We've done far too little of anything, here, this year. But I'm gonna get in at least one Hanukkah post. So here it is. Hanukkah, this year, begins at sundown on December 8. So, if you've been slackin', you'll need to get a move on to fill out that Hanukkah playlist.
Top of the list, right now, is the new single from Matisyahu. A few years back, he brought us "Miracle" which I tired of in a hurry. "Happy Hanukkah" is wearing much better with me, so far. It gives us a bit more of Matisyahu's trademark riddims with a little less over-the-top pop. Just my opinion. More, though, is the fact that the reggae rapper is donating all proceeds made between now and the end of Hanukkah (December 16) to the Jewish Federations of North America and The Robin Hood Foundation to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. And that, my friends, is Hanukkah Cool!
Grab "Happy Hanukkah" at Amazon, iTunes, and Matisyahu's own web site.
Top of the list, right now, is the new single from Matisyahu. A few years back, he brought us "Miracle" which I tired of in a hurry. "Happy Hanukkah" is wearing much better with me, so far. It gives us a bit more of Matisyahu's trademark riddims with a little less over-the-top pop. Just my opinion. More, though, is the fact that the reggae rapper is donating all proceeds made between now and the end of Hanukkah (December 16) to the Jewish Federations of North America and The Robin Hood Foundation to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy. And that, my friends, is Hanukkah Cool!
Grab "Happy Hanukkah" at Amazon, iTunes, and Matisyahu's own web site.
Our friends at Hip Christmas are back in action and it is from Randy (your humble Hip Christmas host) that I learned of the new 2-song digital single from Marcella Detroit. Marcella used to be part of the 80s synth rock outfit Shakespeare's Sister. Side 1, if you will, is "It's Still Christmas". Side 2, though, is "O Hanukkah" and I think both Randy and I agree it's the better of the two. We also both missed Marcella's 2011 "Happy Holiday" EP, which contains her faithful and reverent rendition of "Rock Of Ages". If you're looking for something both hip and traditional for your Festival of Lights, Marcella's your girl.
Ken Elkinson is an internationally renowned New Age artist who already had one splendid Christmas set under his belt, a solo piano outing from 2008 "Generations Of Yuletide", when he set forth upon the holiday waters again this year with two collections of ambient deliciousness. Ken's "Ambient Holidays Volume 1: Christmas Ambient" (as well as "Generations Of Yuletide") got a nice little write-up over at Merry & Bright not long ago. But it was always "Ambient Holidays Volume 2: Chanukah Ambient" that interested me. Hanukkah music is like the neglected step-child in virtually every holiday genre and that's true of the Ambient/New Age genre as well. Ken covers all the classics here (up to and including Peter Yarrow's "Light One Candle"), giving each song the respect it deserves but finding new pathways of light in the music and, thus, the celebration. I found "Sivivon" (usually done as an uptempo number) particularly moving and I don't think you'll ever hear "The Dreidel Song" quite the same again. Available on CD or in digital form through Amazon and other fine retailers. In light of Hurricane Sandy, Ken's also giving away free downloads of his "Music For Telecommuting" (which will be officially released next year) through the end of 2012.
By now, you know the Maccabeats, an a cappella group from Yeshiva University. They've turned in a couple of dazzling Hanukkah performances over the last couple of years (they tend to hit YouTube first, followed by mp3's when licensing can be arranged). Stand Four is a group of four former Maccabeats who graduated Yeshiva but can't stop doing that a cappella thing they do so well. Their debut video is "Eight Nights", an a cappella mash-up of Fun.'s "Some Nights", Kei$ha's "Die Young", and "Live While We're Young" from One Direction. It goes a little something like this.
I'm not big on the novelty, but I love the different. And how much more different could you want than a Steel Drum Hanukkah medley? Wilton Steel is a community steel drum band from Wilton, CT begun by Arthur Lipner in 2010. The Wilton Steel steel drum "Chanukah Medley" was actually a 2011 release, but it's cool enough to catch up with a year later. Catch up with Wilton Steel on Facebook and grab "Chanukah Medley" from Amazon.
Speaking of different, "Hanukkah Time" caught me just right for some reason. It's from Golden Boy (aka Fospassin), the Swiss born rapper whose biggest international hit (so far) was 2002's "Rippin Kittin" with Miss Kittin. There seems to be a lot of Hanukkah rap around these days, but much of it sounds like novelty stuff. Golden Boy sounds authentic (to me) and his hypnotic trance beat here is bound to stand out on any Hanukkah mixtape (or on any dance floor). I dig it. Your mileage (as always) may vary. Pick it up at Amazon, if it moves you.
Not generally big on children's music. Just a personal thing. Though I do like children's music that is done with adult sensibilities. Laurie Berkner has a new Christmas album in the genre and there's some I like and some I don't. Although not included on that album, Laurie has released a Hannukah track that I do like a whole lot. "Candle Chase" is a seldom covered round, which is a bit of a mystery because it's such a great song and a welcome break from "Dreidel". Last time I heard this was on the long out-of-print Fast Folk holiday album as done by the Short Sisters (who weren't actually sisters, though I can't say anything about their height). There, it was called "Chanukah Chase", but this is the same song and it's great to hear it again. Pick it up at Amazon.
We always get at least one sweet Indie Folk Hanukkah track each year and this year that honor falls to Julie Geller whose "Chanukah Hymn (Al Hanisim)" is truly chicken soup for the soul. It's a modern take (in English) of the Al Hanisim prayer and it should win you over almost as easily as it did me. Julie's a Denver based artist and, listening to some of her other music a bit, one I feel the need to delve a little more deeply into. "Chanukah Hymn" is readily available at Amazon. Oh, and here's the video.
No winter holiday is complete without a song or two from The Yule Logs. This year's CD from our favorite Christmas rockers ("the hardest working band in snow business") is a live set (yes, they really DO exist and play live music)--a double live set, in fact. It's entitled "Double Live" (oh, these guys are clever, they are) and it's just filled with holiday joy, including "The Story Of Hanukkah" and the classic "Hanukkah Mambo". You can find the digital download at Bandcamp, CD Baby, and iTunes. That's what's known as saving the best for last.
Peace out.
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