A Reggae Christmas, various artists (Ras)

From 1988, this is a fairly straightforward grouping of artists from the Ras label doing Christmas songs. It's all classics and no originals, but there are a few imaginative takes on things. Eek-A-Mouse's "The Night Before Christmas," for example, uses the melody of "We Three Kings" to tell the popular story, and Peter Broggs deconstructs "Twelve Days of Christmas" into something a little more appropriate to the Jamaican worldview, complete with "roots and seeds." "Drummer Boy" is turned into a toasting vehicle by Michigan and Smiley, and all the artists on the record combine for the opener "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," contributing original lyrics to the familiar song. Freddie McGregor does an interesting take of "Feliz Navidad," although his "Come All Ye Faithful," along with "Jingle Bells" by Don Carlos and Glenice Spenser and "Joy to the World" by June Lodge, all have that "hypnotic" beat thing going, which can make them seem to drag. A short album, but not without its highlights.