Saving us from the annual torture session of tired classics rehashed for the holiday season, the masterful musicians of the King Street family have constructed the absolutely essential Christmas in the House. Aside from two superior instrumental tracks (Eric Kupper's conga-filled bossa nova take of "Silent Night" and Jihad Muhammad's samba jam session "It's Holiday Time"), the set is full of new vocal songs written to capture the spirit of the holiday season.
Why can't the mall shops play groovy jams like "It's Christmas" by the Ananda Project featuring Heather Johnson? I know that I would be more likely to spend money shuffling to these soulful grooves and multidimensional vocals. Maybe I have heard "Poor People" too many times - but imagine Monique Bingham writing an uplifting Earth, Wind & Fire-flavored holiday followup and you got the idea of "December," a club-ready jam she did with Frankie Feliciano. I can also close my eyes and imagine myself on the dancefloor grooving to Joi Cardwell's soulful "One Wish," which would mix perfectly in. Other favorites are the the uplifting spiritual testimonial of Kenny Bobien's "Let Us Adore Him" and the bouncey dancefloor calling groove of "Our First Christmas" by DJ Spen & The MuthaFunkaz.
Househeads and lovers of soulful grooves should go directly to the King Street Website and but this digital only CD release. Sample the tracks and you will have new standards for the holiday traditions.
