While no one is about to mistake Kingston for Bethlehem anytime soon, there is actually a little bit of a tradition in Jamaica of redoing Christmas songs in whatever beat style is prevalent in the yards and dancehalls. The end result can be a bit baffling, like when
John Holt sings about sleigh bells in the snow over a tropical reggae rhythm in his version of "White Christmas," or when
Culture, known for hard-edged social commentary, goes all mushy singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," or
Yellowman delivers a dancehall rap in the middle of "We Wish You a Reggae Christmas," and it is hard not to think the whole thing is a little bit of a joke, but this set will make you smile, if only for the entertaining thought of Rudolph going Rasta. ~ Steve Leggett