In a deal negotiated by entertainment securities company The Pullman Group, James Brown [ tickets ] has released "Christmas for the Millennium & Forever" on Emusic.com. The MP3 album is the soul icon's first Net venture, and he believes the project is sensational.

"This album has got to be the best Christmas album that's been out in 25 or 30 years," said Brown from Augusta, Georgia. "It's about you young people--you know what I'm talking about. Old people can't dig it: they want 'White Christmas.' But Christmas is coming every year, and this is Christmas for today and tomorrow and forever."

Brown's twelve-song funk and soul Christmas album has many of the groove elements for which he is known: the funk backbeat, tightly arranged section changes and prominent bass lines. Keyboards are more heavily featured than the syncopated rhythm guitars found in his past hits, but other testifying elements are still there, such as his amazing growls and exhortatory lyrics reminding listeners to stay clean for Christmas, remember their parents and give to the poor.

"'Don't forget Mom and Dad for Christmas'--how you gonna beat that?" said Brown proudly as he glossed each song on the album. "'God Gave Me This (for Christmas)'-- that [song] is totally unbelievable because it's a real ballad."

The album also features "Slay Ride," a very lowdown cut of quintessential funk bass playing and Brown's vocal rap, delivered from Santa Claus' point of view. The reason why it's titled "slay" instead of "sleigh," said Brown, is "because we're layin' it down. Like we're saying, 'Man, we slayed 'em, man!' Like we killed 'em, right? Layin' it down to the bone--I'm talking about getting my boots, getting my coat. You understand me?"

The funky approach to the usually staid traditions of Christmas music isn't the only new aspect for Brown. When record labels didn't jump at the chance to market a complete James Brown album, Al "Judge" Bradley, president of James Brown Enterprises, approached David Pullman of the Pullman Group about releasing the album on the Net. Pullman is best known in the music industry for issuing $30 million in bonds secured by rights to David Bowie's back catalog.

"We tried to get the album out, but nobody understood what we were talking about," said Brown. "The record labels were so stupid, they let a James Brown Christmas album pass 'em... 'Judge' Bradley and Mr. Pullman got together because they've done business together before with this last bonds deal."

Last spring, Pullman sold $100 million in James Brown bonds to undisclosed insurance companies. The money Brown received from the bonds (minus Pullman's 10 percent) is a loan with an tax-deductible interest rate of 7.98% over fifteen years. The bonds are secured against Brown's 750-song catalog, so if he fails to pay the bond owners back, they get the rights to his songs. In essence, without selling off his catalog titles, Brown got immediate cash income to finance production of his Christmas album. (In a typical major label deal, the label would charge the production costs against royalties). Brown said he is also using the bond money to feed the poor and help disadvantaged people.

Once Pullman was sold on the Net release idea, he contacted Emusic.com, "because they respect the independence of artists and creators," Pullman said. His entrance into the Net music market is partially a new move, but also an extension of his bond business, in which he cuts deals where musicians retain their publishing rights.

Emusic is licensing the album from Brown, who keeps the master recordings and publisher's and writer's rights.

Emusic exclusively distributes the album on the Net, so the album's stronger singles ("Funky Christmas Millennium" and "Reindeer on the Rooftop") won't be distributed to radio stations for airplay. Promoting an R&B recording without radio is an interesting task for an artist who has had 94 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Most seasonal Christmas releases get exhaustive play in retail stores, another area which is unlikely to use music files downloaded from the Net.

Brown said he can do it without radio, however. ''The radio people are gonna raise hell with the record companies for not putting it out. It's gonna force 'em to bring it out."

Even if the album doesn't reach a wide audience this year, Emusic has a long-term option on the album and could release it again next year, said Steve Curry, PR director for Emusic. And though the Christmas album was a one-time deal between Brown and Emusic, the Net will definitely be in the picture for Brown's next album.

"The Internet is the way to go right now. I'd rather go on the Internet first 'cause those young kids are gonna jump up to it, and then the stores, they're gonna have to get it real quick."