Mono Mundo (2018)
I came across this album digging through Connor Ratliff's Rolling Stone article where he reviewed fifty plus Christmas records that had come out last year (I keep waiting for his 2019 version, but alas, it hasn't shown up yet). I came across that list as I was trying to find records similar to last year's sensational JD MacPherson album. That is one of the all time great additions to my Christmas playlist, so if I could find more like that, I'd be quite pleased. That's would led me to this Mavericks record.
While I was originally taken by the fun artwork, it was the opening track "Christmas Time Is (Coming 'Round Again)" that sealed the deal and made me pick up the vinyl. It has that Phil Spector influenced instrumentation along with a timeless vocal melody that I can really get behind. There's so many wonderful Christmas songs in the world that have been kicking around for decades. I'm most excited by the folks writing new songs that fit into that mold rather than a new take on a song I already have seventeen versions of.
The one unfortunate thing is that this first song is probably the highlight of the album. Aside from the excellent title track "Hey! Merry Christmas!," most of the other songs are merely good. While fun songs to throw down on a mix, listening to the whole album start to finish does kind of highlight the overall shortcomings of record. Still, the songs "Hey! Merry Christmas!" and "Christmas Time Is (Coming 'Round Again)" are bonafide hits and many of the others work fine plugged into my sixteen and a half hour Christmas playlist.
The Mavericks - Hey! Merry Christmas! (YouTube full album playlist):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3MEA2U72fk&list=OLAK5uy_kENw09AzNWrPu-gie8MXikAW9vOShbt-E
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