Although she was born in the United Kingdom, J C Lodge spent much of her formative years in Jamaica, her father’s homeland. She loved the country’s festivities, whether it was Easter, Independence or Christmas.
Lodge, who returned to the UK permanently over 20 years ago, recorded a reggae version of The Christmas Song in 2012. Produced by Mafia & Fluxy, she made sure to give it a Jamaican flavor.
“I’d always loved The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole. I thought the melody was beautiful, but never related much to the lyrics about chestnuts, reindeers and Eskimos. I decided to adapt it to make it more relatable for Jamaican folks and others in the Caribbean,” she said in an interview with Observer Online.
Her version of The Christmas Song is from Mafia & Fluxy Present A Reggae Christmas, a 15-song album released in 2012. It contains reggae interpretations of standards such as A Wonderful Christmas by Winston Reedy, Last Christmas by Peter Hunnigale and When A Child is Born, sung by Richie Davis.
Lodge also covered Feliz Navidad for the album.
Best known for songs such as Someone Loves You Honey and Telephone Love, she believes Christmas is a time for family and benevolence.
“Christmas, for me, is a time when I think even more about those who don’t have enough and extend some aid, since many of us splurge a little, as we host our families and friends during the season,” she said. “When growing up in Jamaica, I always loved the sparkly lights and decorations that expressed our feelings of hope and cheer, at that time of the year. I enjoyed sampling different family friends’ Christmas cake and sorrel and of course, singing along to all the Christmas Carols and pop songs always put me in a festive mood.”
By Howard Campbell
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