Jim Jones Dipset Christmas CD

Personnel: Marcus Farrar (vocals); Mark Kellye (guitar); Arnold Mischkulnig (keyboards, programming).
Author: Capo.
Photographer: Roger Erickson.
What makes Jim Jones' A Dipset Christmas worth consideration is the loose charm found on the first half -- the Christmas half -- of the album. The Dipset capo's quirked-out charisma and quippy style are suitably toned down to a surprisingly humble level, supporting both the light, Christmas party numbers and the bittersweet tales of the struggling holiday seasons past. Best of the latter is "Wish List," a believable track where Jones remembers what empty wallets and disappointed families feel like come the end of December. "Ballin' on Xmas" is fun if only for its riffing on Run-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis," and "Dipset X-mas Time" is a cheery and bright way for any hardcore baller to start his Christmas morn. "The mood is right/And I'm high is hell" isn't for the family gathering, and neither is the thugging second half of the album, which features some random, non-Christmas leftovers of which only the "We Fly High" remix is desirable. It's been a decade since the hood was sorta blessed with the much more throwaway Christmas on Death Row, so even with the abundant filler, A Dipset Christmas serves a purpose. ~ David Jeffries