Year-round Yuletide oddities
Somewhere between Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige comes the street R+B of Kelly Price. She rose through the backup ranks in the ’90s and had a hit ‘Friend of Mine’ in ’98. Since then she’s been featured in soundtracks (THAT kind of sound).
“In Love at Christmas” is a simple tale of a boy and a girl and a heavy backbeat.
Boy this keeps going on and on…
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands include 14 parcels of land spread over 300 miles. Most of the people (less than 2% white) live on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian. They are of Chamorro extraction, and became part of the US back in ’75. Some funny-business banking there, but also sweatshops.
Or–i dunno–you could look it up yourself. I’m guessing.
For a quick primer of Christmas music here check out “The 12 Days of Christmas” as sung by Maggie Naputia and her posse.
For proper Chamorro, there’s Sons of the Marianas “Christmas Song.” Catchy, but my translator leads me to believe it’s vaguely racist. And then there’s Frank ‘Boko’ Pangelinan singing “Merry Christmas.” This seems more reverential, in a shake your money maker kind of way. Definitely Pacific Islander in melody is Gus B. Kaipat with “Christmas in the Marianas.” I feel like standing at attention with my hand over my heart and my hips slightly swaying.
Back to the American language: Walter Manglona gets all electric with his hip hop “Christmas Time is Here Again.” I can’t tell if mo marianas is mo problems, but he’s selling the music. Peace, Pacifickers.