The line-up is full of familiar names. Piment holds down bass, drums, and percussion. Anne Foesser handles both lead and backing vocals, plus sound design. Omar Perry steps in for lead and backing vocals too. You also get Michel Latour on keys, Sebastien Kohler on guitar, Cedric Munsch blowing trumpet and trombone, and Romain Pivard on sax. Recordings were done by Julien Vigier and Anne Foesser, and the mixing was handled by Piment and Foesser at Secret Labz in Strasbourg. So it’s really a homegrown project by a crew that knows each other well.
What do you get when you drop the needle? Twelve Christmas classics with a reggae twist that feels playful, warm, and familiar. Reggae history has plenty of holiday tunes, but Jacob Miller and Ray I set the gold standard back in 1978 with Natty Christmas. ERM doesn’t try to imitate that album, but you can hear a little nod to the vibe in Omar Perry’s delivery. Check his take on We Wish You A Merry Christmas. Omar channels a touch of Miller’s cheeky energy, while keeping it his own. And the same goes for Deck The Halls, where the final minute slips into a calm dub-style instrumental that gives the track a gentle, late-night glow. Anne’s songs are softer and almost devotional, giving the set a nice balance.
And just when you think the album is settling into one lane, they close with a bright ska take on Christmas Feeling Ska, originally a 1964 tune by The Maytals. It comes with a tasty sax solo and Omar back on lead. Nice one fi real.