AMG Review of Have a Merry Chess Christmas

Dennis MacDonald
All Music Guide

A fine cross-section of R&B and blues, Have a Merry Chess Christmas includes three tracks from the out of print, 1968 Chess gospel Christmas album, A Christmas Dedication. Have a Merry Chess Christmas also includes the Meditation Singers doing a plaintive "Blue Christmas" (not the Elvis Presley classic), '60s soul from the O'Jays and Rotary Connection (featuring the late Minnie Riperton), Chuck Berry singing "Run Rudolph Run," a smoky take on "Merry Christmas Baby," and more.