Best of Ichiban Blues at Christmas, various artists (Ichiban)

Atlanta's Ichiban label has specialized in modern blues acts for years, and there were, I believe, four complete Christmas collections by the label. In 2002, this single compilation culled songs from the original four to create a best-of collection. Near as I can tell, these performances span the early to mid '90s. Francine Reed, a frequent Lyle Lovett collaborator, kicks off with a shuffle version of "Go Tell It On the Mountain," Blues Boy Willie does his own "Christmas Pretty Baby" boogie; "I Wanna Be Your Santa Claus" by Jerry McCain is a stop-start blues in the style of "Framed"; McCain returns later with "Absent Minded Santa," then joins with Gary B.B. Coleman at the end of the album with the slow blues "Sad, Sad Christmas." Other notable cuts are Drink Small's "Christmas, Don't Forget About Me," Little Johnny Taylor's "Christmas Is Here Again" and "Santa Claus Got the Blues" by Travis Haddix. I've heard the original albums are out of print, but they still come up in an Amazon search. UPDATE: Amazon now has all the four original Ichiban Christmas collections for download. Click on the album cover to hook up.