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Blind Boys Of Alabama, The
Go Tell It On The Mountain
In their present role as Afrimerican gospel's art-house royalty for hipster rockers and world music fanciers, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama invite an unlikely passel of pals over for Christmas on Go Tell It On The Mountain. OK, some of those buddies aren't so unlikely. The 'Boys have guested on albums by preachin' soul man Solomon Burke (teaming up for Harry Connick, Jr.'s "I Pray On Christmas") and steel guitar virtuoso Robert Randolph has played for Blind'uns' ("Away in a Manger" with Randoolph and funkmeister George Clinton? Whoa!). Gospel/r&b diva Mavis Staples provides a natural fit for a boisterous "Born in Bethlehem," and just about ditto for an a capella "Joy to the World." Slightly mystifying is pairing up the elders with political rapper Michael Franti on "Little Drummer Boy;'all the moreso is Me'shell Ndege'ocello's spoken word narcosis on "Oh Come All Ye Faithful." Chrissie Hyde redeems herself of her remarks against the U.S. troops in Iraq stirringly in "In the Bleak Midwinter," but Shelby Lynne makes for the sexiest thing the guys must have ever recorded with "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting..."). The titular track, however, gets Tom Waits to sounding like the guys' lost Caucasian kin. Overall, a Yuletide keeper. [Realworld/Narada JAMIE LEE RAKE]
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