great original power pop compositions with a Christmas theme. Maple Mars "Christmas Time In The City" has California-styled harmonies and brilliant melodies. The Smith Brothers give us "Every Day Is Like Christmas" with requisite hand claps in the catchy chorus. The Parallax Project gives us a tender rockin' "All I Want For Christmas Is A Chance."And I love the Britannicas hilarious "Chris Hillman Christmas" full of country twang and side-splitting lyrics ("I'd rather go to jail than see The Eagles re-form again"). Andy Goldberg does great double-duty with The Sun Kings "Santa's Calling" and the positively wonderful "Channukah Guy." Every artist puts forth a good track, so there's no filler or coal to be found in this stocking. You should get this CD for another reason: $5 of every purchase will be donated to The Susan Giblin Foundation, named for the late wife of Mike Giblin (Parallax Project) who's goal was to support animal wellness and welfare. Get this excellent compilation and an angel gets it's wings too (really!)
A more fascinating and unusual holiday compilation from UK label Fantastic Voyage is Mark Lamarr’s Rhythm & Blues Christmas. Spanning 25 tracks, this collection brings together holday-themed tracks that lean toward the rare and obscure (or at least unjustly forgotten) end of the musical spectrum. There are some well-known names here, including The Moonglows, Lionel Hampton, Lightnin’ Hopkins and Jimmy Witherspoon, but for the most part these aren’t songs that have been played to death every December.
In fact for the most part the songs on Rhythm & Blues Christmas transcend the holidays. While the lyrical subject matter on a track like Joe Turner’s “Christmas Date Boogie” is seasonal, the theme and delivery are timeless. So is the case throughout the disc. These are not sleigh-bell heavy arrangements; the songs are largely free of seasonal musical clichés. It’s merely a great collection of fantastic music from Mark Lamarr’s personal stash.
The sound quality is a notch above what one often finds in collections such as these (audio masters aren’t always readily available, leading compilers to resort to careful needle-drops). For fans of 50s R&B — whether you dig holiday music at all, even a little bit — this one is essential. Be sure to dig Lightnin’ Hopkins’ “Happy New Year.”
When the label Kool Kat Musik is involved, you know you’re going to be served up a healthy helping of powerpop. In the case of A Kool Kat Kristmas, the label collects eleven holiday-themed tracks from modern-day genre artists. No modern adaptations of holday classics here: all these cuts are original numbers.
The disc wisely kicks off with “Christmas Time in the City,” a winning track from Maple Mars — a group that can always be counted upon to deliver the goods. Powerpop lovers, don’t be surprised if you’re still pinning this song next summer. But Maple Mars have plenty of competition for best song on the disc: one can only assume that Kool Kat had a surfeit of great material from which to choose, because there are no duds on this set. For fast rockers there’s Keith LuBrant’s “The Christmas Spirit.” For C&W-tined flavor there’s the aptly-named “Chris Hillman Christmas” from the Britannicas. That song threatens to go religious with the lyric “I’d rather listen to Jesus than to Wilco,” but redeems itself with the resolving line, “I’d rather go to jail than see the Eagles re-form again.” Me too, guys. John Wicks (late of 80s shoulda-been-huge act The Records) gives a synth-heavy “Star of Bethlehem, and Frank Royster brings his brand of Merseybeat to bear on the catchy, infectious “Christmas is Fun.” It’s all good, and — like the R&B collection mentioned above — should hold up well for listens throughout the year.
A portion of the proceeds from A Kool Kat Kristmas go toward the Susan Giblin Foundation for Animal Wellness and Welfare. Giblin was (the liner notes tell us) “a Certified Veterinary Technician and noted animal advocate who passed away from leukemia at the age of 46.” The title is available exclusively from Kool Kat Musik.
Happy Holidays!
