Various artists, 'This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 1'

The buzz: On paper, matching Jack Johnson and his record company’s band of merry men with the good vibes of yuletide sounds like a great idea. After all, both mistletoe and that other plant that surfers like Johnson prefer are green and generally both yield well-intentioned, innocent kisses—both literally and musically.

The verdict: But in practice, this collection mostly feels pretty rote. Johnson is obviously the headline attraction (the next biggest name on the list is soundalike dude Matt Costa), and his takes on “Someday at Christmas” and, especially, “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” sound like a careless, sonic equivalent of Andy Samberg’s barefooted “SNL” spoof of the troubadour. The best cuts here are from the lesser-knowns—songstress Zee Avi’s fingerpicked, throaty original “No Christmas for Me” is charming and bright, former Beastie Boy keyboardist Money Mark hits some ironic ‘80s synths on “Stuck at the Airport,” and Rogue Wave’s gorgeous “Christmas” could be an outtake from some forgotten California band’s demo, circa 1974.

Did you know? One-quarter of the proceeds from sale of this collection will go to benefit children’s music education. [Ed. note: Great, now we feel like douchebags for not giving it a better review.]

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