Bloodshot Records’ 13 Days of Xmas
Bloodshot Records
For someone who isn’t exactly a Christmas fan, I sure like the music! Getting those LPs at the gas station – loaded with Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and more were some of my first records, and 50 years later, my taste in artists might have changed, but I still love the songs. So it was good to listen to Bloodshot Records newest, 13 Days of Xmas.
Starting off with a somber, cello-driven “O Holy Night” by Murder By Death, this collection isn’t perhaps what one would expect from the original “outlaw country” label, but hey, it’s Christmas. Now, “Papa Barrence’s Christmas”, from Barrence Whitfield & the Savages or “I’m Drunk Again This Christmas” from Zach Schmidt are a little rowdy, but all in all, it’s a sedate gathering.
Highlights include the wry “How to Make Gravy” by All Our Exes Live in Texas, the Dex Romweber Duo’s “Dark Christmas” and “The List” from Ha Ha Tonka. Two selections are standouts- a lovely, mournful “Blue Snowfall” by the legendary Kelly Hogan, and “Christmas is Now Drawing Near At Hand” which showcases James Elkington’s amazing mastery of the guitar.
So, I recommend 13 Days of Xmas to all. It goes great with spiked eggnog and those Andy Williams records!
