We like different, here at Stubby's. We really do. We celebrate the dehomogenization of music (is that even a word). So when we get the opportunity to present a Jazzy Hip Hop Folk artist from Nigeria singing a classic Christmas song in a whole new way including a line about how his chicken is bigger than your chicken and his fowl is bigger than your fowl, well.... Call me crazy, but that's the sort of thing we look for. Korede Bello is the artist and "Jingle Bell" is the song. Haven't found a stream option, but you can grab the free download easily enough from Korede's Twitter feed or from olekubuzz .
We like different, here at Stubby's. We really do. We celebrate the dehomogenization of music (is that even a word). So when we get the opportunity to present a Jazzy Hip Hop Folk artist from Nigeria singing a classic Christmas song in a whole new way including a line about how his chicken is bigger than your chicken and his fowl is bigger than your fowl, well.... Call me crazy, but that's the sort of thing we look for. Korede Bello is the artist and "Jingle Bell" is the song. Haven't found a stream option, but you can grab the free download easily enough from Korede's Twitter feed or from olekubuzz .
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Not content with just one free Christmas single this year, Blues Rocker Joe Bonamassa has just gifted out a second. According to the web page, you're supposed to share it on Facebook or join his mailing list or something. I don't know. Honestly, I just kept clicking on pages until it started downloading. Seemed to work alright. "Santa Claus Is Back In Town" was a song Elvis made famous, though Joe's delivery is much more Stevie Ray Vaughn than Elvis. Anyway, free Blues isn't something to dismiss lightly, so go and get it. Austin's Melat (does anybody in that town have a job that's not part of the music industry) is driving towards stardom and made great strides in 2014. She combines Soul with Alt Pop for a distinctive sound. Her Christmas songs are drenched in sincere sentimentality, which is an awkward way of saying they're gorgeous. "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was her 2013 Christmas gift. 2014's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was even more beautiful, but "Home For Christmas" is a free download and "Merry Little Christmas" isn't. I hate streams, but, since we do have one download, I'll include Melat's 2014 Christmas song as well. You can find them both on Soundcloud. Pony Boy is actually a woman--singer/songwriter Marchelle Bradanini. She calls her music "Junkyard Country", but it's a very raw and rootsy blend of Country, Blues and Rock. There's certainly more to it than that, even, but let's not get bogged down on the labels. Earlier this year, Marchelle released the EP "The Devil In Me", which met with tremendous critical praise and is showing up on lots of end-of-the-year Best lists. "(Please Don't Leave On) Christmas Eve" is the tonic for those weary of Holly Jolly Christmas songs. Marchelle says she was somewhat inspired by the Phil Spector album, and there's definitely a Wall-of-Sound aspect to this holiday tearjerker. There are guitars twanging, bells jingling, and soulful background singers. But what makes this one of the supreme Christmas tracks of 2014 is Marchelle--channeling Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, and The Chantels simultaneously (and, yes, Elvis is in the mix somewhere, too). I've already said it. "(Please Don't Leave On) Christmas Eve" is one of the best you'll hear this year. I'm sorry I can't embed this one for you. But, if you act fast (as I would advise you to do), you can download the song free from Elmore Magazine (just look for the arrow thingy, upper right on the player). Move too slow and you'll have to get it from Amazon or iTunes. But get it. See, the reason I'm actively trying to not post music that some of my Festive Friends are posting is because I want you to visit them as often as you visit here. More so, even. I love what these folks do. Be it Brigitte at Lie In The Sound, Jim at Christmas Underground, Guuz and friends at Christmas A-Go-Go, "Rudolph" (Francis) at Mistletunes or any of my other favorite holiday haunts, they've got unique tastes and insights and they each find plenty of stuff I would never find without them. It's not a "credit" thing; its about rewarding the effort. Trust me, there's a lot of effort involved. And there's plenty of stuff out there (and an infinite supply of ear destroying garbage) that we could all go our separate ways and never duplicate. Now, as Jim has pointed out, there's nothing inherently bad about overlap. Sometimes, its a very good thing. But I also think its cool that we push each other to dig deeper (I am never getting to bed before daylight again until after Christmas, am I?). All that said..... There is just some stuff I need over here for my own head. And this find from Guuz over at Christmas A-Go-Go is one of them. Jazzy Funk and Deep Hip Hoppy Soul from Higher Hands, a Maryland group. "Christmas On Hudson St." has five tracks, including what I believe is the first cover of Sharon Jones' great "Ain't No Chimneys In The Projects". I love these dudes. And I don't think "I Saw Three Ships" has ever been so funked up. Dig it! An instant download at Bandcamp. The Mackenzie Rhythm Section is a soulful Canadian four piece. I gotta tell you, I love the keyboard player in this group. Just sayin'. Anyway, MRS are certainly capable of funking a lot harder when they're in the mood to. Seriously, check out their full-length, "The Big Break". I'm gonna have to buy that one. Good time soulful rock like this I ain't heard since the J. Geils Band called it a day. I keep waiting for a bad track to come up so I can get back to the Christmas music. So far, nothing but gold. Oh, yeah, I'm buying this. Anyway... For the Christmas single, The Mackenzie Rhythm Section keeps it smooth, silky, and I'm sure somebody's tongue is in somebody's cheek. "The Twelve Sexy Days Of Christmas" is a unique take on the whole 12 days theme, conceptually, musically and lyrically. It's definitely worth the free download on Bandcamp. And, seriously, you've got to check out "The Big Break". It. Is. Just. So. Freakin'. AWESOME! The U.S. version of X Factor, Simon Cowell's other singing competition show, debuted in 2011. It lasted just three seasons and never took a serious bite out of American Idol as The Voice has. And, to be honest with you, I've never heard of any of their artists or acts hitting the big time. I know Fifth Harmony, but only because they record the occasional Christmas song. And we already have at least one X Factor cautionary tale as season one contestant Simone Battle committed suicide earlier this year. Outside of that, the names of those contestants mean nothing to me. I suppose its still early. But I haven't seen a Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry or Miranda Lambert emerge from any of these shows in a long time (How many remember Miranda as the second place finisher on the first season of Nashville Star? Do you remember who came in first?). John Lindahl competed on X Factor Season 1 with the group inTENsity (OK, that right there is a red flag--being cute with the caps is not the road to stardom). And then nothing. For three years, John has wandered the entertainment desert. Well, John has finally gotten a record deal with a major label. The herald the pending arrival of his major label debut, they're sounding the trumpets with a free Christmas single. Just to get things off on the right foot, John's been paired with Boyz II Men on this recording of "This Christmas". To be honest, I'm a bit This Christmas-ed out. It seems the Donny Hathaway song, as well as Mariah Carey's and Wham's, are the only modern Christmas songs that every artist must record. I prefer a little more imagination with my Christmas dinner. Why not have John sing Low's "Just Like Christmas", for example? Just sayin'. Nonetheless, John Lindahl clearly has a voice, clearly can sing, and I wish him nothing but the best. And "This Christmas" can be downloaded free from Soundcloud, so its still a win-win for everybody involved. Earlier this year, we caught up with the 2013 collection from Converse, "Noise To The World", which was lingering from last Christmas. Well, if you missed that one, its gone now. Had to make way for the newer model, "Noise To The World 2". As with last year's set, Converse made all the right moves. The artists are exceptional and so is the music. I bumped into "Noise To The World 2" on Tuesday. Converse had unveiled two tracks on Monday. They then released another two tracks on Wednesday. And the last two were unveiled today. I figured I'd wait until the collection was complete before I posted. Didn't listen even. And, now, here I am with the opportunity to hear the whole thing......and I can't get past "On Christmas" from the Dum Dum Girls. It's playing for something like the sixth straight time, right now, and I want to hear it again. This one's got legs. It's going to turn up on Christmas playlists to the end of time. By the end of the day, I'm sure Converse will have racked up the full album download. Or not. As it is, now, the button sends you to Soundcloud where you have to download each track individually. But it's worth it. My favorite track found by Christmas A-Go-Go (so far) this season. The Bluebeaters are an Italian Reggae and Ska band formed in 1994. Their latest single, a One Drop cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic", is on the Record Kicks label--the same folks who brought us that dynamic Christmas delight from The Diplomats of Sound in 2010 (Christmas A-Go-Go found that one, too). It doesn't appear that "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is on the vinyl 45 of "Toxic" (the postage would kill you anyway), but it is included in the digital single. Better still, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by The Bluebeaters is available as a stand alone free download. So Merry Christmas, everybody! It's a mover and a groover and a sprightly delight for any holiday occasion. Grab it while you can then dance your pants off (not literally, though). And take a few seconds to check out "Toxic" while you're over there. It's plenty awesome, too. Aarrrrgh! Can't believe my friends at Lie In The Sound found this one and I didn't. Swing Republic is an Electro Swing outfit from Denmark (west of Sweden...hey, that sounds like a great band name...West of Sweden) and, here, they've created a cool sound, re-imagining the Blues classic "Merry Christmas Baby" in their own unique style. And, the best part, they've done so while keeping Charles Brown's vocals. This track is sweet! It's Swing Jazz, it's Bkues, it's Electro Pop Indie, it's everything you'd want it to be. But do not dawdle. Swing Republic's label, Freshly Squeezed, has posted this as a "Limited Edition" Free Download, which probably means the downloads are capped. Use the widget above or head to Soundcloud. |
The FREE ListHere we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations. Archives2010 FREE List Categories
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