BOOTSY COLLINS Christmas Is 4 Ever (Evangeline)
In which Bootsy, or, more precisely, his festive alter-ego Boot-A-Claus, declares Christmas the season to be funky with this collection of self-penned songs and appropriations of traditional fare. A deal of talent has been brought to bear on this collection, including Bobby Byrd, Fred Wesley, Snoop Dogg, Buckethead (yes, the sometime Guns N’ Roses guitarist!), George Clinton, Charlie Daniels, Bobby Womack and Bernie Worrell. A shame, then, that the result seems kind of half-baked.
I’ll grumpily concede that, yes, there’s something entertaining about Bootsy’s squelchy space funk deconstructions of the likes of “Jingle Belz”, “Chestnutz” (y’know, the kind often found roasting in the vicinity of an open fire hazard) and “Winter FunkyLand”. However, “Christmas Is 4 Ever” is the kind of album that relies on the listener brining the rest of the party to complete the experience. Me? My favourite album’s Big Star’s “Third/Sister Lovers”. Perhaps you can see how I’d be unable to oblige. So, to my ears, the fun sounds forced, the boasting hollow. But if you’re less humbugged out than I am “Christmas Is 4 Ever” could well be your seasonal bag.