ALBUM: Earth, Wind & Fire, ‘Holiday’
Considering that there’s a Christmas album available in every musical genre by just about every artist and band, it’s really surprising that there hasn’t been one recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire until now. After all, the group has won eight Grammys during their 40-year career. But according to EW&F co-founder Verdine White, he and his bandmates never thought of putting together a holiday album until their label, Sony/Legact, asked them to. Well, along with their fans.
And most fans should not be disappointed by the 13 tracks on Holiday. The sound remains distinctive EW&F: lush vocals, infectious rhythms, and trademark horns, which work so well on songs about this time of year.
The selections are the mostly standard holiday fare, with an emphasis on the spiritual. “Joy to the World,” which opens the album, provides the perfect vehicle for a gospel rendition; “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “The Drummer Boy,” and “Away in a Manger” ensure we don’t forget the true meaning of Christmas.
The song that gets the greatest EW&F treatment is “Winter Wonderland.” It’s been made over from a tune that normally evokes images of Johnny Mathis and Currier and Ives to a funky, get-down version that is more Studio 54 than Santa’s Village. “We stretched the envelope a bit on several songs, changing the harmonic structures and rhythms,” lead singer Philip Bailey noted. The envelope gets stretched a bit again on “Sleigh Ride.”
Breaking up the usual singalong Christmas compositions is the bluesy “Everyday is Like Christmas” which tones down their 1970s sound and focuses on a piano accompaniment, making it more contemporary. EW&F also preserves the Japanese roots of “Snow” especially with the help of their female backup vocalists.
Two tracks are self-covered and been updated to fit in with the season. “Happy Seasons” is “Happy Feelin’” repackaged with a new horn arrangement and “December” which concludes the album is is actually — take a guess — “September.” Meanwhile, their arrangement of “What Child Is This” is very reminiscent of “Fantasy.”
“Holiday” should please any EW&F fan, or anyone who wants to add a funkier sounding Christmas record to their seasonal music collection. My only complaint about the album is the title. Don’t you think they should have called it “Boogie Winterland”?
