Review and More

Our Review

Like a wayward child arriving late to the holiday table bringing tasty treats meant to soothe a stern father's wrath, A King Family Christmas, the GarageLand Records sampler is another one of those offerings that introduce me to an entire region's worth of great Americana artists, with most of these bands apparently hailing from New York and New Jersey.

Catching me late in the season and early in the morning, I must necessarily give this music short shrift if I am to report on it and all of the other late arrivers. My snap judgment is that this is a worthwhile listen, and a CD I will return to for additional listenage should there be a free minute or two during the last throes of this already-receding-in-the-rearview Christmas season. Although fourteen tracks is an extravagant number, even for a compilation, the music comprising A King Family Christmas is neither extravagant nor garish. These are competently-performed blues rock tracks, some of which are new originals penned by V.D. King. I was predisposed to enjoy Alcoholiday and All I Got For Christmas Was Drunk. Because. And then, there's also Mike Frensley's Winter Dreams, a quiet singer-songwriter anthem that adds depth to the entire undertaking.

The non-originals were primarily rock and blues holiday standards. Blue Christmas described in the liner notes as 1 minute and 49 seconds of jet-fueled rock 'n' roll is exactly that. It was my favorite among the non-originals, at least until I heard Joe Taino go all Robert Johnson on Little Drummer Boy.

A prodigal son who almost missed Christmas dinner sleeping off a holiday drunk, A King Family Christmas is a welcome late-arriver for whom we are only too happy to make a place at the table.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2006)

More

From the liner notes:

All proceeds from this project go to aid displaced and indigent New Orleans musicians.

Conceived and produced by V.D. King, GarageLand Records
Mastered by Terry Manning at Compass Point Studios,
Illustration & photo illustration by Sean Daly
Design & layout by Margay Peters
Minimal Overdubs No auto-tune. No digital tomfoolery. From the Web site:

When producer V.D. King, of the Jersey City, NJ blues/roots band Better Off Dead, decided to record a charity Christmas CD to benefit displaced musicians in post-Katrina New Orleans, he called in some musical favors from a few friends. A King Family Christmas was born. With all proceeds going to Music Rising (www.musicrising.org) and the Jazz Foundation (www.jazzfoundation.org), A King Family Christmas is a great gift to both give and receive. When you buy A King Family Christmas CD, youre really getting free holiday music as a thank you for giving less fortunate folks a helping hand.

Recorded over a few hours in a living room and a Hoboken, NJ blues bar, A King Family Christmas features fourteen hot, heaping helpings of holiday hits from top NY area blues and roots artists including: Popa Chubby & Galea, Christine Santelli, Arthur Neilson & Karan Serafin, Big Ed Sullivan, Joe Taino, The Slippery Chickens, Kevin Kiley, Dave Gross, Larry Cappoli, Mike Frensley, and, of course, V.D. Kings own Better Off Dead.

Various Artists

A King Family Christmas

Order from CD Baby

Track List