Christmas Records, Day 13: A Very, Very Yellow Christmas
Yellowman - A Very, Very Yellow Christmas (Ras, released 1998)
Like much of the festive season, it's all in the anticipation. Maybe you're a fan of Yellowman's mastery of slack dancehall and the wit and verve of his toasting wordplay. Or maybe you just love a really, really literal nickname. You happen upon that cover and feel a touch of sadness that they put one of reggae's greats in a pound shop Santa hat and told him to smile sweetly. The beauty of A Very, Very Yellow Christmas is its barefaced cash-in novelty; if it came with a free pen with a nudey lady picture you wouldn't be surprised. The cut-and-paste title hilarity of the work - Yellowman Is Coming to Town, Children Saw Mommy Kissing Yellowman - have the ring of a ten-to-five decision about them, and so what. There are very few redeeming features here - Santa Claus Never Comes to the Ghetto is probably the zenith, but you won't care after your fifth glass of ginger wine. Zungguzungguguzungguzeng it ain't, but I'll take this over Phil Spector any day of the week. I love Yellowman. Christsploitation at its best.
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