Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – It's a Holiday Soul Party

Not very Christmassy. There you go, Sharon: one for the advertising campaign right there. And in the spirit of the season, yours for free. It's not that this festive collection from the esteemed soul singer and her backing troupe doesn’t go about its business with enough zip to at least try to get the party started but ultimately, it wants for glitter and sparkle.

Featuring only a handful of bona fide holiday favourites (White Christmas, Silent Night, Please Come Home For Christmas) and populated largely by lesser known tunes and Dap Kings originals, it's a worthy enough endeavour but nowhere near as much fun as it thinks it is. The retro packaging hints at good times from the golden age but, really, for Christmas done with classic soul, there's still only one option, and there's nothing here to offer up even the slightest competition to Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You. [Gary Kaill]