The Poop Deck

Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum

I love Christmas music. It might be because I like to sing along with songs, but I am horrible at remembering lyrics... but with Christmas music, it's very easy.

Every year I like to get one new Christmas Album. It's usually not something I search for, it's most often a complete accident, but every year I've found an album that I really like. This year I think I have stumbled upon something a little more significant, though.

I keep hearing Ray Charles on the Sirius Holiday station. They play a couple of his songs, but I had never really listened to them before. This year, I decided to get the Ray Charles Christmas Album, The Spirit of Christmas. I have never been a huge fan of Ray Charles, though I have never really disliked him either. I guess I have always sort of ignored him. However, with that said, he plays a version of The Little Drummer Boy that probably ranks as one of my all time favorite Christmas songs. (Number one is still Rowlf the Dog and John Denver. You can find the rest of my somewhat outdated list here.)

Anyway, I don't claim to be a huge music buff, but I definitely know what I like, and I certainly know when music hits me in a profound way. Hearing that song led me to search through some old LP's that have been handed down to me from my grandparents and my parents, and sure enough I found some Ray Charles. I just so happened to have a record player setup and ready to go, so I popped it on and just listened to it.

I had a conversation with someone once, where I stated that I always felt I was supposed to be alive during the 50's and 60's. Listening to Ray Charles further justifies that. The music that artists from that era created was, and is, in a completely different ballpark than what goes on in the Spears/Timberlake world of today. They played music from their hearts, not from their wallets. You can hear it in Ray Charles' voice, clear as day... his voice is expressing more than just lyrics and noise, he's actually telling you how he feels.

So, check out The Little Drummer Boy by Ray Charles (from this album). Maybe it's just me, but there's just something about it, and about Ray Charles, that has most definitely caught my attention.

Cheers!