Album of the Day

Booker T. & the M.G.'s defined Southern soul as the Stax Records house band (playing on classics by such artists as Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett, among others) and as hitmakers in their own right. IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, the instrumental quartet's fourth studio set is an enjoyable romp through a dozen seasonal standards, including Billboard-charting single “Jingle Bells,” “Winter Wonderland,” and R&B gem “Merry Christmas Baby.” Keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and drummer Al Jackson, Jr. are in top form throughout the 1966 Stax/Atlantic collection, and holiday music never got funkier than this. ‘Twas the night before … and time to get IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT with this perennial favorite.