Christmas CD Review: The Connection Christmas Collection

American’s marketers have seen to it that the window through which we see the Christmas shopping season grows ever wider each year.  Radio stations have already started the holiday playlist and  retailers are having pre-black Friday sales.

In keeping with the times, The Connection has released its newest collection of Christmas titles before Thanksgiving, collectively and appropriately entitled The Connection Christmas Collection. Not deviating far from their 2013 powerpop collection,  Let It Rock, the guys  lean on their Chuck Berry, Rockpile and Ramone influences to give us something both old and new – an early, unexpected gift for sure.

The disc rocks right from the get-go with the the tongue in cheek “Money Honey Baby”. “I Feel Fine (Its Christmas)” is a jangly mid-tempo number that works well too. My personal favorite is “Better Late Than Never”, a blues tinged rocker that would please even the most discerning George Thorogood fan.

“Rock n Roll Christmas” is smart, funny and flat out kicks ass. It finishes a very enjoyable Christmas collection just right… or so one might be led to believe. The eighth track (not listed on the CD sleeve) could be viewed as a slightly less cynical “Father Christmas”. The final track (also not disclosed on the sleeve) is a very worthy cover of The Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)”.

Bottom line – If the season must start early, at last The Connection Christmas Collection gets the festivities off to a fine start.