By the time 1985 rolled along Ray Charles was well past the commercial success and utter brilliance of his work in the late 50’s and 60’s (1962’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music being his seminal work) and had become somewhat of an afterthought in American pop culture.
In other words, 1985’s The Spirit of Christmas wasn’t created during the high of the creative heyday which made him one of America’s most-beloved and recognizable soul singers. Charles’ impact on American soul music cannot be understated– he almost single-handedly paved the way for soul and blues to be commercially viable and that fact in and of itself has cemented his place as an American icon– but The Spirit of Christmas was likely a logical addition to his extensive catalogue that was whipped together as a way to provide hardcore Charles fans a way to enjoy his music during the holidays.
And I’m certainly glad he did. The Spirit of Christmas isn’t groundbreaking in any way– the collection of songs are cozy ballads that don’t break much new sonic ground– but the spirit of Charles can be found in every inch of this record, delighting with his one-of-a-kind baritone vocal melodies and synthesized keyboard runs. Charles is at his best on this album with some of the lesser-known holiday cuts (“What Child Is This”, “All I Want For Christmas”, “This Time Of The Year”) where he treads off the beaten path from the staples and puts his unique stamp on the whole experience.
With Charles you can never go wrong, and The Spirit of Christmas certainly captures the spirit and soul of one of America’s most influential recording artists.
Standout Songs: “This Time Of The Year”, “Christmas In My Heart”, “What Child Is This”, “All I Want For Christmas”
Matthew. 