Liz Heads South--WAY South--for the Holidays
My husband and I have been Jimmy Buffett fans since we were teenagers, so it’s no surprise that his Christmas CD, “Christmas Island,” is one of our holiday favorites. But even if I wasn’t a fan, I’d adore this collection because it’s SO much fun.
Known for his songs about beaches, boat drinks and the Caribbean, Buffett turns some traditional Christmas songs into tropical delights. You be jammin’ to some reggae “Jingle Bells,” complete with Jamaica-appropriate lyrics: “A day or two ago/I thought I’d take a run/to Port Antonio/Be cruisin’ in the sun. The radio was loud/the chicken jerked and fried/and all I had to do that day/was drive on the left side.” “Up on the Housetop” becomes a 60s surf tune, complete with bitchin’ electric guitar and a surfer dude voice over, who asks his companion to “Share the wave, share the wave, it’s Christmas.”
There are some standards, as well, most notably “Mele Kalikimaka” and “I’ll be home for Christmas,” both performed beautifully, along with a lovely a cover of the title track. Also covered is John Lennon’s “Happy Christmas,” a song that, alas, is still far too appropriate for our times. There are some terrific original tunes, as well, my favorite of which is “Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rhum,” in which “Santa’s run off to the Caribbean.” It has some of the most whimsical, fantastic lyrics I’ve ever heard, accompanied by exquisite steel drums. The other original tunes, “A Sailor’s Christmas” and “Merry Christmas, Alabama,” slow down the pace a bit, but without spoiling the mood. And if you keep the CD playing long enough after the last song, you’ll be treated to a hidden track of Buffett reading “The Night Before Christmas.” He doesn’t have Wynton Marsalis’s eloquent N’Awlins accent that I described last week, but he still does a very nice job with it.
So get out the blender and make up some eggnog daiquiris. Then put on “Christmas Island” and take an acoustic trip south. Have a tropical Christmas, everybody!