Latke Man and Santasploitation
Need a little music to get you in the holiday mood? Have I got a little something for you. I still smell faintly of the latkes and brisket we had a our friends’ house last night, so it seems fitting to start with the latest from Mama Doni, Chanukah Fever. We got a little taste of her Chanukah goodness last year, but now Mama Doni is back with a full-length Chanukah album (happily with the return of Latke Man).
Once again, Mama Doni effortlessly passes through a jaw-dropping range of different musical styles. I’m a fan of the disco end of the spectrum, so the title track makes me happy. And with songs like Bubbie’s Mi Yimalel and A Land Called Sufganiyot that had me reaching for my Wikipedia, I learned a thing or two about Chanukah from this album.
If you only buy one Christmas album this year, let it be the new release from The Hipwaders, A Kindie Christmas. Olive and I had it on autorepeat today, and it had what I’ll now refer to as the rare “Recess Monkey effect” on Olive. She immediately started grooving along and talking about the lyrics. I love it when that happens. It means this album is going to be devoured this month (and will probably get a lot of car play on our upcoming road trip.)
I got into it not just because there’s a song called Santaspoitation, but because the music is infused with hints of early REM and Smithereens, taking me back to happy musical times. They even channel a little Johnny Cash on the track Santa’s Train (one of Olive’s favs on the album). Here’s a sample of the goodness, but I highly recommend checking out the website for more.
Happy Holidays!
