A Def Soul Christmas

I'm glad that Def Soul Classics has stepped up and tried to present some new takes on classic Christmas music. Bringing in heavyweights like The Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley (which I never get - is there a legit Isley Brothers unit that does NOT feature Ron Isley?) and Miss Patti LaBelle (with both discs being executive produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis), you are definitely sure to get some quality R&B and Soul music, as well as two beautiful voices to help bring you right into that Christmas spirit. I got both of these discs, and figured I'd back-to-back them in the player, and get a proper experience with both. First up: the Isleys.

I'll Be Home For Christmas was the one disc I was kind of iffy on. I grew up listening to the Isley Brothers through my mother, and grew up on tracks like "Between The Sheets", "Caravan of Love", "Harvest for the World" and a host of other classics. I didn't think that Mr. Big could pull off some of these tracks - and I was sadly mistaken. The disc starts out with a jazzy take on "Winter Wonderland", with a pretty hip flute solo in the middle. Ron's voice is as great as ever, and you can hear his timeless adlibs creeping in, but staying true to the original's flavor. Their "Isley Christmas Medley" is a thing of beauty, and clockin' in at almost 6 minutes, the seductive guitar strumming makes you get into that zone that some of their other slower cuts bring you to (notably, the bedroom). Their take on "White Christmas" is a bit unexpected, bringing some "dreamin' dreamin' dreamin'" vocal randomly to the intro, and stepping this classic up a bit. The added treats are the two NEW compositions on this disc: "I'm In Love" isn't very Christmas-y, but sounds like the perfect track to put on when you have your engagement ring from Kay, and are proposing to that special someone underneath the Christmas tree. The true gem is "What Can I Buy?", which has Ron speaking to his lady friend, the one who has everything, trying to figure out what she wants, exactly. It's got that cool Isley feel, very modern funk style, and some nice lines ("girl I'll spend it all if I could buy you"), as well as Ernie Isley's distinctive guitar wailing. All in all, this is a tight disc: you get some updated classics, as well as some tracks that stick right to how the originals sound. Ron's voice works well with all of these, and at times you feel like they are sitting by the fireplace, crooning these songs of old to a living room full of loved ones, like in their take on "The Christmas Song". Beautiful holiday music.

I wish I could feel the same way about Patti LaBelle's Miss Patti's Christmas. All is not lost, as the "Christmas Jam" opening track has a funky feel to it. Reminds me of that episode of A Different World where they all went to Dwayne Wayne's house and the whole Wayne family was singing together. Very chill vibe. After this, the selection gets dicey. Patti's voice is in tact, but I'd like to have heard some less-Adult Urban Contemporary grooves on this disc. "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" and "What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas?" sound alright, and I bet my mom and her peoples will love them, but they sound both uninspired and unoriginal. "Holidays Mean More To Me" and "It's Going To Be A Merry Christmas" have the same exact theme (don't gimme no presents, I just need you), so hearing them back to back makes no sense to me. The remaining tracks are devoted to the Lord, which is always good to hear, but again the tracks vary. "Nativity" has that 2007 synth-happy beat, and it's so crunk I was waiting for like Young Jeezy or someone to jump out and drop a 16. "Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child" starts out like an Al Green track, but then drops into some Swampfox, Alabama, down home gospel feel, which is always good for the spirit. This being Miss Patti's newest Christmas album since 1990, I kind of wonder why she was chosen for this series. She's no doubt got the vocal game on lock, but Patti over new-school sounds doesn't really cut it, especially when she does a 180 with a few of these numbers.

In the end, my assumptions were way off: I figured the Isley Brothers would be trying to hold onto the youth, while Patti stuck to the tried and true and would shine right through. It was actually the Isleys who crafted some perfect blends of the new and the old, while Patti's disc seemed all over the place in terms of the style of the selections. Both artists still have "it", but whodathunk that Mr. Big and his family would outshine Miss Patti LaBelle singing about Santa and Jesus Christ?!? For what it's worth, though, for your family members or friends who grew up on the timeless music from both Patti LaBelle and the Isley Brothers, these CDs would make PERFECT stocking stuffers.

Grades:
The Isley Brothers - B+
Patti LaBelle - C

Both discs are available NOW. Peep this link for more info on the tracklists.

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