Finally, an album that answers the age-old musical question: What would it sound like if NRBQ cut a Christmas LP at Sun Studios? What if they wrote an original slate of raucous rockabilly, twangy country and swinging jump blues reminiscent of everyone from Rockpile to Little Richard to Louis Jordan? What if they laced those tracks with everything from pinging celestes to growling horns? And topped them with mischievous lyrics about skinny Santas, hot-rod sleighs, ugly sweaters and girls named Holly, Carol, Candy and Joy? Well, Virginia, it would sound almost exactly like this festive old-school firecracker from Okie throwback JD McPherson and his turbo-charged crew of jive-talkin’, hard-knockin’, retro-rockin’ elves. Which begs one more question: Why are you still reading this when you should be listening to (and buying) what will very likely be the coolest Christmas album of the season?
