A collection of old-time cuts, I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus is more eccentric than its previous blues-based companion, Papa Ain’t No Santa Claus, Mama Ain’t No Christmas Tree. Most of the 20 tracks are carefully selected oddballs, but three versions of Jingle Bells (Leo Watson, 1946; The Maddox Brothers & Rose, 1951; and Les Paul, 1954) is pushing it.
Although only 11, Brenda Lee’s styling is in place on the title song, where she commendably wants to redistribute presents to the poor. She’s talking more sense than Big John Greer, with his repetitious We Wanna See Santa Do The Mambo, or The Hepsters, who are Rockin’ & Rollin’ With Santa Claus. The gospel sound of the Sons Of Heaven’s When Was Jesus Born is enchanting, but Babs Gonzales’ rapping Be Bop Santa Claus is only funny the first time round, if that.
With Tex Ritter, Louis Prima and Lightnin’ Hopkins aboard, this is an entertaining selection, but the true oddity is the most conventional track, The Dinning Sisters With Bob Atcher praising Christmas Island in 1950. Hopefully it didn’t encourage tourism: in 1956 the British were using it for nuclear testing.
