5…Classic Christmas Covers

Christmas is here, and a whole new passel of singers are taking on the holiday classics we grew up listening to. Because who needs Donny Hathaway’s This Christmas when we’ve got… Chris Brown! I say SACRILEGE.

Some Christmas classics need to stay classic. Still, there are some great updates on the Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole standards, and every year new artists add to the list. I reached out to my Twitter friends to ask what their fave Christmas covers were, and got some great responses. Pisces in Purple loves John Cougar Mellencamp’s I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. DJ Diva loves Destiny’s Child singing Carol of the Bells. Jawnita, self-described HBIC of my favorite music magazine The Fader, shouted out Mariah’s So So Def remix of All I Want for Christmas is You.

My top 5 is a little more traditional, but hey - it ends with a giveaway! The last for the season!! So without further ado, here are my favorite Christmas cover songs.

1. Aretha Franklin’s Silent Night.

The Queen of Soul released her very first holiday album this year, This Christmas, exclusively for sale at Borders. It’s all about Christmas classics, sang as only Aretha could — big and majestic and soaring. If you like your holidays traditional, you’ll love Aretha’s album. Her voice can fill a cathedral. And this song brings the reason for the season to mind immediately.

2. Whitney. Do You Hear What I Hear?

On a personal note — Whitney Houston, I miss you and that magnificent voice. Come back soon!

Goodness gracious, her voice is so big and so beautiful. I’ve always loved this particular song, written as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missle Crisis in 1962. Bing Crosby’s was the first popular version, but Whitney’s is absolutely my favorite. And don’t get me started on her version of Joy to the World!

3. What Child Is This, by Vanessa Williams.

I think Vanessa’s smooth, warm, jazzy version of this song — originally recorded for A Very Special Christmas, Volume 2 is the business. And she’s stunning as ever in the video. This song would fit in equally well around the fireplace, opening presents with your family, as it would at a crowded bar, sipping hot toddies with your friends. I’ve celebrated Christmas in both ways, so I know of what I speak.

4. Ledisi’s cover of Give Love on Christmas Day.

I am so late to the Ledisi party! She’s so talented, beautiful, all natural… an obvious candidate for the return of Afrobella of the Month in 2009. The songstress has recorded a brilliant holiday album, It’s Christmas, and it’s a must-have for any bella who’s feeling the holiday spirit. And AOL Black Voices reveals, she’s planning a tour! If you’re looking for a new holiday album to add to your collection, this is the one. Her voice just floats so beautifully on tracks like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and her original songs, are sure to be classics in our holiday rotation eventually. I absolutely adore that she covered a contemporary classic, one I grew up listening to on the Jackson 5 Christmas Album.
Aww. Young Michael’s voice still touches my heart.

5. Brian McKnight’s take on The Christmas Song.

Brian McKnight’s version of The Christmas Song gives a delicious update to the holiday classic that speaks most to my Christmas memories. I almost didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I do, because Nat King Cole is so close to my heart. But Soulbounce dubbed him the heir apparent, and his version reveals why. It’s like Nat King Cole with a little Marvin Gaye flava. I love it. I think Brian McKnight’s album, I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a beautiful update for families who own Nat King Cole’s Christmas album. I am listening to it and loving it, and I’m proud to offer it as my final Christmas giveaway!

FIVE lucky winners will win a copy of Brian McKnight’s album, I’ll Be Home For Christmas AND a copy of Ledisi’s It’s Christmas.

And I’ll make this an easy one. All you have to do is tell me, what do YOU want to find underneath your Christmas tree this year?

I will close these comments on Sunday, and announce winners on Monday! I gotta get this moving in order to get these items mailed out before the holidays.

Happy Friday, bellas and fellas!! And Merry Christmas!!

5 …very random Caribbean Christmas songs

My husband and I have very different ideas about appropriate Christmas music. He grew up in the snowy Midwest, always with a real pine tree, wood crackling in the fireplace, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby. I gew up in Trinidad, always with a lifelike but fake plastic tree, bright sunshine and cool breezes on Christmas Day just like any other day, and all sorts of creative Christmas music. In our house we had Nat King Cole, sure, but we also had the Jackson 5, Daisy Voisin, who I’ve mentioned in the past, Jacob Miller, and in later years, Scrunter and Sprangalang.
Who? What?

Let me share with you the weirdest Caribbean Christmas songs I know.

1. Bring Drinks by Sprangalang.

OK. This will take some explaining to non-Trini Afrobella readers. In Trinidad, we enjoy our cocktails. Drinking is an accepted and frequently encouraged part of the culture, especially during the holidays. And there’s a tradition of holiday songs about consuming alcohol and food, starting with Drink a Rum (and a Ponche-a-crema), Scrunter’s I Want a Piece of Pork and Marcia Miranda’s Bring Out De Ham.

So who or what is a Sprangalang? Dennis “Sprangalang” Hall is a well known, well loved, and very distinctive Trinidadian comedian who now has become a singer/composer. His songs are very funny to those who know Trini dialect and culture.

Bring Drinks really captures the spirit of a Caribbean Christmas party, but in Sprangalang’s version, the cook at this house party has screwed up all the food. “Roti and egg! Peanut butter and turkey leg!” Never fails to put a smile on my face.

2. All I want For Ismas by Jacob Miller

Instead of his two front teeth, all Jacob Miller wants for Christmas is “collie herb.” As he says, “different strokes for different folks.” The late, great Jacob Miller was one of few reggae artists who embraced Christmas enough to produce a whole album, Natty Christmas. Trust me, it’s a classic. And if you like that, you’ll love Reggae Christmas from Studio One, a compilation that includes songs by Johnny Osbourne, Alton Ellis, and The Wailers.

3. Santa Claus Don’t Have No Wife by The Mighty Terror.

Proof that Mrs. Claus is a recent invention.

According to the late calypso legend The Mighty Terror, not only is Santa Claus living a lonely life, but he just may be a pedophile after your “girl children.” This might be the most menacing take on St. Nick ever recorded. (See also, Machel Montano’s Soca Santa for a taste of Santa experiencing the islands).

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5 Things… Scents of the Season

Yesterday got a little heated, so if y’all don’t mind I’m going to clear the air and get back to beauty. Let’s talk about perfume!

The holidays are fast approaching, and if you’re like me, you always gotta save a little room for yourself on your shopping list. After splurging on everyone else, it’s only fair that you show yourself some love, am I right bellas? One of my favorite self-indulgent purchases is perfume. I prefer to buy my own, because scent is so subjective. What smells like hot basura to me might smell like heaven to some other bella, and so much is based on body chemistry. These are five scents on my shopping list, and you just might want to add to yours.

1. Carol’s Daughter Pearls. When I heard about the new scent from Carol’s Daughter, I got excited. Whenever I want a layering scent that makes me feel and smell yummy, I still reach for that Almond Cookie. And the description of Pearls just sounded heavenly. According to the CD website, it “…sparkles with lemon verbena and the luscious aspect of apricot and peach. The fragrance evolves into a voluptuous floral heart of intoxicating jasmine, rose and violet leaves topped off by warm vanilla and sweet caramel.” Sounds delightful, right?

Bellas who want a sneak preview should pick up a copy of Essence Magazine - there’ll be a two page spread in December’s issue, complete with a scent strip. But of course scent strips don’t tell the whole story of how a fragrance will unfold on you — so I suggest you head to Sephora for a spritz.

On me, Carol’s Daughter Pearls was tropical and fruity at first — definitely smelled that peach note right away! Then an hour or so later the lush florals unfold, leaving me smelling like jasmine caramel goodness. I really like it. And for $45, it’s a sweet deal from a company long loved by the afrobella community. Hats off to Lisa Price once again!

2. White Patchouli by Tom Ford. Tom Ford. Erykah Badu. From the moment I laid eyes on this advertising campaign, I knew I had to get my hands on a bottle.

A small one (1.7 oz) costs $92. A big one (3.4 oz) is $138. I haven’t even been so lucky as to smell this yet, but reviews reveal I might be pleasantly surprised — it’s described as restrained, smooth, spicy, and according to Now Smell This: “White Patchouli is minimalist chic… I’d dress White Patchouli in New York black: trousers, a black turtleneck and boots, big sunglasses, sleek hair, one big piece of jewelry. It’s beautifully done, and I find it perfectly accessible.” It sounds like the every day scent I’ve been looking for, but because it’s pricey, this will go on my list to Santa. Santa = my husband, duh.

3. Harajuku Lovers by who else? Gwen Stefani. Like Margaret Cho and my friends at Racialicious — I gave a big side-eye to Gwen Stefani in 2006 when she emerged with her Harajuku Girls, four dancing, mostly silent Japanese women who have moved on from just being Gwen’s dancing posse to now becoming part of her growing fashion and beauty brand. I hope Maya Chino (”Love”), Jennifer Kita (”Angel”), Rino Nakasone (”Music”) and Mayuko Kitayama (”Baby”) are being paid well for their efforts. Now there are perfumes being sold with their likeness as the bottles, and I must admit — the fifteen year old girl inside me thinks they are super cute.

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5 Things… I’m Loving This Week

In the spirit of Twitter, wherein I have to rein my thoughts into 140 characters, I’m starting a brand new category on Afrobella. I tend to be a longwinded writer — even a simple product review can turn into a 1,000 word post. So I thought I’d get my reviews and impressions out faster if I limited myself. Shorter, quicker, better? We’ll see. 5 Things could be anything — things I love, things I hate, things that annoy, things that are amazing, things I want to drink, things I want to buy. Whatever comes to mind.

This week: things I love!

1 - Wyatt Cenac. As the latest correspondent to join The Daily Show, he’s bringing a fresh, funny approach to the hot button topics of this election cycle. This dude is totally out of the box, and his approach to race can be described as Chapelle-esque. Yeah, I’m that impressed.

His Senior Citizens Watch the Debate skit made me LOL even as it incited anger in me. (You’ll need to watch it all the way through to see the part that caused my mouth to hang open in infuriated shock).

As furious as the discussion of Michelle Obama’s tokhes made me, I think what Wyatt Cenac’s doing on The Daily Show is brilliant. By exposing the ugliness and ignorance and making us laugh about it, comedians like him are pushing the discussion on race ever forward.

ps: Dave Chappelle, your fans miss you. Now’s a great time to do a stand up special. Or a tour. Something, man, give us something. There’s so much material for you right now!

2 — Good old fashioned Trini pelau. Looking for a cheap dinner with exotic island flavor that can either feed a whole dinner party or yield enough leftovers for three days of leftovers? You can’t go wrong with a pot of pelau. It’s a Trinidadian home cooking staple — chicken, rice, and pigeon peas made to stick to the ribs and nurture the spirit. As Trini Gourmet says, it is our definitive one-pot meal.

I tried following her Coconut Chicken Pelau recipe this week, and had to extempo a little when I realized coconut milk and cream of coconut are two different things. Whoops! Trini Gourmet has two great pelau recipes — the second is Bertie’s Trinidad Pelau, her dad’s recipe. Karen of Chookooloonks has a great recipe too. I made a big pot of pelau Sunday, and we got at least two nights of leftovers out of it. Serve with a little side salad for variety. Good, affordable eats for these economic times.

3 — Valana Mineral Bliss lipsticks. I had been looking forever for the perfect pink lipstick. My lips are a darker shade — almost the color of a dark red grape. So pink has been a tough color for me to pull off — too often pink lipstick gives me an opaque clown mouth. (OMG the Softlips Rose was THE WORST on me). Nobody wants that. Valana’s Lemonade Bliss is that sheer pink I’ve always dreamed of wearing, but could never find. Valerie of Valana Minerals took the color seriously!

“I worked on that formula for six months. I’m really proud of the Lemonade color. Before I started formulating I never used any type of pink gloss, lipstick, blush or eye color. It always looked horrible on me and makeup artists would say things like, ‘dark skinned ladies should avoid pink.’ They always blamed it on my dark skin. Now that I formulate and understand color I realized it was their pinks that were the problem. The Lemonade color actually has a blue base. Crazy, I know but it’s true and that along with a few other secret tricks means that ladies like me can use pink blush, eye color and lip color and still look great!

The lipstick is intended to deposit quite a bit of color without feeling heavy. Typically, for lipstick to show up on me I have to pile it on even though it looks dark in the tube. This is different in that the color transfer is pretty rich. But for customers that like a heavier, creamy feel our Sparkie Lips gloss couples nicely. And it’s all vegan AND natural.” $14.95 a tube, but you can get samples (that last an amazingly long time) for cheaper. And best of all IMO, Valana is a small company, made by a woman of color specifically for the skin tones of women of color. I said it before, I’ll say it again — Valana rocks!

4 — Advanced Style. I just discovered this website of stylish elderly people via Boing Boing, and I am hooked. It’s a photoblog that reveals the personal style of the mature and wizened. If I could grow old with an inch of the panache of this lady, I will be happy.

Advanced Style takes photo submissions, so best believe I’m about to start taking photos of the very fashionable elderly Haitian people I see around downtown. There’s this one man who waits for the jitney, and once I saw him wearing a three piece suit. Lime green. Shoes and hat to match. Oui, papa.

5 — Andrea, because she’s so Fly! I really have met such an amazing sisterhood through blogging, and I gotta show mad love to the beautiful and super talented Andrea of Fly. She’s taken her blog to the next level by doing webisodes that are eclectic in interest, but warm and familiar just like she is herself. They kind of remind me of a funkier version of CBS’ Sunday Morning ( as if they would ever go to the Punk Rock flea market).

Click here to view her latest, on the Brown Betty Dessert Boutique in Philadelphia. I need one of those cupcakes, stat!

And that’s it, bellas and fellas - 5 things I’m loving this week. Have you seen or bought or heard anything new you’re loving? Share with me!