Blog Archives

CEE LO GREEN CHRISTMAS?

5/11/2012

Photo by Mark Ashman

We've got quite a little backlog of artists working on Christmas albums to tell you about, but this one just "came across the wire", as they say, and it's unexpected enough to merit an immediate mention.

This season's The Voice has wrapped for the year and one of the contestants who didn't win, Anthony Evans, Jr., let slip that he is currently recording background vocals for a Cee Lo Green Christmas album.

Cee Lo, who serves as one of the judges on NBC's The Voice, has written and recorded several iconic smash tunes already--most notably "Crazy" with Gnarls Barkley and the solo track "Forget You". He also performed Donny Hathaway's "This Christmas" last season as part of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade television special and also for "Christmas In Washington". Additionally, you might have caught Cee Lo on Christmas In Rockefeller Center singing the traditional "Silent Night". So, apparently, he's been bursting with holiday spirit for the last half year or more.

It'd be nice to see Cee Lo write an original holiday tune that's as universally true and relatable as "Crazy" and "Forget You", but I guess we'll have to wait and see. Cee?

0 Comments

THE FIRST DROP OF CHRISTMAS 2012

5/4/2012

1 Comment

We're about ten days away from the first new Christmas release of 2012. At least I think it's a new release. In this country certainly. I sh#t you not. The digital EP "Merry Jazzup Christmas!" hits American and International outlets May 14, including Amazon MP3. This appears to be a Korean jazz effort featuring the vocals of Hyungmi Kim on a pair of Christmas classics with the swinging and swaying holiday playing of Ebony Hill, Gunmin Lee, and Wonsuk Choi on all four. Near as I can tell, this was released December 1 in the Korean market, but even my favorite Asian music haunts don't show it bouncing in before the May 14 date. "The Christmas Song" is done up very nice and I truly dig the bass player, but it's more Smooth than Jazz and that's not what I'm in the mood for at present. I blame Kenny G. You're mileage, as always, may vary.

Actually, there have been a few other very early releases--as there are every year--mostly holdovers from late last year (often initially available from the artist web site). But I can't say as I've run across anything of significance.

We'll shortly be telling you about some of the releases you can look forward to this coming Christmas, but let's tackle a tiny bit of housekeeping right now. Our "List" of 2011 releases will soon move to the archives and we'll start building a new one. Thing about doing that list is that--come December--it's awfully hard to find the time to update it properly. So you might be interested to know that the Irish Rovers Christmas set, "Merry Merry Time Of Year" (originally only available if you caught the boys on tour), can now be had in mp3 form via Amazon or any of the usual hot spots. Hard copies are available from the band and will run you $20.

Also from our 2011 TBA list, Canadian Country singer Carole Champagne did, at some point, release her holiday CD "Christmas Carole" and you can purchase that direct from Carole for $15 (postage included). Stop by her web site for details. Likewise, the Weaver Believer Survival Revival issued their Christmas album "Sunday Singin' Round The Tree Again" in December. If Bluegrass Gospel is your thing, WBSR might just have the album you're looking for. The hard copy CD sells for $15 (plus $3 for shipping). Don't see a digital version anywhere as yet.

I don't have any idea what became of the possible releases from Ty Herndon, Milkshake or Classical crossover artist William Joseph; maybe this year. And it looks as though Monica's holiday set was pushed off to this year, as were the Christmas albums from Gord Bamford and Judy Pancoast. That single from Leona Lewis and Jessie J.? Well, I know for a fact they recorded it. When they will release it is anybody's guess. I guess I'll just have to keep it in the TBA column until they do.

And, in case you missed it, we did manage to link up "Hi Fi Christmas Party, Vol. 3" before Christmas. You'll find the link to Jam at the very top of our 2011 TBA section. That highly anticipated release is now also available through Amazon and CD Baby. And remember, proceeds benefit the Blood Center in Milwaukee as they raise awareness of and fund research on Von Willebrands disease.

For my part, I just made what I presume will be my final Christmas purchase of the 2011 holiday season. "Christmas Memories" from the Lima Symphony Orchestra and Shannon O'Neil was released December 10. It was one of the earlier projects to take up residence on our List last year. I'm not generally a Symphony Orchestra kind of guy, but I love local music and this one kind of intrigued me. And, anyway, I'm a sucker for the pretty ladies. So I sprung for it. Unless you happen to live in or near Lima, Ohio, the only place you're likely to find this one is on Amazon where Shannon herself is the private vendor selling it ($10 plus postage). No song samples to steer you to, I'm afraid.

I'll Be Home For Christmas
Little Drummer Boy
Home Alone
Christmas Waltz
First Noel
Joy To The World
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
White Christmas
We Three Kings
O Come All Ye Faithful
Can You Hear What I Hear?

1 Comment

About us

I love Christmas, music, and cats. What more do you need to know?
Anyone wishing to contact Stubby's for any reason may do so by emailing:
[email protected].
Readers should assume that any item reviewed on this site has been provided by the artist or label in exchange for promotional consideration, whether or not that is actually the case. If you are the copyright holder for any song or image appearing here and wish that item to be removed, please let me know via email and I will remove it forthwith. My intentions are to inform and interest people in your work, so that they might purchase it; not to provide anyone a way to avoid doing so.

PRIVACY POLICY

FestiveFriends

FaLaLaLaLa
Imwan Seasonal Sounds
Ernie (Not Bert)
Christmas Underground
200 Days of Christmas
Mistletunes
Merry & Bright
Christmas A Go Go
Lie In The Sound
Hip Christmas
The Sounds of Christmas
Santas Working Overtime
Snowflake Singles blog
Tim Neely Stuff
Amelia's Xmas Mixes
A Christmas Yuleblog
Jingle Bell Rocks
Christmas TV History
Bells Will Be Ringing
MY(P)WHAE
Xmas Song Blog
Hip Hop Santa
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Outhouse Moon
Big Bags of Holly
Hi-Fi Holiday
The Yule Log
Wonderful Wonderblog
Distinctly Jamaican Sounds
2 U I Bestow
Diggin' It
Filles Sourires
Roy Forbes
Danny Stiles
I Need New Hobbies
...Too Many Hobbies
Night Owl
Beach, Boogie & Blues
Country Oldies (Michael & Stu)
Stubby's Labor Quotes

The Twitters

Santas Working Overtime
Christmas Underground
Xmas Song Blog
Santapalooza
Jingle Bell Rocks
King of Jingaling

CEE LO GREEN CHRISTMAS?

THE FIRST DROP OF CHRISTMAS 2012

About us

FestiveFriends

The Twitters

Archives

Categories