Sam Huber and the True Groove All-Stars deliver an audio Xmas gift with a fun and funky version of Albert King’s ‘Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’‘.
While some might regard the Mack Rice penned number (which is a deep cut in King’s vast catalogue and his only holiday-themed track) as a novelty, Huber and company elevate the song to new heights. Recorded and filmed during their live performance taping for UK digital broadcaster Stabal TV (due to air early 2023), the band, with guests JR Read and Su Robinson (from The Specials horn section), create a groove that moves the song beyond its holiday theme and transforms it into a timeless soul classic.
“It’s a fun and sexy tongue-in-cheek bluesy soul piece,” Huber comments. “When Stabal said they wanted us to do a Christmas song as part of our taping, I immediately knew I wanted to go outside the traditional box. I did some digging and found ‘Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin’,’ and it jumped out at me right away. I sent it to Tomás (Doncker, Huber’s longtime producer and collaborator) and he loved it.”
“I’m a major Albert King groupie,” Doncker notes, “and was surprised I’d never heard the song before. Evidently it’s considered as somewhat of a Christmas blues classic, so that got me excited. But I also realized I had to find something unique, I had to fuse it with the classic soul vibe that Sam brings. Since Albert King was a Stax artist for a large part of his career I immediately thought about that legacy as far as creating a sound, but I wanted to meld that with the world of the True Groove All-Stars. Knowing we’d be graced by JR and Su for the Stabal taping, the horns had to play a prominent role. Once we started working on it, it immediately took on a modern-day Stax vibe and the rest was quite magical.”
With an undeniable groove, and visuals that look like an updated version of a performance you might have seen 50 years ago on The Mike Douglas Show (look it up!), Sam Huber and the True Groove All-Stars make the song all their own.
