No question about it, a lot of folks are going to have the blues this Christmas. Unable to be with family and friends because of the pandemic, people are going to be lonely and down. So why not listen to some Christmas blues to help keep you company? A Gulf Coast Christmas is a collection of holiday-themed blues songs by artists like Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia and The Proven Ones, and the tracks are a mix of covers and original material.
The album opens with a good, raw dose of blues rock in Mike Zito’s “All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues.” This one tells a classic blues story, that of a man whose woman has left him. But it is particularly cold to leave someone during the holidays, and that is what this woman has done. Christmas is supposed to be the time for giving, but here she has taken everything. “Only thing I got left is poor little ol’ me/You picked a fine time, baby, to give me the sad, sad news/Yeah, you got you another man/All I got for Christmas is the blues.” And is her new man Santa Claus himself? This track has a good, solid groove, and features some nice work on both keys and guitar. I particularly like that jam in the middle. And I couldn’t help but laugh at the line “Yeah, you are out running around like Santa’s new ho ho.” That’s followed by Albert Castiglia’s cover of “Somebody Stole My Christmas,” which was the title track to Lefty Dizz’s 1979 album. This is such a cool song about being lonely during the holiday, and Albert Castiglia does a really good job with it. “It’s the 25th of December/I’m as lonesome as a man can me/You know it’s Christmas all over the world/But it’s just another day for me.” This track also features a good jam, led by that great and expressive work on guitar.
A theme is certainly developing on this album, that of men who, for one reason or another, are missing their women on Christmas. Kevin Burt gives us “Please Mr. Santa Claus,” in which he sings “Mr. Santa Claus, there’s just one wish for me/Please, Mr. Santa Claus, bring my baby back home to me.” For me, those lines conjure a strange image of Santa Claus kidnaping a woman, wrapping her up and leaving her under this guy’s tree. This track has a fun groove, and some delicious work on harmonica, and a somewhat playful vocal approach. The album’s theme then changes a bit with Billy Price’s “Christmas Comes But Once A Year,” in which the man is going leave the woman. This one begins with a spoken word section, in which he says he has made a decision to leave his partner after she’s done him wrong. “All this jive you’ve been putting down/I’m just going to let you do it with somebody else/I’m going to move on.” There is yet more good work on guitar on this track. That’s followed by The Proven Ones’ rendition of “Blue Christmas.” This is probably the most rocking rendition of this song I’ve heard. No wallowing in misery for these guys. No way. Instead, they are going to rock those blues right out the door.
Jimmy Carpenter gives us a lively, joyous cover of Clarence Carter’s “Back Door Santa,” a song about a man who brags about delivering his goods to married women, a different sort of holiday song. There is nothing subtle in the lines “I ain’t like old Saint Nick/He don’t come but once a year.” Then we finally get a woman’s perspective with Kat Riggins’ excellent “It Ain’t Christmas,” one of my personal favorites from this disc. This is a sexy track. “I know I should be happy/Because the season is here/I can’t see happiness/Through my tears/It just ain’t Christmas/If I can’t be with you/It ain’t Christmas/Without somebody singing the blues.” In addition to that moving and powerful vocal performance, this track features a good jam with exciting leads on guitar and organ. That’s followed by a version of “Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’” by Tony Campanella. This one was released as a single by Albert King back in the mid-1970s, and here Tony Campanella does a good job with it. There is something kind of sweet about this song, about trying to steal a romantic moment on Christmas Eve while the kids are asleep.
One of my favorite Christmas songs is “Merry Christmas Baby,” and on this disc, that classic is done by John Blues Boyd, Lisa Andersen and Kid Andersen. It begins with a spoken word introduction from Lisa Andersen, and then is performed as a duet. I dig that work on piano, as well as that bass line. This is a good rendition. It’s followed by Diana Rein’s “Ring The Bells,” a cheerful tune, with a pop flavor, particularly on the chorus. “We’ve got a box of decorations for the Christmas tree/We’ve got some cookies in the oven if you need a treat.” Then Mark May and Miss Molly give us “The Bluest Christmas,” a fun song about being lonely on Christmas, delivered as a duet. It is that lead on guitar during that instrumental section that really stands out. Will this be the bluest Christmas? I fear that for many people, it will. That’s followed by “Who Da Baby Daddy?” by LeRoux. Despite that completely obnoxious title, this song is totally enjoyable, and the title is something of a joke anyway, as the song is about Joseph asking Mary just who it was that got her pregnant. “But she told Joe the story/He just shook his head/He said, hell Mary, mother of god/I think we’ve both been had.” It is a funny recounting of the Jesus myth. This is a live track. Then the funky “Christmas Is Cancelled” by Tom Atlas (not to be confused with the Long Blondes song of the same name) touches upon that same subject in the lines “Who’s the baby’s father/That’s what they’ll say/Don’t look like Joseph/That angel’s gotta pay.”
Odds Lane delivers a good version of “Santa Claus Is Back In Town,” a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and originally recorded by Elvis Presley. This is a heavier take on the tune, with more of an edge, heard in lines like “You’ve been a real good little girl.” That’s followed by a cover of Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home For Christmas” by Sayer And Joyce. This is a passionate rendition. The album then concludes with Mike Zito’s cover of “Run Rudolph Run.” Yes, Mike Zito gets to both open and close this collection. Last year Mike Zito And Friends released Rock ‘n’ Roll: A Tribute To Chuck Berry, but did not include this song on it. So now Mike has a chance to show us what he can do with this one. And, yeah, it has a ton of energy, a track to keep you rocking throughout the holiday.
CD Track List
- All I Got For Christmas Is The Blues – Mike Zito
- Somebody Stole My Christmas – Albert Castiglia
- Please Mr. Santa Claus – Kevin Burt
- Christmas Comes But Once A Year – Billy Price
- Blue Christmas – The Proven Ones
- Back Door Santa – Jimmy Carpenter
- It Ain’t Christmas – Kat Riggins
- Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’ – Tony Campanella
- Merry Christmas Baby – John Blues Boyd/Kid and Lisa Andersen
- Ring The Bells – Diana Rein
- The Bluest Christmas – Mark May And Miss Molly
- Who Da Baby Daddy? – LeRoux
- Christmas Is Cancelled – Tom Atlas
- Santa Claus Is Back In Town – Odds Lane
- Please Come Home For Christmas – Sayer And Joyce
- Run Rudolph Run – Mike Zito
A Gulf Coast Christmas was released on November 13, 2020 on Gulf Coast Records.
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