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Album reviews Music

Anthony Hamilton

Anthony Hamilton – Home For The Holidays

Anthony Hamilton’s holiday album is a helluva lot cooler than your average carol collection. It recalls Motown-heyday R&B (It’s Christmas, Spend Christmas With You) and revels in gritty blues, as in Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto and the harmonica-fuelled, gospel-choir-backed Away In A Manger. There are doo-wop-y Temptations moments. Always, Hamilton’s classic vocals give everything a fuzzy, throwback feeling.

The standout bittersweet-ballad title track is one of six tunes penned by Hamilton, which nicely balance out the standards. Even the familiar songs, like Little Drummer Boy, swing with soul and swag. Organs in Please Come Home For Christmas are a nice touch Spirit Of Love is spiritual and uplifting The Christmas Song is kept traditional and What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas is (intentionally?) a dead ringer for Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s 1977 song The Closer I Get To You – only enhancing the warm, retro feeling.

Top track: Home For The Holidays

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