Category: Christian

Stubbys House of Christmas

ANDRE BYRD - GIVE IT AWAY

12/17/2015

Always room for a new Soul jam. Andre Byrd, based in Connecticut, ministers through music as he's been doing since he was 15 singing in his father's church. He founded his own music and arts organization in 2009 (180 Degree Enterprises) and has been focused on advancing the careers of other inspirational artists. But now, with his primary inspirational group on hiatus, he's working on his solo career.

For Christmas, Andre wrote this original song, "Give It Away", and that's just what he's doing with it. You can get Andre Byrd's "Give It Away" as a free download from his web site or via Soundcloud.

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.

VARIOUS - NOISETRADE HOLIDAY MIXTAPE 2015

12/8/2015

Like the rest of us, Noisetrade enjoys a good holiday mixtape. And it looks like they have a new dance partner. In the past, they've teamed up with Paste Magazine and HGTV to bring you some seasonal sounds. This year's collection is presented by Noisetrade and FanBridge, the outfit that helps bands keep track of how many folks are clicking through on emails (and assorted other services).

Some of these tunes, we've presented to you before--like Jetty Rae and Miranda Dodson. Some we hadn't gotten to yet and some are old friends, like Sleeping At Last and Drew Holcomb. Among my new favorites on the set...Dressy Bessy's "Kringles" (so long as nobody turns it into a potato chip commercial) and "My Favorite Time Of Year" by Jackopierce. Mostly CCM, Indie Pop, Folk Pop and Americana, every track is a winner and there are 20. So pour a glass of eggnog, turn on the tree, and enjoy the "Noisetrade Holiday Mixtape 2015". It's free at Noisetrade (thanks, Captain Obvious).

1. Dave Barnes- Better Than Christmas Day
2. Sleeping At Last- Snow
3. Angel Snow- O Holy Night
4. Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
5. Jars of Clay- Christmas for Cowboys
6. The Mastersons- This Holiday's No Holiday (Without You)
7. Corey Kilgannon- All Through the Night
8. Jackopierce- My Favorite Time of Year
9. Matt Wertz- Christmas Just Ain't Christmas (Without You)
10. Ellie Holcomb- Christmas For You And Me
11. Shannon LaBrie- My Snow Angel
12. Wade Bowen- O Holy Night
13. JJ Heller- Star Of Wonder
14. Jetty Rae- Christmas Kiss
15. Kyle Andrews- Next to You
16. Luke Dowler - All I Want For Christmas Is A New Guitar
17. Dressy Bessy- Kringles
18. Miranda Dodson- It's Merry Christmas Time
19. Danny Leggett- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
20. The Digital Age- Silent Night

THE WINTER FAILURE - ANOTHER CHRISTMAS FAILURE

12/8/2015

That's the one. Right there. "This Is Christmas". Gorgeous. Beautiful. Wonderful. An original. I forgive everything for a song like that.

The Winter Failure is (currently) an Indie Christian Alt Folk trio (yeah, I'm sticking with that). And it looks like each member is in a different city. I could be wrong, but that's what it looks like. So you can imagine that they'll do whatever it takes to record their music. Cassette recorder? Sure. You can get pretty good sound on a phone these days. Yep. Dixie cup and a thread? Why not? There's a wide range of "sound", here. They'll bounce around from some pretty decent sound to Lo-Fi to the hall closet. But, God help me, I love 'em. Their sincerity and passion for Christmas music is palpable. That can't be taught or bought. And they clearly love the Christmas music gig. And you gotta love that.

We first reviewed them back in 2010. It was very rough and raw, tough to sit through at times, but there was a sliver of promise. Last year (on December 8, no less....must be a thing), we listened to "Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning". One or two mis-steps but, overall, a really solid album, I thought, with some serious highlights. I thought they were on the verge of something grand. Listening to "Another Christmas Failure", I'd have to say its still a work in progress.

"Another Christmas Failure" opens with a rock arrangement of "Away In A Manger" and I thought that was a mistake. Your first song needs to set the tone for the rest of the record. It didn't. Even though I liked the arrangement, it sounded unfinished and I think you needed better ears on the sound/mixing board. "Christmas Waltz" has some genuine charm but, following "Away In A Manger", all that is lost. The original "Fever Wreath", "In The Bleak Midwinter", and "Snow" were more what I was hoping to hear from Winter Failure; those were on a par with last year's record.

"Fairytale Of New York"? What were you thinking? Nope. Nope. Not having it.

And then..."This Is Christmas". From the ridiculous to the sublime. Aw, man, you see that? You guys are capable of absolute beauty and brilliance like that--the rival of any of the Alt Folk/Indie Folk Rock bands out there. And then you throw "Fairytale of New York" at me? And I did enjoy the closing medley (well done and a nice closer).

All sins are forgiven, thanks to "This Is Christmas". I would tell people to download it for that magical moment. Heck, I'd pay for that one (which folks can do now that The Winter Failure is on iTunes and Amazon). More like that, please. And, honestly, I can even understand "Fairytale of New York" (if I squint real hard). But set yourself up for success. If it were me, I'd have opened with "Fever Wreath" followed by "In The Bleak Midwinter" and then "This Is Christmas". A stage gig would be totally different but, for the record, that's how I'd have gone.

"Another Christmas Failure" is available as a free download from Noisetrade. If you didn't last year, grab "Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning" while you're over there.

1. Away In A Manger
2. Christmas Waltz
3. Fever Wreath
4. In The Bleak Midwinter
5. Fairytale Of New York
6. Snow
7. This Is Christmas
8. Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring
9. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
10. White Christmas Medley (Live)

THE WINTER FAILURE ON FACEBOOK

JOSH WRIGHT - CHRISTMAS DREAM

12/7/2015

A youngish CCM artist from the tiny town of Celeste Texas, Josh Wright is on his third year of annual Christmas songs. For 2015, Josh has wrapped up his 3 original holiday tunes, tied a bow around them, and placed them under the tree for free downloading via Noisetrade.

"Christmas Dream" is clearly the bouncy Pop song of the three and was released, originally, in 2014 (though the EP version is remastered). The new one for this year is "I'm Coming Home", which is fall down beautiful. The strings are marvelous and the song should put anyone in a warm and wonderful holiday mood. And you can listen to the song on a secular level or a spiritual one (It's basically a Prodigal Son tale). And the little bit of "O Holy Night" in there? Genius. Harry Chapin did use "O Holy Night" for his song "Mr. Tanner" (and that, too, was brilliant), but, when Josh sings that line on "I'm Coming Home", you can feel him actually dropping to his knees, laying everything bare.

The 2013 Christmas song from Josh was "Christmas Time Is Here" (not the Vince Guaraldi tune). I'm less enamored of that one, though Josh does have a way with melody and imagery that's undeniable.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more from Josh--and more from Josh at Christmas time. In the mean time, head on over to Noisetrade for his "Christmas Dream" EP.

YOYO MICHEAL - OSIWI

11/28/2015

And now for something completely different.....

Actually, this new single from Nigerian Gospel artist Yoyo Micheal isn't all that different at all. That's one of the great things about Christmas music--it's pretty much universal. For the most part, "Osiwi", which means "Saviour", could just as easily have come from a contemporary performer of spiritual Soul in America. What I really dig about the tune, which begins with a bit of "Joyful Joyful" before taking off, is that you can hear the joy in the performance. It's not just a song Yoyo sings (she wrote it, too, by the way), it's clearly something she feels. And, if the singer legitimately feels the joy they're singing about, the listener can't help but feel it too (go on, Scrooge, give it a spin). Yoyo Micheal has only been recording since 2012 (though she's been singing since she was 8, when she was recruited by an adult choir). Her music has already received numerous awards and accolades in Nigeria (including "Best Gospel" for her 2014 single "Amen"). A part of the DBliss Media stable of artists, she is currently gearing up for her full-length debut. "Osiwi" is available as a free download through Soundcloud, courtesy of DBliss. You can follow Yoyo's career on Facebook.

BRETT WELLER & THE CONGREGATION - CHRISTMAS TIME IN NEW ORLEANS

11/20/2015

I think I'm gonna call this "Indie Jazz", 'cuz it's Jazzy, but mixed with an Indie Folk Rock kinda thing.

Brett Weller & The Congregation are a New Orleans band and they just love to cook up a gumbo with all the sounds, spices, and culture of the Big Easy. And, like any fine gumbo, it is a recipe all their own. The closest thing I could compare it to is probably the Rend Collective. And they're nothing like the Rend Collective. So there.

The group's Christmas single is "Christmas Time In New Orleans". It's new! And the only place you can find it (they tell me) is on Noisetrade. Ain't that some stuff?

TANYA GODSEY - IN ONE

11/20/2015

Born in Texas, Tanya Godsey is currently based in Nashville. "In One" was her Christmas single last year and it's currently available on Noisetrade as a free download (though it should be noted that all of her Noisetrade tips from the single will be donated to Doctors Without Borders). Tanya has that Indie Singer/Songwriter sound that lies somewhere between Ingrid Michaelson and Norah Jones.

"In One" is sung from Mary's point of view as she sees the perfection of God's work and love in this one beautiful child. I expect that feeling is fairly universal among new mothers. How could you hold and look at a newborn child and not ponder the miracle and perfection of it all? It, naturally, has a larger meaning when you're holding and looking at the Christ child.

If you're digging "In One", you might be interested to know that Tanya Godsey also has a sampler EP on Noisetrade. Same terms apply, with all tips going to Doctors Without Borders. And she has a 2013 Christmas single--"O Holy Night"--available through Bandcamp (that one will cost you a dollar). Look for a new album from Tanya in 2016 and stay up to date on that via Facebook.

HALF MILE HOME - THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS

11/2/2015

Certain genres of Christmas music are available in abundance as free downloads. And (I think) that's a very good thing. But I'm always on the lookout for the sounds that are harder to find free. Man does not live on Indie Rock and Folk Pop alone and I try to bring you a more well-rounded buffet to tickle ever inch of your musical tastebuds when I can.

Half Mile Home is a Gospel trio from Ohio who have successfully bridged the gap between traditional Gospel and contemporary Soul. "The Gift of Christmas" was released as a single in 2013 and, last year, the group made the song available as a free download via Soundcloud. "The Gift of Christmas", Half Mile Home wants you to know, isn't pretty lights, parties and presents under the tree. The true gift of Christmas is love. And God's love was gifted in the birth of his only son, Jesus Christ. It's a gift that's there for you to be had at any time, even if we officially only set aside one day a year the celebrate that gift. And that's what Christmas is really all about, Charlie Brown.

Both soulful and spiritual, "The Gift of Christmas" is a nice change of pace from a lot of the seasonal silliness we revel in (not that I don't love seasonal silliness), so this song is a nice addition to your holiday library and playlist. Grab it from Soundcloud before someone realizes you can still download it free. And pay these Gospel greats a visit at their website and Facebook page to stay current on the beautiful music they make. I'm still kinda waiting (if I didn't miss it somehow) for a full Christmas album from Half Mile Home. I have faith we'll get one, one day.

TRISTIN ROBERTS - COME ADORE

11/2/2015

1. Joy To The World/Come Alive
2. Angels We Have Heard On High
3. Little Drummer Boy
4. Come Adore Him
5. Lord, Jesus I Love Thee (Be Praised)
6. O Come O Come Emmanuel
7. Auld Lang Syne/Noel

ARTIST WEBSITE
DOWNLOAD AT NOISETRADE

I'm on more mailing lists than I care to think about and I'm not always sure how I got there but its usually from having purchased or downloaded Christmas music (and my memory isn't good enough to recall all of that, because I really can be quite excessive about it). But its never really a bad thing. So I'm not sure, exactly, when or how I got on Tristin Roberts' mailing list, but he's sent out a few music alerts through the year and I generally check his stuff out. Some of it I really like, and some not so much.

This selection of Christmas music, however, I really REALLY like.

Tristin is a CCM artist and a worship leader for his church in Sherwood, Oregon. His sound leans toward Alt Folk, though he slides easily into Indie Rock when he's a mind to, and he obviously has a good ear for winning pop melodies. Often, CCM is either more Christian than Contemporary or more Contemporary than Christian, but Tristin's music on "Come Adore" maintains an equitable balance of the two.

"Come Adore" is a collection of Christmas songs, a few of which I recognize as earlier recordings and (I'm guessing) a few are likely newly recorded. The EP is available via Noise Trade as a free download (tips gratefully accepted). Preserving the original beauty of these mostly ancient carols, Tristin nonetheless makes them his own--sometimes with new lyrics, sometimes through combination with other songs or through fresh arrangements, and sometimes just through sheer presence and ability.

"Come Adore" opens strong with uptempo Indie Pop Rock takes on "Joy To The World" and "Angels We Have Heard On High"--the latter quite awesome and perfect for most any holiday playlist. A lot of people don't like "Little Drummer Boy" much, but there's a quality to this Alt Folkish version that makes it sound fresh and uplifting. "Come Adore Him"--a re-working of "O Come All Ye Faithful"--was written for last year's Crossridge Music EP, "Spirit of Christmas" and is filled with quiet beauty and grace. "Lord, Jesus I Love Thee" is a pretty straight forward worship song, delivered as a Folk Pop ballad. Not my personal cup of tea, but there's no denying its very pretty. The tempo picks up again for "O Come O Come Emmanuel". And the set closes with "Auld Lang Syne" wherein (intentionally or not) Tristin's vocals remind me of some of Art Garfunkle's best. It leaves you wanting more and that says as much as anything else I could say.