Joseph Washington, Jr. – “Merry Christmas to You”

Sometimes you’ll hear an album that makes you wonder how you ever survived without it. For me, Joseph Washington, Jr.’s “Merry Christmas to You” is one such album. Privately issued back in 1983, this album resided in obscurity for over thirty years, known pretty much to just the few people who bought it originally and a handful of hardcore Christmas music collectors. All that changed back in 2016 when it was reissued by Numero Group. I heard some rumblings about it a couple months earlier and the way one person gushed about it (I can’t remember who), my interest was piqued. A month or so before the full album was released, Numero released the funky track, “Shopping,” as a single. I was blown away! I didn’t hesitate to preorder the full album. I listened to “Shopping” repeatedly over the next month or so. To my delight, when the full album was released, I found that the rest of the album was just as great.

“Merry Christmas to You” is a wonderful, unique collection of absolutely wonderful, yuletide R&B. The way I most often describe it, it sounds as though Joseph and his band entered the studio and jammed while he made up the lyrics on the spot. They’re some of the funkiest, most enjoyable Christmas songs you’ll ever hear. I don’t think there’s a sour note on the album.

1. "Let Me Hang My Mistletoe" – The album starts out slow with “Let Me Hang My Mistletoe.” It’s a sultry, sweet as honey ballad and the equal of any Christmas love song out there. You can just picture Joseph pouring champagne in an apartment full of candles while plying his special lady with a sprig of mistletoe. It’s absolutely great! 
2. "Jesus' Birthday" – I absolutely love “Jesus’ Birthday.” There are plenty of songs out there that wish Jesus a happy birthday and, to be honest, they’re all pretty dorky. This is the antithesis of all those. It’s a soulful reminder of what Christmas is all about.
3. "Rudolph" – I’ve heard literally hundreds of covers of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” plus countless other songs that mention Rudolph in some way. “Rudolph” really stands out. It’s kind of a free-form reinterpretation of the song and a real blast to listen to.
4. "Merry Christmas" – Joseph wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in about the funkiest way you’ll ever hear. Strip the lyrics out and this would make great background music in a gritty cop movie. 
5. "Sharing Christmas With You" – Another Christmas love song. It doesn’t have quite as sultry a feel as “Let Me Hang My Mistletoe,” and is more about, well, sharing Christmas with his wife or girlfriend—likely the same one he won over in the first song. I’m guessing that was their first Christmas together and this was a couple years down the road.
6. "Snowing In The East On Christmas" – Great song reminiscing about winter weather from years past. 
7. "Whatcha Gonna Bring Me" – Another really funky one directed at Santa. If you have to pick one song as the weakest one on the album, it would probably be this one.
8. "Shopping" – Okay, I get that about 75% of all Christmas shows, books and movies over the last 50-60 years have done what they can to condemn the commercial aspect of the holiday. However, if you’re going to have a song that glorifies yuletide commercialism, you may as well make it one of the most awesome songs ever recorded. And that’s what Joseph Washington, Jr. did. “Shopping” is a song celebrating Christmas shopping, and it’s a slice of absolute joy! It makes you feel a little less guilty about those stacks of gifts under the tree. 
9. "New Year" – A funky vow to do better in the new year, with a healthy dose of cowbell.

Bottom Line: There are plenty of truly wonderful Christmas R&B albums out there, but if want one that really stands out from the crowd, “Merry Christmas to You” is it. No matter how many times I listen to it, it always sounds fresh, even with the repeated references to 1982 in “New Year.” I can see where it may not appeal to some, but those are the sort of people I wouldn’t invite to a Christmas party. This is easily one of my favorite Christmas albums and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Make Like Monkeys - Making Some of the Best New Christmas Music Around!

I’ve been listening to Make Like Monkeys for several years now. They were first brought to my attention by either one of the Christmas music websites or one of the Facebook Christmas music pages I follow. Honestly, I forget who, but I’m glad they mentioned them. When I first heard them, their music was only available on Soundcloud. There were a couple songs available for download but most were streaming only. I tried to turn other people onto them, but them only being on Soundcloud, I didn’t really get any takers.

While it was a little disappointing that nobody I knew was listening to them, it was also a little cool thinking that there was this band putting out mostly just original Christmas music and I was one of the few people hearing it. I added them to my voluminous Christmas music playlist and anytime I was listening to it and I would see someone’s ears perk up and they’d ask me who that was, most likely it was Make Like Monkeys.

They have a great, late-60s-esque pop sound that I’ve seen compared to both The Beatles and The Monkees. As great as their sound is, what’s appealed to me from the first time I heard them is their lyrics. They range from clever and funny to touching and endearing. The combination of their sound and lyrics makes them stand out as something familiar but refreshingly different.

A few weeks ago, I was pleased to see that they’d finally made their songs available for purchase. They’d not only compiled all their songs into a few albums, but had come out with an entirely new album on top of it. I was thrilled! I instantly bought the new album, “A Barrel of Christmas!” from Amazon, then “Joyeux Noel” from Bandcamp. I also started telling everyone I thought might listen to me to check them out. They’ve since released another single, “Come Christmas,” which I didn’t hesitate to buy (actually, I did, but only because I wanted to see if it would be released on Amazon so I could add it to my Prime Music playlist—so far, it hasn’t). After the extended torture of listening to and reviewing Sufjan Stevens, Make Like Monkeys is just what I need to cleanse my palate.

Christmas with Make Like Monkeys!

1. "Christmas Doesn't Last!" – Upbeat, fun sounding song, although the lyrics are a bit on the cynical side, making for a nice dichotomy. It’s essentially about the hedonistic tendency to live for the moment during Christmastime, and the post-holiday hangover you get
2. "Xmas Time With You" – Upbeat, sounds a bit like the Archies (that’s a compliment). Plenty of other songs have tread the same ground—basically the notion that every day is Christmas with you. Still, fun and delightful.
3. "At Every Christmas" – Reminiscing about past Christmases and enjoying the present. Great, touching song. 
4. "Merry Christmas Baby I Love You!" – One of my favorites, full of Christmas imagery, all of which pales into comparison to the singer’s love of his woman. “Keep ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Deck the Halls,’ and Charlie Brown and Bedford Falls. Keep it simple and keep it clear, the only song I want to hear is Joy to the World, ‘cause I have got this girl!” This song always puts a smile on my face. 
5. "Screw Me on Christmas" – Amusing and bitter. Not what you think. It’s about a girl leaving her guy on Christmas.
6. "Isn't It Christmas?" – A bit doleful, about feeling down at Christmas. 
7. "I Gave My Love a Dove" – Sounds a bit like a medieval ballad. If you like “Greensleeves,” you should like this. If you don’t, why are you listening to Christmas music?
8. "Hey Christmas! Fa La La La" – Fun, upbeat ode to Christmas. I missed seeing this when it was posted to Soundcloud last year so I’ve only heard it a few times. It’s about all the great things Christmas has that the other holidays don’t. 
9. "Winter Is On" – Beach Boys-esque song about winter arriving. Great harmony at the end. 
10. "The Best Time of the Year is Here!" – Another fun, upbeat song, celebrating the arrival of the best time of the year (Christmas, naturally).

Joyeux Noel!

1. "Joyeux Noel!" – Very upbeat, sounds a bit like early Beatles. Celebrating all sorts of aspects of Christmas.
2. "Jingle Jangle" – Great Doo Wop sound, about a guy whose girlfriend likes the sound of sleigh bells. 
3. "Christmas is Coming (and I Can't Get Away)" – Amusing reminder that not everyone enjoys the holidays.
4. "Snow" – I hate snow, but I love songs about snow. This one has great imagery. 
5. "Whistling Snowflakes" – Another fun song about snow, this one sounding like a throwback to the 1920s or 30s.
6. "K-r-a-m-p-u-s!" – Santa’s not-so-friendly counterpart has been the subject of a fair number of songs in recent years. This one’s better than some of the others I’ve heard. 
7. "Christmastime is Near" – If you want to compare MLM to The Beatles, this would be a George song. Either way, this is a fun one about Christmas anticipation.
8. "Santis! The Christmas Kaiju" – This one’s not my cup of tea. It has some amusing lines but it’s not my favorite. 
9. "Star" – Another of my favorites, this one about following a certain, long-ago star.
10. "It's Christmas (Alternate Version)" – Okay, so a lot of these songs are about Christmas and various aspects of it. Without sounding repetitive, this one is upbeat and a lot of fun.

Let the Season Begin

1. "Let the Season Begin" – I don’t want to bombard you with superlatives. Another fun song about the Christmas season starting.
2. "It's Christmas!" – Same song as the one above, but slightly different. Take your pick, both are great. 
3. "I'm Gettin' Nothin' for Christmas" – This isn’t the song by a similar name. This is about not needing anything for Christmas because I have you. Well done.
4. "No One Should Be Lonely at Christmas" – The title is pretty self-explanatory. This is another of my favorites. 
5. "Mistletoe & You" – Another “all I want is you” type of song, with a bit of an R&B or Island beat. It’s fun and has a different feel than a lot of the others.
6. "I Feel Xmas" – This has a harder feel and faster pace than most of the others. I hate saying this is another one of my favorites because that tends to dilute it a bit if I say it too often, but…this is one of my favorites. It’s a really fun song. 
7. "The First Snowfall" – Not just about snow, but also the start of the Christmas season. Cute song.
8. "Mr. Santy Claus" – An ode to the fat guy with the beard. 
9. "I'm Not Xmas Girl (I'm New Years Eve)" – I got a huge kick out of this the first time I heard it and still love it. “What girl did I do to make you think I’m old St. Nick when you know my wallet ain’t that thick?”
10. "Welcoming Christmas" – Another great one, this time about…um, welcoming Christmas.

A Barrel of Christmas! 

Being the newest album, these are the songs I’ve heard the least. *Edit* After writing all this up, MLM released “5 Christmas’,” so this is no longer their newest album. See below.

1. "New Christmas" – I really like this song. Fun, optimistic and easy to sing along to. 
2. "Found Love for Christmas" – To my ear, this is one of the most Beatles-esque of MLM’s songs. It sounds great even if the lyrics are a little on the depressing/pessimistic side.
3. "Don't Let Christmas Come Without You Girl!" – “A Barrel of Christmas!” is probably my favorite MLM album. It’s one really strong song after another. This one is pure pop bliss. 
4. " A Winter's Carol" – This has much more of a classical sound to it and might be MLM’s prettiest, most melodic song.
5. "Happy Holiday, I Just Wanna Play" – Fun, playful. I won’t say “great” again because I think I’ve said that too much. 
6. "Santa Claus Is Dead" – Cheerful, upbeat song about Santa being dead.
7. "4,3,2,1, Christmas!" – Slightly more of a rock feel, about counting down to Christmas. 
8. "Another Holiday" – A bit of melancholy, wonderful melody.
9. "I Love You Jingle Bells" – A love song to Jingle Bells. 
10. "Some Sort of Merry Christmas" – Likely the best writing of all MLM’s songs. It’s slow, almost mournful song about holiday yearning. Probably the strongest song on the album.

5 Christmas’ 

When I first wrote this review, “Come Christmas” had just been released as a single. When I woke up today, I was greeted by an entire new album (or, since it’s only five songs, would that be EP?). Whatever the case, I eagerly downloaded it so I could listen to it and add it to my review.)

1. "I Love Christmas" – The title is pretty self-explanatory. This is fun and bouncy and one I look forward to hearing again. 
2. "This Christmas (I Will Not Miss the World)" – Another one about wanting to be with his girl on Christmas. This is, dare I say, one of their best songs yet. Actually, having listened to it on Bandcamp just before buying it, I was struck at how much better this mini-album sounds than some of the earlier songs. Not just the writing but the production as well. Considering how much I like everything they’ve done, that’s saying a lot.
3. "Christmas Bells" – One of the things I think I like most about Make Like Monkeys is how so many of their songs are basically love songs framed inside of Christmas songs. This is one of their shorter tunes but is still wonderful. 
4. "Come Christmas" – This just came out a couple days ago and this is the first time I’ve listened to it all the way through. Solid, upbeat pop song about wanting Christmas to get here. *Edit* Okay, it’s been more than a couple days at this point and I’ve heard this probably half a dozen more times (Amazon sometimes has issues with playing a variety). I like it as much as I did the first time I heard it. I’ll have to listen to the whole album a couple more times but I think I like “This Christmas” and “Christmas Bells” even more.
5. "These Christmas Nights" – This has a slight ragtime or Paul Williams feel. Good lyrics and a fun melody.

Miscellaneous 

These are covers and one or two originals that are on Soundcloud but weren’t released on the other services:

1. "Wonderful Christmastime" – “Wonderful Christmastime” is one of my most hated Christmas songs of all time. MLM’s version is passable. It’s different enough from McCartney that I can listen to it, and the “ding dong” section is fun. 
2. "Here We Come a Caroling" – I think the main lesson I learned from Sufjan Stevens is that any song can be screwed up if you try hard enough. He could learn something from MLM. You don’t need to remake the wheel. Keep it simple.
3. "Venison In The Sky" – Amusing, set to the tune of “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” 
4. "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" – Well done, good harmony.
5. "Happy Xmas" – This is my number one, most-hated Christmas song of all time so reviewing MLM’s cover might not be fair. I will say, though, that it’s far more upbeat than most versions and one of their most rocking tunes. If I had to listen to a cover of this song, I would likely pick this one. My only possible suggestion to improve it would be to go full-on Adam and the Ants and double or triple the drums. 
6. "Away in a Manger" – This has a bit of a bluegrass feel. Fantastic, with great harmonizing.
7. "Udolph-Re!" – If you’ve spent years looking for a Pig Latin version of Rudolph, your search is over. Cute song. 
8. "We Wish U A Merry Xmas" – Okay cover.
9. "Douce Nuit" – ELO meets “Silent Night” in French? Probably the most experimental song by MLM. If you’re into that sort of thing, this one is pretty fun.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a fun alternative to the same couple dozen songs you hear multiple versions of on the radio every Christmas season, for my money Make Like Monkeys is one of the best bands out there releasing Christmas originals. They have enough variety that a person would be hard-pressed to not find something they like, and their writing keeps getting better. I’m looking forward to whatever they put out.