Tower of Power - It's Christmas [Red]

Tower of Power wrap the holidays in brass on It's Christmas, a 2024 seasonal set from the Oakland soul and funk institution, pressed here on festive red vinyl.

Few bands have kept a horn section this tight for this long. Since the late 1960s the group behind East Bay Grease has built its name on punchy, interlocking brass and deep-pocket rhythms, a sound so admired that its horn players spent decades moonlighting on other artists' records. A Christmas album was always going to suit them, and this one treats carols and standards with the same care as their own classics.

This Christmas, the Donny Hathaway favourite, is a natural fit for their brand of soul, while Silver Bells and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town get dressed up in bright, swinging horn charts. O Holy Night slows things down for a reverent moment, and It's Christmas (A Long Way From Home) gives the album its name and a note of longing amid the celebrations.

Nine songs, one red LP and enough brass to warm any living room.

Put it on once the tree is up and see who starts dancing first, because with this band in charge, the holidays come with a groove built in.