This week’s One Track Mind was dictated by two considerations: It needed to have a holiday theme and if it could augment the spirit of Something Else’s blues side, so much the better.
With potentially so many Christmas albums to comb through, I soon honed in on Alligator Record’s fine 1992 blues-themed holiday compilation The Alligator Records Christmas Collection and its lead off track, “Merry, Merry Christmas.”
And why not? After all, this song was composed and sung by the reigning Queen of the Blues herself, Koko Taylor.
Chicago’s own Taylor has been a fixture in that city’s unmatched blues scene since her fiery rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Wang Dang Doodle” back in 1964. That big, saucy voice of hers makes Koko the modern incarnation of classic lady blues belters like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. She can lift any tune solely on the attitude she brings to it.
And so is the case for “Merry, Merry Christmas.” This song won’t ever become quite as memorable in the holiday season as, say “Please Come Home For Christmas” — more popularly known as “Bells Will Be Ringing.” That doesn’t matter, though, because with Koko Taylor’s sassy wailing, it provides a great excuse to sway to some prime, funky electric Chicago blues done right by one of its living legends whilst chugging egg nog and positioning yourself under the mistletoe.
As this is my last entry before Christmas, I hope this makes your holidays rock a little bit harder. Merry, Merry Christmas, everyone.
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