The Monkees

THE MONKEES CHRISTMAS PARTY RHINO

The Monkees kicked into high gear following the death of Davy

Jones in 2012. Surviving members Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork hit the road in various incarnations; recorded the made-for-TV band’s first new album in two decades, 2016’s “Good

Times”; and followed it up with a holiday collection, “Christmas

Party.” They may be grown-ups now, but the album still carries the bright harmonies and irrepressible sense of fun that ran through the

Monkees’ late 1960s television series, even if the voices sound a lot more gruff. Enlisting the songwriting skills of friends and fans like Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo , R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and XTC’s Andy Partridge, the group offers up a handful of on-brand originals like “What Would Santa Do” and “Unwrap You at Christmas,” while putting its psychedelic spin on seasonal standards like “Wonderful Christmastime” and “The Christmas Song” (fans will either dig or recoil from Nesmith’s croon). Most intriguing are the oddities, such as the cover of Alex Chilton’s “Jesus Christ” and Claude and Ruth Thornhill’s orchestral, galloping “Snowfall.” Tork, who is suffering from unspecified health issues, makes his sole contribution via a banjo-driven “Angels We Have Heard On High,” while Jones miraculously appears on two tracks (“Silver Bells” and “Mele Kalikimaka” ) thanks to unearthed demos from his own 1991 Christmas album. Album producer Adam Schlesinger manages to keep it from feeling entirely cobbled together thanks to his fresh instrumentation and clear adoration of the Monkees’ legacy. — Aidin Vaziri