“Little Drummer Boy” – Kenya (Alma Pura Productions – 2015)
Kenya and producer/keyboardist Estuardo Stapleton achieved the rare distinction of taking a Christmas carol we’ve all heard a hundred different ways yet making her telling of Christ’s birth night story not only contemporary but inspired and vibrant. Kenya sings reverently within an arrangement that ascends from a simmer to a soar. Along with drummer Justin Abraham and 5-string bass guitarist Dre Williams, everyone is on their A-game here applying masterful chops in all the right places yet using their collective Jedi mind mastery to devoutly serve only the inherent dynamic demands of the song. File under Soul-Jazz masterpiece, complete with a stunning in-studio video.
