A Soulful Christmas

On the first Christmas album from the Godfather of Soul, Brown and his band’s grooves, hollers, and horn stabs are all so unfailingly funky it’s impossible to listen without some hip-swiveling. And Brown not only addresses social issues in a holiday way (“Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto,” “Let’s Unite the Whole World at Christmas”) but he also presents one of the most powerful social statements ever made in the world of R&B: “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.”