Christmas Time Again

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Johnny Van Zant (vocals); Rickey Medlocke, Hughie Thompson (acoustic, electric & slide guitars, background vocals); Gary Rossington (acoustic, electric & slide guitars); Billy Powell (keyboards); Leon Wilkeson (bass); Kenny Arnoff (drums); Dale-Krantz Rossington, Carol Chase (background vocals).
Additional personnel includes: Charlie Daniels (vocals, guitar); .38 Special.
Producers: Gary Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Hughie Thomasson.
Recorded at The Castle, Franklin, Tennessee.
A Southern rock Christmas album? Hey, it makes as much sense as Run-DMC's "Christmas in Hollis," and the good news is that the Lynyrd Skynyrd boys--along with special guests the Charlie Daniels Band and .38 Special--truly get into the spirit with a nice mix of seasonal standards (rock and otherwise) and originals. Among the latter, the Daniels Band provides a frankly terrifying "Devil Went Down to Georgia"-derived take on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," while Skynyrd crunch through Chuck Berry's "Run, Rudolph Run" with Stones-like aplomb.
On the originals front, .38 Special score big with "Mama's Song," a Southern rock power pop hybrid in their best '80s style, although it must be said that these self-proclaimed wild-eyed Southern boys have a sentimental streak a mile wide (and when their song is followed by Skynyrd's near-obscene "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'," it's a tad disconcertin'...). In any case, the album concludes, nicely, with a little harmonizing by the entire Skynyrd family (kids, relatives, road crew, dogs, etc). Fun stuff.