Charlie and the Tropicales, Presents for Everyone (Independent)

Do you know what goes great with kitsch? More kitsch! By early December, some of us are about to gag on the schmaltziness of the Christmas season. What’s the remedy? Pile on more! Tiki and Christmas go together so naturally it’s surprising you don’t see the combination more often. Presents for Everyone is the tiki Christmas album you didn’t know you needed. This collaboration between trombonist Charlie Halloran and singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex McMurray is tropical, merry and intoxicating. It’s guaranteed to boost your jolly quotient. Produced in part by local renowned tiki bar, Latitude 29, in conjunction with their yearly Sippin’ Santa pop-up, it’s a delightful collection of Caribbean Christmas classics played by a top-notch band. It features four calypsos dating from the 1950s and 1960s by Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchener, Mighty Spoiler and Lord Nelson. Additionally, Yulene Velazquez joins the band to sing “A Comer Lechon,” a Cuban Christmas song from Cheo Marquetti about feasting on Christmas Eve. “Latitude” showcases a duet from Charlie and his wife Mia about their love for Latitude 29 and “O, Christmas Tree” gets a French Caribbean beguine treatment. Presents for Everyone pairs festively with gingerbread and a bottle of rum.