Category: Adult Contemporary

Stubbys House of Christmas

KAT JADE - WITH YOU ON CHRISTMAS EVE

12/25/2015

Kat Jade was a contestant on The Voice in 2014. What? You don't remember her? Well, you probably wouldn't unless you lived in Australia. Yes, 2014 was season three of Australia's The Voice. They had some cool judges. Kylie Minogue, will.i.am, Ricky Martin and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte. I wouldn't mind seeing them judge a season in this country (well, I don't really need to see Ricky Martin).

Anyway, Kat made it to the Live shows but didn't win. Of late, she's been pumping out Christmas videos on her Facebook page like M&Ms, but most aren't available for purchase or download in this country (yet). However, her original tune, "With You On Christmas Eve" is available as a free download on Soundcloud. So that's pretty cool, right?

"With You On Christmas Eve" is a sweet romantic ballad which Kat actually posted last year....on December 28. So she figured she's try it again this year...but actually on Christmas Eve. Kat says she wrote the song for her family and never intended on sharing it with anyone else, which is kinda sweet, if you think about it. Thankfully, someone must have convinced her to let us all have a listen. Head to Soundcloud for Kat Jade's "With You On Christmas Eve". It's a much shorter trip than going to Australia.

ELLIE GOULDING - O HOLY NIGHT

12/18/2015

If there's a thing as an Indie Pop superstar, that would be Ellie Goulding. She's topped the British charts and gotten as high as #2 on the US charts more than once and she's sold millions upon millions of records. The British magazine, The Fly, praised Ellie in 2010 for her "sparkling pop with a folky heart and an electronic edge". So when Ellie offers up a free Christmas tune, I sit up and take notice. There's nothing particularly folky or electronic about "O Holy Night"--it's just a beautiful traditional rendition. To get the free download of "O Holy Night", you will have to register here, but that basically means you surrender your email address which we Christmas Music hounds do all the time anyway.

IAN McNAMARA - (ON THE) EVE OF CHRISTMAS EVE

12/18/2015

I loved this song as soon as I heard it, but I've put off posting it in the hopes of learning more about Ian McNamara. I've come up with nothing. I do not believe this is the same Ian McNamara from Australia. This Ian McNamara is from London. He could be the music teacher Ian McNamara, but there's not enough for me to say yes or no. Doesn't seem to be a website and there are Ian McNamaras beyond the counting on Facebook. And, yes, I also tried "iMC". I give up.

So whoever you are, Ian McNamara, thank you for this lovely Christmas song, "(On The) Eve of Christmas Eve". There's a sort of Peter & Gordon quality to this song (and a necessary message), which is free to download on Soundcloud (as are the other Ian McNamara songs here).

LOREN SMITH - MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS

12/17/2015

Whether it's personal biases or there are truly significant differences in arrangements, etc., I can't help but feel NSYNC sounds better when anybody but they are singing their music. Loren Smith gives the track plenty of energy and a little bit of Soul, making "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" sound like finger-popping fun. And, hey, you "war on Christmas" folks--kindly note that it needn't be either/or; you can say both Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Here's the proof. Loren Smith, by the way, is a Los Angeles based Pop and Soul singer who has been called "the Luther Vandross of the next generation". So he's got that going for him, which is nice. Download "Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays" free at Soundcloud.

GINGER COYLE - IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS

12/17/2015

Gone are the days when WXPN's The Key would give us an entire album's worth of Christmas tunes (one a day, sometimes more), or so it seems. But they'll still drop one or two seasonal songs from Philly's best Indie acts--usually in the day or two around Christmas. "It Feels Like Christmas" is a sweet Jazzy shuffle from Ginger Coyle that The Key posted last December 26th. Chances are you weren't hunting down Christmas tunes the day after Christmas. So, if you missed it--as we did--you can still grab it free from WXPN's The Key.

VARIOUS - A VERY RELEVANT CHRISTMAS

12/17/2015

1. Sugar and the Hi-Lows, "Jingle Bells"
2. Ellie Holcomb, "Christmas For You And Me"
3. Citizen Shade, "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
4. Evan Wickham, "End Of Exile"
5. Hoyle, "Long Winters"
6. Ben & Nolle, "Angels We Have Heard On High"
7. Citizens & Saints, "Come And Stand Amazed"
8. Kings Kaleidoscope, "O Come All Ye Faithful"
9. Fleurie, "Wake Up (O Night Divine)"
10. Kids, "The Bleak Midwinter"
11. The Modern Post, "What Child Is This (feat. Dustin Kensrue)"
12. The Brilliance, "Christ The Lord Is Born"

1. Sleeping At Last, "I Heard The Bells"
2. Kyle Cox, "Don't Make My Christmas Blue"
3. John Mark McMillan, "Joy To The World"
4. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, "Hark The Herald Angels Sing"
5. Gungor, "Oh Light (feat. All Sons & Daughters)"
6. Tow'rs, "Auld Lang Syne"
7. Found Wandering, "Lo How A Rose E're Blooming"
8. Andy Squyres, "Here Is Wisdom"
9. Jeremiah Daly, "Away In A Manger"
10. Josh Hoke, "Peace On Earth"
11. Branches, "O Come O Come Emmanuel"
12. The Oh Hellos, Mvmt III, "Silent Night, Holy Night"

If you want to sample a wide swath of CCM--or just listen to a ready-made CCM mixtape, there's the annual collection from the on-line Relevant magazine. They're up to Volume 5, this year, of "A Very Relevant Christmas". It was released in two parts, but its all together now. This is one of those sites where you have to register and then verify your email (or you can "connect with Facebook", which I recommend you never do; Facebook is far too free with the sharing of far too much information for my taste).

"A Very Relevant Christmas, Vol. 5" features lots of artists we've featured before--Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors, Sleeping At Last, Sugar & The Hi-Lows, The Oh Hellos, and Found Wandering, to name a few--as well as bands and artists that were new to me and may be to you as well. A couple of bands that were new to me (probably...I go through so much Christmas music, its hard to remember everybody) that I very much enjoyed were Ben & Noile, who provided a splendid up-beat New Wavey Electro Pop take on "Angels We Have Heard On High" and Fleurie, a Nashville based Folk Pop artist/band whose "Wake Up (O Night Devine)" recalled for me the best of that genre (I'd throw out names like A Fine Frenzy or Tori Amos, but my head's a little crowded right now and I'm not sure those are the right names).

Anyway, some good stuff and free (for an email addy). "A Relevant Christmas, Volume 4" is still available, as are some non-Christmas collections. Register at Relevant.

NOAH GUTHRIE - RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

12/15/2015

One of the tunes we posted last year that got a lot of positive feedback was Noah Guthrie's version of "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home". Guthrie de-Spectorized the tune and made it a lament. Guthrie has a new Christmas tune out for 2015 and, like its predecessor, it's available as a free download from Noisetrade. On "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", Guthrie's recipe includes a bit of Funk and a dash of Jazz (and maybe even a smidgen of Reggae). Those are the seasonings added to Guthrie's Indie Alt Folk Rock sound. It's interesting. Cool, even. But I'm not sure it's the equal of "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home". Then again, it's kind of hard to get deep and meaningful singing about reindeer games. Both songs are still free at Noisetrade.

US THE DUO - I'LL BE THERE SOON

12/14/2015

Michael and Carissa were solo artists from opposite sides of the country, both on a path that figured to bring them success. In 2011, they met, fell in love, and decided to work on music together, forming Us The Duo. They built their success through Youtube and releasing singles through other social media and have since released two full albums. Oh, yeah, they got married somewhere in there. Did I forget to mention that?

Us The Dup have released a Christmas song this year, "I'll Be There Soon", and made it available as a free download on Noisetrade. It's one of the sweetest tunes I've heard this season, featuring Indie Pop style with Jazz Pop sensibilities. I could see Michael Buble doing this in duet--maybe with Carly Rae Jepsen (OT, but I'm glad Buble is keeping up with the annual Christmas specials; somebody needed to do that and it was super cool to see Sharon Jones on there this year).

Anyway, as I'm sure Michael and Carissa thought when they met, you do not want to let this one get away. Head to Noisetrade and download "I'll Be There Soon" from Us The Duo.

CANOPY CLIMBERS - THE CHRISTMAS SONG

12/11/2015

Not much to say about Canopy Climbers and this Indie cover of "The Christmas Song" except that it's well done and eminently mixtape worthy. The song isn't too far afield from the lush Pop of Sleeping At Last (virtually Ambient Pop), but the group also works in more energetic colors. The three members of Canopy Climbers originated in Arkansas, but now live in different cities. They do all of their writing and recording via the Internet. Use the widget or head to Soundcloud.

KAT EATON - CHRISTMAS EP

12/11/2015

A young UK Soul/Blues/Pop singer/songwriter, Kat Eaton has been compared to Amy Winehouse and, believe it or not, Joe Cocker. That's on the strength of her original music and performances. Listening to this gorgeous "Christmas EP", the first name that popped into my head was Joss Stone. I don't think that's quite right either, but the point is the woman has Soul. Kat's only commercial release so far (that I know of) is last year's EP "Live Ont' Sofa at the Foundry" ("Live at the Foundry" for short). But she is working on a new record, now, and you might want to "like" her at Facebook to find out what's coming and when.

The "Christmas EP" is just three songs long and they're very much seasonal standards. I almost took a pass, but decided to give it a shot. I have lived my entire life without knowing that "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" had such beauty and depth. The secret, of course, is that it really doesn't....but Kat does. Unlike a lot of artists who give a perfunctory nod to the season with a standard cover, Kat puts so much of herself into these songs that they are absolutely her's. I'm trying very hard to not like "Let It Snow", but Kat makes that impossible. And that's the least impressive of the trio (to me). The other two melt me into a puddle on the floor. Just. So. Beautiful. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" hasn't packed this much of an emotional impact since Judy Garland sang it. The rest of Kat's portfolio might be of a different flavor--haven't listened to much--but knowing she can do this....I eagerly await whatever she does next. Grab Kat Eaton's "Christmas EP" at Soundcloud or use the widget above.