IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

Electric Jungle: Funky Funky Christmas
From In The Christmas Groove (Strut, 2009)

It's that time of the year again where we get to hear yuletide songs everywhere. Where I live there's a radio station that gets flipped every year (starting in late October/early November) to play only Christmas music. It can take its toll on your nerves as you hear standard after standard or (bad) cover after (bad) cover.

Don't get me wrong, Christmas music can be great, but it has about a one week shelf life year in and year out. The one exception for me is Donny Hathaway's “This Christmas,” which I could listen to on a hot July day (and have).

So if you need some new (or new to you) Christmas tunes to listen to, Strut has just released a great compilation that gathers some odds and ends from mostly unknowns, aside from Jimmy Reed and the Harvey Averne Band. Songs range from Reed's soul-blues “Christmas Present Blues” (wow, what a harmonica!!) to a sleigh bell-infused instrumental jam in Milly & Silly's “Gettin Down For Xmas” to an almost melancholy “Black Christmas” by the Harlem Children's Choir.

Electric Jungle takes you on a “Funky Funky Christmas” journey – not to be confused with this. Instead, they jam like they've OD'd on egg nog and are hyper from eating the plate of cookies left for Santa.

These are the kind of gifts you hope for as a stocking stuffer. Speaking of which, Daptone has a new 45 out of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings on the A-Side with Binky Griptite spitting a holiday message on the flip that you can either 1) buy, 2) get free with the purchase of $30 from their online store, or 3) get a free digital copy of just by signing up for their online newsletter. You can preview the A-side here.

Now that's some Christmas spirit!

BATTLE STUDIES: MAKING IT THROUGH LOVE LOST SCARRED BUT BETTER OFF BECAUSE OF IT

John Mayer: Perfectly Lonely
From Battle Studies, (Columbia, 2009)

The first thing to know about this album is that it's not “Continuum Pt. 2.” That album, one of the finest albums of the '00s, was critically praised and won numerous awards in its marriage of pop and blues and crafty songwriting.

“Battle Studies,” which you can still listen to in full at Rhapsody, is more pop than its predecessor. Pop over the last ten to fifteen years has become a bit of a dirty word to music connoisseurs. It's part Fleetwood Mac, especially in the Taylor Swift-assisted “Half Of My Heart,” a song in which Mayer has openly admitted he was looking for the Stevie Nicks to his Tom Petty, in part a reference to his “Free Fallin'” cover from last year's “Where The Light Is” CD/DVD. It's part blues on the Robert Johnson-cum-Eric Clapton cover of “Crossroads” that features a blistering guitar jones, more akin to the Clapton version than the '30s version that Johnson laid down. The album also has shades of '70s rock in “Perfectly Lonely.”

From the stripped sounds of “Who Says”, there's an inherent maturity that continues in his work. The lyrics, while upon first listen may feel a bit immature – especially with the stoned reference, offer a deep but simplistic view into the mind of a man still trying to find himself and where he fits in. The music behind it fits perfectly with an almost folk, or at the very least a lite rock, offering. That mood is continued on the sparse, but effective, iTunes-only bonus track, a cover of Bruce Springsteen's “I'm On Fire.”

Upon first listen I thought it was a step backwards artistically until I realized that my expectations of what it should be versus what it is were ruining the experience. Throughout there are nuances of understated musicianship where less is more and buried deeper in the mix is better than in your face. The album shows that you don't always have to follow the same route to get where you're going. Instead, taking a detour can be a way to meet new friends and find new experiences to write about. You'll still get to your destination, but a change in scenery can make the trip far more enjoyable.

BLACK (JOE LEWIS) 'N' BLUES

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears: Bitch, I Love You
From Tell Em What Your Name Is (Lost Highway, 2009)

The anti-love song of the year. The song you won't be seeing quoted on a Valentine's Day card any time in the future. Call it what you will, but they called it, “Bitch, I Love You.” The track is actually a remake from Lewis' independent self-titled offering from 2007 and isn't on their debut album, “Tell 'Em What Your Name Is” from Lost Highway. You can get it on the pre-album self-titled EP release from numerous digital distributors as well as on wax.

With a vocal delivery reminiscent of Mick Jagger, Lewis delivers a seething performance threatening his significant other with profanity and bodily harm with its Blowfly-like raunchiness of cursing rants not often found in traditional recorded blues music. If it wasn't for its tongue-in-cheek nature and the fantastic backing track by The Honeybears, you would almost feel compelled to call your local law enforcement office.