Unless you’ve somehow managed to avoid all retail stores for the past month or so, you’re probably already close to peak Christmas song saturation, so you’ve probably already had your fill of jingle bells for the year. But, please bare with us as we close out of 2018 with one last Track of the Day and the seasonal jazzy shuffle of “Ugly Sweater Blues” from Oklahoma retro rock and roll revivalist JD McPherson.
“Ugly Sweater Blues” comes from McPherson’s latest record Socks, which also happens to be his first ever Christmas album, though he did release the single “Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)” back in 2012. Despite being a “Christmas record”, Socks is first and foremost a rock and roll record, it just happens to also be seasonal, and there are no covers, so you won’t be hearing the same twelve Christmas songs you’ve already heard re-hashed umpteen times.
Admittedly there’s not much cause for an ugly Christmas sweater here in Australia, not unless you want to spend your Christmas recuperating from heatstroke in the nearest ED. But it’s such a charming track, that it’s hard to overlook. It’s christmassy without being overly schmaltzy or cliched. Seasonal theme aside, it’s also a great retro rock and roll track, with McPherson and his four-piece band sounding in great form. Full of warmth and nostalgia “Ugly Sweater Blues” is a great way to get into the Christmas mood.
“Ugly Sweater Blues” and Socks: A Christmas Album by JD McPherson is available now. You can find JD McPherson on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
