The Soul of Santa gave us all a very special Christmas gift this year – a 12-song holiday album – performed by talented singers, performing all new songs – except one – that are sure to become part of your annual holiday mix.
This album is not just Kansas City at its finest, it can stand up against any holiday CD you’re listening to. All of the singers are local KC performers who wrote and donated their songs and performances for this CD that benefits the Soul of Santa’s Do Good Foundation.
The album has a great mix of genres and styles, but it’s a well-balanced mix with something for everyone. The Christmas vibe that runs through the mix, makes it the kind of CD that’s just perfect for your family’s holiday gathering. Hat’s off to producer Jo Macklin for engineering these songs in a manner that flows seamlessly. We see why he’s a Grammy-nominated producer.
What talent!!
Let’s begin with Aria Camille, Tucker Lott’s daughter who died unexpectedly last year. What a beautiful voice. For several years, the two of them had been working together on the five songs she’s featured in. Lott, a poet, wrote the words for four of the songs, and Aria wrote one of the songs, for her parents.
Paula Saunders delivers Pentatnoic style on a song skating and then really delivers Kansas City Jazz style on the one non-original song on the album “Winter Wonderland.”
Andrea Tribitt delivers on the soulful “Holiday Blues.” This is one of my new holiday favorites and the sister wrote it. Another great talent who used to sing with The Sounds of Blackness.
“As good as it is quality-wise, there’s a lot of substance to the lyrics as well,” said Soul of Santa Do Good Foundation Executive Director Dennis Powell Jr.
The rap songs on the CD are all original holiday songs with positive messages and no cussing. Contributors include Roblo Dastar, The Royal Chief, “Xta-C really deliver some “cute” holiday rhymes. I hope I didn’t ruin their reputation by calling their lyrics “cute?”
In “A Big Dawg Christmas” Roblo DaStar delivers her version of the 12 Days of Christmas. As a mom, I had to laugh out loud on the ninth day of Christmas.
“On the 9th day of Christmas, my momma gave to me … NOTHIN, she said my present was her raisin’ me.”
Also, shout out to Sawn Edwards for bringing this talented group of performers together.
You can listen to the album on any of the streaming platforms. You can also listen to it on their YouTube channel.
