A Soul Christmas (Part 2)

Sorry for the delay, better late than never... - Editor

Welcome back to your Soul Christmas education.

For those who missed the previous blog, we’re exploring some of the best (and/or) standout Christmas songs of African-American culture. Why? Because White Christmas gets old.

In Part one, we introduced you to some 70s and 80s Christmas classics – like the James Brown’s plea to Santa for little boys and girls in the ghetto, or the Temptations otherworldly cover of Silent Night, to the perennial classic This Christmas by the legendary Donnie Hathaway.

Now, we venture into the 1990s – the era where R&B began to rely almost exclusively on computerized drum machines, and the music itself became less important than how well it was executed.

Now, to some this may sound like a horrible thing. However, if there is any group who found a way to surmount every stigma of this (and subsequently break album sales and radio play records held by Elvis and The Beatles) is Boyz II Men.


By 1993, they had already conquered the R&B charts decisively with their first studio album, Cooleyhighharmony. They were but one year and an album release away from their record breaking album, II, which featured songs that just about every race can sing to (just try not dry-humping random objects while singing "I’ll Make Love To You")

In between these two landmark albums, they released Christmas Interpretations – an album of mostly original songs, and a few covers. Its most notable track, and what you might call a ‘new classic’ to R&B/Soul Christmas is Let It Snow, featuring Brian McKnight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKAaB9JHn84&feature=PlayList&p=89724954FC15ADD8&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=51


Although they were only label mates on Motown Records, McKnight enters the song like the 5th member of the group, harmonizing perfectly, and yet making his voice as unique and distinctive as ever.

"Let It Snow" is also an example of R&B styles and tastes changing – by the early 90s, the aesthetic became ‘vocal acrobatics’, holding and prolonging notes, sometimes fluctuating within the held note, to display virtuosity. There are few examples available of anyone doing this better than Brian McKnight or Boyz II Men.


Finally, we come to a cover of, what may be, the perennial Christmas standard, with a bluesy, jazzy remix. The song that can never be exactly covered, was nigh perfectly covered.

In 2001, Toni Braxton followed up her latest hit album with a Christmas album, her fourth overall. Snowflakes (produced by legendary R&B producers Babyface, ‘L.A.’ Reid, and Keri Lewis) took a softer, slower approach.

Her cover of The Christmas Song, originally sung by the inimitable Nat King Cole, did exactly what it should – not try to imitate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5RU9ZVA4sE


Instead, with both the soft feel of both a quiet, wintry jazz club, and an evening at home in front of the fire, Braxton’s cover lures you in with gentle humming and a warm piano intro. From there, Braxton makes great use of her beautiful voice and range. At moments, she makes it seem like a sultry torch song, and then returns to the ‘cool breeze and wine’ sound.


The combination makes this version of "The Christmas Song" a unique entity among covers – it does not surpass, equal, or imitate Cole’s enduring brilliance, but instead, makes it its own. For that, it qualifies as one of the more popular, newer Christmas songs out there, and a staple at Christmas time.

We here at Underwhelmed by Life hope everyone is having a merry Christmas and maybe with a little bit of our help, your Christmas playlist might be a little be different next year.

- Marshall Hopkins

A Soul Christmas (Part 1)

It's the holidays people! It's in the frost-bitten air! So we're going to take a breather from calling out assholes to do some holiday programming. The following is an article written by my brother from another mother, Marshall. Enjoy your education on a Soul Christmas!

We’ve once again reached the time of year when our thoughts turn to The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. Umoja, Kujichagulia…

What’s that, Dear Reader? You consider yourself to be an enlightened and informed Liberal, or at least someone sensitive to other cultures, that you don’t know the first damned thing about how Black people spend or celebrate Christmas?

Allow me to inform you, as best I can. This may come in handy.

The first thing to understand is that, while we listen to the classics, African-American parents do have a misgiving about letting their children listen to ‘White Christmas’ as sung by Bing Crosby. You may also not have known that scores of Black artists not named Nat King Cole performed covers of classics, and composed original and enduring Christmas songs.

Hooray, I'm white folks approved!

I can’t speak for the experiences of African-Americans everywhere, mind you. I can only speak to mine, growing up in 5^th Ward Houston, TX with two parents who made sure I had everything I needed, and some of what I wanted.

We lived in a small shotgun house warmed by a network of space heaters. The kitchen door was always covered with a sheet to keep the draft out. Only on Christmas eve did we leave the tree lit all night. One by one, throughout the night, we kind of each have our moment staring at it alone. Marveling at how we can marvel at so simple, yet common a thing.

The Temptations cover of silent night was the soundtrack to that moment every year. As it begins, its executed as your standard R&B song. Once the preamble ceases, these guys take it back to church. With a vocal harmony unmatched by pretenders, The Temptations, and particularly, Dennis Edwards and Otis Williams, bring an almost ethereal feel to it. For a song we’ve all heard before, this exemplifies just what a great artist can do with a perennial classic, some production, and some soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvll9QoAm58

Most Christmas songs by well known Black musicians are covers of standards and classics with a little soul in them. However, when your lead is a composer and songwriter as well as having had your first two LPs become hits, you can throw in a little originality. Donny Hathaway began his career as a songwriter, session musician and producer for Twinight Records. 1970 saw the release of one of his most popular and enduring songs – This Christmas. Full of tiding and general good cheer to all, it’s the sort of song to put you in the mood for dealing with your extended family.

You’ve heard This Christmas probably in many other mediums and forms. It can be found on any R&B station in almost any city. It’s been featured in motion pictures, and is as much a holiday staple in Black households as White Christmas as sung by Bing Crosby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0SwaSv76_w

As aforementioned, most popular African-American Christmas songs are covers. Alexander O’Neal, like Donny Hathaway, eschewed that.

Drug-addled Christmas Joy

The only difference is that Alexander O’Neal (under circumstances that may have involved –ahem-heavily controlled substances) also eschewed good taste for a manic, late 80s R&B romp.

Sleigh Ride, from O’Neal’s 1988 album, ‘My Gift To You’ feels less like a delightful, snowy ride, and more like an insane drive in a red corvette with its top down in mid-December, driven by a drug addict, and bound to careen off the side of the bridge into frigid waters, just as you hear the semi-psychotic “sound of jingle bells.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM7L8nOfTTU

The contrast to that is a nice, late 80s slow-jam, the title track My Gift To You. In this, O’Neal draws parallels to other 80s R&B kings such as Luther Vandross and Freddie Jackson, while also offering decent production values. A simple, yet well put together song, is just as good as an equally simple gift.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzb5ASDn1WU

In 1968, James Brown was officially, categorically, Soul Brother #1. Living in our post-‘Living in America’ world, that may not seem like much. There was a time when James Brown was one of the few, if not the only, major artist who had songs that mentioned, referenced, or specifically spoke of life in the ghetto’s and inner cities of America.

He knows the ghetto needs Santa more than anybody

I remember one year being afraid Santa wouldn't come because I realized that we didn't have a fireplace. My parents assured me he could get in through the window, and hell no they weren't going to leave one open in the ghetto in Dec.

The song that made me think of it, years after its release in ’68, was Brown’s gloriously named, ‘Santa Claus Go Straight To the Ghetto.’ The title alone is enough to make you want to listen. Of course, you may think that you’re in for a lecturing diatribe on domestic racial and socio-economic politics.

What you get is a song that’s all about the happiness of a child seeing Santa, asking him for presents, and hoping with all of the hope in the world, which can be boundless for a child, that it actually comes. There’s a light in the eyes, an energy, a joy that can’t be quantified by the plastic and wires they’re actually getting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcEXEyrJIR8

This is just part 1 of 2!

YES, That’s right – there are more Christmas songs than you’re used to!

Part two incorporates more of the 80s and 90s, including everyone’s favorite Boyz, and a cover of a classic that couldn’t be covered.

Happy Holidays!

- Marshall Hopkins

Back to Defend My Defining Band

Okay, so it's been a while. Turkey Day and shopping bonanza and all has slowed me down. But I've been ruminating on this article since it was first sent to me by LT, because Lord knows I don't pay Spin any attention. They became irrelevant around the turn of the century. When focused turned to the internet, myspace, unheard of bands and the like, they were still up on Limp Bizkit and all the other Nu-Metal stuff. Sure they had White Stripes on the cover for the release of Elephant, but it was a given at that point almost. But I'm straying from this insipid article:

http://www.spin.com/articles/myth-no-1-radiohead-can-do-no-wrong

I felt the need to tackle this since they are one of my favorite bands of all time and were a huge influence on my musical taste and step away from guitar solo 80s madness and look towards music that had more meaning behind its words and sounds other than partying.

Just by reading the name of the link up there you get the idea. They're attacking Radiohead, which at this point in their careers is sort of like that guy who says he hates the Beatles. Whether he means it or not, we all know he's saying it to get attention, because they are so beloved and he knows full well it will get a strong reaction. Let's see how they begin their treatise:

"REALITY: Radiohead kinda blow."

Wow, am I reading a 13 year old's myspace blog or a once-reputable magazine's website? One wouldn't know from this introduction. Let's see what other cold hard facts they have to support this statement.

"So we sit, wearing headphones and frozen grins, and continue denying that guilty, nagging feeling that actually, in some ways, when you think about it…Radiohead kinda blow."

Um, okay, you already said that, tell me why you think this is the case, because I think that nagging feeling is just gas and you're projecting sir.

"Few, save for Liam or Noel Gallagher, dare speak this heresy aloud, instead couching it in longings for a "back-to-basics" album or a 'return to form' "

Or maybe he is just ignorant and looking to stir up shit for attention? They like to do that you know. And what is this "return to form" people speak of? What two albums (not counting Kid A and Amensiac since they were the same sessions) even sound alike? Which is the "form" they need to return to? They've always changed and progressed and experimented. Some want their guitar rock or big sing along hooks. They've been there and done that. Maybe you'd be better off looking to Coldplay for your pop fix? Can you blame a band for changing? If you don't change then you risk becoming the AC/DC rut, and they're about the only ones that have pulled that off so...

"Then they kept going, one groovy tone poem into another...paralyzing boredom. By the encore, it was obvious what Radiohead had become: an exceptionally well-dressed jam band. That you can't even dance to."

I've never been to a Radiohead show where people weren't dancing or flailing the best us white folks know how. Oh no, they've used electronics in places instead of guitars! That makes it a tone poem? So are Aphex Twin instrumental, boring tone poems? Go listen to Motley Crue you electronics hater. And as for the jam band comparison, that's just baffling. I've never seen (been to 3 concerts) or heard (listened to countless live bootlegs) songs go past around the 6 minute mark. They may stretch out the end of a song sometimes, but there's no 15 minute flute solos or spacey guitar noodling. If you spent less time looking at their clothes and listening to Phish bootlegs, maybe you'd know that.

"'I think, 'What would my life be like without the Beatles?' Bono once said, worryingly, about Radiohead's post–Kid A output. "If the Beatles had just kept going on experimenting after Sgt. Pepper's?" And so they kept making pleasing beat reveries, enjoying continued success with fans, and receding ever further from the larger culture."

Put your boots on and keep walking, buddy.

Well your first problem is taking the opinion of Bono, who's band has its own set of problems. But at least Radiohead never said that fans didn't understand their albums and maybe it was too deep like Bono did in reaction to poor critical and mass reaction to No Line on the Horizon. And I'm sure the Beatles would have kept making hit songs and being well loved even if they kept on experimenting. And by receding from culture you mean not being on the cover of every pop magazine? Not being guest judges on American Idol? Because they've been activists for various causes, including global warming and trying to lessen their own carbon footprint while doing world tours. But I guess it doesn't count since nobody has any upskirt pics of Thom, Ed didn't punch a photographer, and Johnny wasn't on Dancing with the Stars? They even tried to release music differently, but you didn't like that, did you Mr. Needs More Guitar Cynic?

"But in 2007, they dominated headlines by self-releasing In Rainbows online on a pay-what-you-want basis..Even so, Yorke promised yet another paradigm shift, telling an interviewer this summer he had no interest in making proper albums would abandon this hoary format and lead us into the free-floating digital world. Until guitarist Ed O'Brien let slip soon after that they are indeed working on an album."

Maybe this Thom Yorke would duet with Taylor Swift and do big guitar solos?

Thom Yorke is known for being precocious at best, so why would it surprise you that his personal feelings wouldn't exactly match that of the rest of the band? It's always best to wait and see how things pan out instead of giving knee-jerk reactions to one sound byte.

"As special as it gets. If only they'd settle for good."

Good is in the ear of the listener pal. And there are plenty of people that think they still release good music. In Rainbows was the best album since Kid A, and I really don't count the stuff that's come out this year, because one was a one-off for charity and the other was a studio noodling that they released for free. And you never really told me why they blow. You basically just said that you don't like their music anymore, which is your personal opinion. Nothing groundbreaking or scandalous. It's not like their are wife beaters like Creed or stomp on puppies so why do they blow other than you just wanting guitar-oriented pop songs? Wait, there is nothing else, oops. But I guess you just wanted to get people like me fired up, didn't you? Well mission accomplished.

But if all of my evidence of this guy being an attention-grabbing whiner isn't enough, look at the linked article about Lady GaGa, which states hers is one of the best albums of the year. Can I get a disqualification of opinion here or what?

Maybe I should say things to get attention for this website, like this fact:

I've never seen Titanic.

Discuss amongst yourselves.