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MERCYME - MERCYME, IT'S CHRISTMAS !

7/31/2015

Hey, look, more cover art and track lists! MercyMe, the CCM Rockers from Texas, are getting ready to drop their second holiday album. Their first, "The Christmas Sessions", was released a decade ago and reached #3 on the Christian charts and earned them an appearance on The Tonight Show. "Joseph's Lullaby", the lead single from that record, reached #1. In all, the group has charted 8 holiday tracks on the Christian charts, with half of them crossing over to the AC charts (big winner there "Silent Night", which reached a secular #6).

"MercyMe, It's Christmas!" includes both standard songs of the season and brand new MercyMe originals and is slated to arrive October 9 at all the usual on-line spots.

Newborn
Christmastime Again
Sleigh Ride
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Hold On Christmas
A Holly Jolly Christmas
Go Tell It On The Mountain
Do You Hear What I Hear
Our Lullaby
Joy
O Come, O Come

Haven't seen any audio for the new one yet, so here's a taste from "The Christmas Sessions".

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ROCKIN' RUDOLPH - BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA

7/29/2015

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The cover art and track list for "Rockin' Rudolph" have been released and pre-orders are available through PledgeMusic.

1. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
2. "Yabba-Dabba Yuletide"
3. "Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
4. "Rockabilly Rudolph"
5. "Here Comes Santa Claus"
6. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
7. "Swingin' Joy"
8. "Carol of the Bells"
9. "Little Jack Frost"
10. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"
11. "O Little Town of Bethlehem"
12. "Yabba-Dabba Yuletide" (extended)

The limited and numbered Deluxe Box Set (Exclusively available from Brian via PledgeMusic) also includes two bonus instrumentals from BSO--"Little Drummer Boy" and "Deck The Halls".

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THE FULL NELSON

7/27/2015

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There is only one family to reach #1 on the Pop charts for three successive generations. Matthew & Gunnar Nelson struck gold with their infectious Pop hit "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" in 1990, following in the footsteps of their father, Ricky Nelson, and their grandparents, Ozzie & Harriet Nelson. Nelson hit the charts a few more times in the early nineties and then faded from the spotlight, no doubt handicapped by being classified as Glam Rockers and a Hair Metal Band just as those genres were hitting the downward slope. And, really, that was unfair. There's no question the brothers had the hair to be a Hair band, but the music they made was, at its core, just Pop music which likely could have succeeded in any era or genre with differing arrangements. I mean, honestly, listen to "Love and Affection" today and tell me that is anything but a great Pop song.

Nelson has reemerged over the past few years and you might no longer recognize them. Gone are the waist-length golden locks and equally gone are the trappings and sounds of a Hard Rock band. They've even dropped the Nelson moniker, now appearing and recording under their full names, Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. The hair may be shorter, the band name longer, and the Nelsons are now a little more Country and a little less Rock N Roll. But they still sing a sweet song and, as you can hear in the clip above, that's a good thing. Yeah, so they aren't the next Whitesnake (or whatever) anymore. But they might just be the second coming of Don and Phil Everly and, trust me, that's something this tired old world needs.

The changes didn't come overnight. First, Geffen dropped them, which the brothers greeted as an emancipation. Then Warner Brothers signed them. On the advice of fellow songwriter Gary Burr, the brothers Nelson journeyed to Nashville in 1995. They were nearly through a new album of Modern Country when Warner decided that wasn't what they were looking for and shut the Nelsons down. It was just like a line out of their father's 1972 hit, "Garden Party". And, just as Ricky had done, they realized that "you can't please everyone so you got to please yourself".

Matthew and Gunnar founded their own label, releasing assorted music from the archives, live Nelson material, tracks and albums their label had quashed, a tribute album to their father, etc. They released the scuttled Country album, "Brother Harmony", in 2000. A solid album, by all accounts, "Brother Harmony" today fetches more than $200 on Amazon. Since then, Matthew and Gunnar have been finding greater and greater acceptance--especially with Country audiences. And, this fall, they plan to embrace that acceptance with a two-disc Christmas album with a strong Country flavor.

One disc from the Nelsons' as yet unnamed Christmas set will be entirely instrumental...the other, vocal. There's at least one original on the album, "This Christmas", featuring Alyssa Bonagura (whose parents are two-thirds of Baillie & The Boys). Matthew and Gunnar admit they likely would not be releasing the Christmas album this year (or at all) had it not been for the warm reception they received at last year's CMA festival. I'm intrigued. Aren't you?

If the Nelsons' story has you thinking that Garden Party road only runs in one direction, then you may not know the story of T. Graham Brown. Because it was popular in his native Georgia and what the local clubs were hiring, Brown came up as a Beach Music performer. If you're not from the South, that's a much longer discussion (we did touch upon it in our 2010 Previews section). Suffice it to say that Beach Music is a combination of Rock, Country and R&B, with the emphasis generally on the latter. Hooks and horns aplenty.

T. Graham burst upon the national Country scene with the Top Ten single "I Tell It Like It Used To Be", following that one with a string of Country hits including 3 number ones. Although the music he recorded for Capitol was Country, there were still strong R&B influences. Given Brown's voice, its hard to see how there couldn't be. Capitol wasn't terribly fond of T. Graham's sound, in spite of the hits, and, once Garth Brooks joined the label, they provided precious little support. T. Graham asked for and got his release from the label even though staying would have netted him close to a million dollars.

After that, Brown learned how difficult it was to get heard and paid if you didn't have the clout of a Garth Brooks. Warner Brothers signed him and promised much, but delivered nothing. It was the same story at Sony. They kept Brown in a holding pattern for over a year and, when they finally let him cut some sides, Sony didn't like them and dropped Brown from their roster. Next came a string of small and independent labels. When records were released, there was no distribution and, therefore, no money. Just as often, companies would fold before the records could even be released. What made this especially frustrating was that Brown was recording all this music which no one ever heard and there wasn't a thing he could do about it since the labels owned the recordings.

The worst came in 1998. Brown had cut a Gospel infused number, "Wine Into Water", and released it independently. It took awhile but the song hit big on the Christian charts. When it crossed over to the Country charts, a powerful RCA executive called radio stations and had the song killed, telling them not to play it because RCA didn't want any independently released record hitting the charts. And Brown has been seldom heard on Country radio ever since.

There's more but, cutting to the chase, T. Graham eventually realized that doing things right meant doing them himself.

T. Graham Brown has been talking about recording a Christmas album for the past several years but, so far, all we've gotten is a digital single, "It Ain't Christmas", in 2011. That all changes October 2 with the release of "Christmas With T. Graham Brown". The album will feature both original music and what T. calls "fan favorites"--songs like"Jingle Bell Rock", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", "Away In A Manger", and "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree". One original I hope to see on the album is "Mary Had A Little Lamb". Brown wrote the song with his wife, recorded it with Jimmy Fortune of the Statler Brothers in 2010, and pressed about 50 copies to sell at shows. They went quick. T. Graham had earlier said he wanted to re-record that one for the Christmas album and was hoping to have Fortune, Vince Gill, and Alison Krauss all join him on it this time (schedules permitting).

In addition to "It Ain't Christmas", T. Graham has a pair of holiday tracks recorded over a decade ago that turn up on various budget Various Artists compilations--"Jingle Bell Rock" and "Winter Wonderland".

One last piece of trivia for you. T. Graham's band is called--at their own request--The Mighty Rack of Spam. How can you not love that?

Danny Gokey, a former American Idol contestant, will be releasing a Christmas album this year. Danny's an interesting artist, musically, because he is so accessible across the board. Pop, Country, Blues, Soul, CCM and Gospel--he wears all those hats with quiet ease, and quite often several at once. Danny released a cover of "Tennessee Christmas" back in 2010, and that was good, but he's progressed so much as an artist since then that the Christmas album could be absolutely amazing. He also contributed a rendition of "O Holy Night" to the Kohl's Cares exclusive charity Christmas disc in 2011.

If you blow up this picture a little bit, you can see what the cover art might be and that the album title is "This Christmas" (not the new Nelson brothers original, silly. The Donny Hathaway track, obviously).

"This Christmas" from Danny Gokey is expected to include "White Christmas", "Mary Did You Know", and a Gokey original "Lift Up Your Eyes" (when I heard the title, I thought it might be Leeland's gorgeous worship anthem, "Lift Your Eyes Up"; oh, well, maybe he can do them both). And, obviously, a lot more. One persistent fan discovered (by digging through publishing records) that Danny has written (but not yet recorded) another original Christmas song--"Hey Santa". So....could be. Look for "This Christmas" in late October.

A few more quickie tidbits for you.

It might have sounded like a good idea in theory to release a Christmas EP each year for three years, but its possible it didn't seem so good in practice. While we don't yet know the fate of the originally expected third chapter of LeAnn Rimes Christmas trilogy, she did decide to do a full Christmas album this year. "One Christmas--Chapter Two" (or whatever she ends up calling it) is likely going to drop in late October. I could be wrong, but I figure a full album this year might mean no Christmas EP next year. That's the kind of gear change you do when you just want it over and done. FWIW, LeAnn says she's very proud of how it turned out.

Motown artist India Arie has confirmed, through multiple sources and platforms, that her Christmas album will be released this year, though she's still waiting for an official release date. She recorded the album last year with the legendary Joe Sample. I didn't think about it at the time, but Joe's passing last September may be why the record was held over and not released last year as originally expected.

We've listed the coming album from the former lead singer of Finnish Metal band Nightwish, even though it probably isn't really a proper holiday set. First of all, I love Tarja Turunen. And, second, I do consider "Ave Maria" a Christmas song. It took many years for me to realize there wasn't just one "Ave Maria" and many more years after that before I realized there weren't just two. Turns out there are over 400 different musical takes on "Ave Maria"--some using the traditional words of the prayer and others using a different text entirely. Tarja's coming album, "Ave Maria -- En Plein Air", features twelve unique visions of "Ave Maria" including one of her own. This is a Classical album, not a Rock one, so some longtime fans may want to take a pass. To be precise, this is Tarja's Classical album debut, though she was classically trained and many of her songs sound almost operatic. She is just an incredible vocalist, so I admit I'm curious to hear what she does on this one. The album is currently scheduled for a September 18 release and, unlike her other solo recordings, it looks like this one will get an immediate domestic release here in the states. Tarja did release a true Christmas album several years back, "Henkays Ikuisuudesta", and I, personally, loved it. That one isn't a Metal album, either, but it does include a fairly awesome cover of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)", so there's that.

And there's no question that my favorite from Tarja's Christmas album is "You Would Have Loved This". It's definitely one of my Top Ten all time favorite holiday tracks and one that is a mandatory part of my personal Christmas playlist every year. Honest to God, I tear up almost immediately. Its such a beautiful song and it always puts me in mind of the people I've lost along the way, including Mom and Dad. And so that's what I'm closing with today.

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KC & STUBBY'S HOLIDAY SCREW-UP

7/23/2015

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Man, the Christmas music news has been...nearly non-existent. Time was I'd be finding out about coming Christmas albums at a rate of nearly one a day by now. And the new "universal Friday release date" isn't helping, either. When the US had the Tuesday release date, the on-line retailers would update their listings on Tuesdays (with some stragglers from the prior week updated late Sunday). So you'd think they'd be updating their listings on Fridays, now. But, no. Instead, they seem to be updating their listings in a scattershot fashion throughout the week, with most of the updates coming on.......wait for it......Tuesdays. I don't get it.

Since last week, we've only learned of one coming holiday set, and that one from an artist we'd already listed as Possible. I still think it might be jumping the gun to list it as a TBA, but somebody's got to make the donuts

Anyway, we hear, now, that Harry Wayne Casey has his Christmas boogie shoes on and will release his seasonal disc this autumn. Harry Wayne Casey is, of course, KC who, along with his Sunshine Band, ruled the charts and airwaves throughout the seventies. Well, at least in any week the Bee Gees weren't crowding everybody out (and in some weeks where they were). Having already released one new album this year, "Feeling You" (an album of 60s covers that was met with mixed reviews), KC now says the Christmas album will drop this fall and will feature 7 traditional songs and 4 originals. And that's all we know about that.

EYE CANDY

So I figure its finally time to share my holiday screw-up from last year, which I briefly alluded to here. What the heck, nobody much is reading Christmas blogs this time of year anyway, right? (Shhh. I won't say anything if you don't).

T'was right around Christmas time last year...just a couple of days before the Big Day...and I'm out there doing what I do, hunting up holiday freebies, you know. And I found one.

And I start listening--cause you have to be able to tell people whether its good or whether it sucks. And I'm digging it. Right away, I'm digging it. It's a local artist compilation and a couple of tracks are lo-fi, but in the best way. And it's just....peppy and.....fun. I mean, one way to go with a Christmas album is all serious and somber and there's nothing wrong with that. But another way to go is to just have a blast with it. And these folks were having a blast. And so was I. It was kinda like the Sharknado of Christmas albums. And let me just drop a word in the ear of the Sharknado people at SyFy for a second. Sharknado Christmas. Just think about it.

It's a large collection--28 tracks. And I'm listening straight through, not sampling or nothin'. And I do my usual thing of digging a bit deeper and I find that the collection is also available on cassette (they wanted some kind of hard-copy and cassette was, financially and time-wise, the most workable). Limited edition of 150 (at the time, anyway).

If you couldn't tell from this piece, pretty much everything I write here is stream of consciousness (except most of the reviews, which I do try to put serious effort into). So I start typing as I'm listening to the set for the second time straight through. And I'm typing away and really digging this thing. Having a merry ole time. Man, I can't wait to post this one for people, I'm thinking. And the download is FREE! How cool is that?

There's this other thing I do fairly often. If its an unusual buying platform, I'll go ahead and buy it so I can tell you, my readers, if it works and how well. As I'm finishing up my couple of paragraphs on the collection, I go out to buy the cassette version. I'm not a big cassette guy, but I am digging this music, so.... And the second I complete my purchase, the site changes the availability to "sold out". And I'm figuring, well, at least the download is free. But it wasn't. Not anymore. My cassette purchase triggered the "sold out" which, in turn, triggered the download to no longer be free. And I hadn't even done the free download myself, yet. And I was just so embarrassed and full of guilt. Had I just posted the free download, chances are at least a few of you could have grabbed it free before somebody else bought that last cassette. I mean, I know its not exactly a crime against humanity or anything. But still.... It's my fault and I'm sorry.

Adding insult to injury, I didn't tell you about the album at all. And it was, I thought, really good. A real holiday blast.

Several months later, the cassettes have been restocked, apparently. Ten bucks for that. And maybe I'm just crazy or the victim of a holiday sugar rush and you won't like it at all. But that wasn't an issue when it was free. You could have downloaded and not worried about that. But the download is still only $5. And I still love it. And you can try before you buy, 'cause its Bandcamp. I just wish I hadn't bought that cassette until after Christmas. I screwed-up. Lil' bit.

Here's the piece I wrote at the time (a lot shorter than this preamble). Please ignore the line where I say its free (for crap sake). Sacramento rocks, y'all!

1.   The Diamond Center - Christmas Is Here
2.   Soft Science - Marshmallow World
3.   Bummer & Lazarus - A World Without Christmas
4.   Josh Goodman - Christmas In The Valley
5.   Bright Ideas - When You Think About Christmas Time
6.   2014 - You Gotta Love Christmas
7.   Dylan Barnes - O Holy Night
8.   Red Hot Fire - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
9.   Knock Knock - White Christmas (Fog Version)
10. Charles Albright - White Christmas Minority
11. Gangee - Festivus (For The Rest Of Us)
12. The Strange Party - N(eg)ativity
13. Andy Tate - All I Want
14. Dylan Barnes - White Christmas
15. Danny Offer - The Christmas Party
16. Kittens Having Kittens - It's Warmer When You're Near
17. The Crow Canyon Boys - You Left Me On Christmas
18. The Enlows - Winterman
19. Matt Crap (from The MOANS) - Scary Christmas To All (And To All A Ghoul Night)
20. White Women Love Jazz - Yule Shoot Your Eye Out
21. The Ninja Family Orchestra - Jingle Bells DOMESTIC HONEY BLOG
22. Dylan Barnes - Carol Of The Bells PURCHASE DOWNLOAD FROM BANDCAMP
23. The Croissants - Corn Cob Pipe PURCHASE CASSETTE FROM PLEASANT SCREAMS
24. Tell el-Armana - First To Arrive
25. Han's Father - Christmas On Tatooine
26. The Caganers - (Poo Poo) Caga Tio
27. The Four Eyes - The Christmas Mash
28. Dylan Barnes - Silent Night

I have to say this is one of the most fun collections of Christmas music I've heard this year. Domestic Honey is, according to his profile, "just a dude in Sacramento that tricks his friends into recording stuff he can put out." It was as recently as September that this "dude" (Cody Scott) decided to go for it--get a bunch of local Sacramento musicians and bands to write and record Christmas music. So they definitely made good time. The music covers the Indie waterfront, with most of it tending toward Rock and Pop (but there's lots of variety). With so little time to pull it together, there's a raw sound to the compilation, with a few tracks in the Lo Fi range. And every song has its charm. This reminds me of a lot of early Indie Pop and Indie Rock. The spirit's there. I can't even tell you the highlights. It's easier to tell you the tracks I don't like......there were none. On a collection of 28 tracks, do you know how hard that is to pull off? It's a million to one shot. The songs are mostly short (some clocking in at under a minute) and Dylan Barnes' organ interludes are a special added delight.

Zombie lovers, there's a track for you from Matt Crap of the Moans. Star Wars fans, you're covered. And there's Lo Fi Alt Bluegrass from The Crow Canyon Boys. Or maybe its Punk Bluegrass. Who even knew there was such a thing? Electronica? Yeah, we got that from White Women Love Jazz (and, ok, that was my least favorite). Bummer and Lazarus rework a Peter & Gordon classic into "A World Without Christmas". The Four Eyes give a spritely Alt Rock version of "The Monster Mash". And the "Silent Night" closing is priceless ("Dylan, keep going damn it, I'm not done"). "A Christmas Comp For You" has got something for just about everybody. Now, true enough, I like more things than I don't. But I think even the biggest Grinch is going to find at least 6 or 7 tracks, here, that they absolutely love. And, if you can't find just one--just ONE--song, here, to use on your mixtapes, I dunno; I'd have to guess you're too conventional for my taste. It's free, for crap sake. Just download it and try it on for size. You'll find "A Christmas Comp For You" on Bandcamp.

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SEASONAL SAMBA

7/20/2015

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Yeah, sure, I'm interested in new Christmas music from Kenny Rogers and Brian Setzer. And I'm downright jumping-up-and-down excited about a Christmas album from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. But what really lights my Christmas tree are the gems waiting behind the big gaudy boxes...those off-the-beaten-path artists combining sounds and influences in ways that make them shine like a blue diamond in a field of cubic zirconia. And here comes our blue diamond lady right now.

You might not be familiar with Carla Hassett, but you've probably heard her voice. Her singing has been featured in many films, including Rio and Rio 2. Carla was born in Brazil but raised in America. Her home was filled with the music of Brazil, but she was also raised on the Pop music of the 70s and the New Wave music of the eighties. She studied guitar and piano and was writing her own songs at a very early age. She began performing professionally at the age of 19 and, soon after, found herself touring with acts as diverse as Sergio Mendes and Billy Idol. Carla's been recording for a number of years, now, with one of her best known tracks, in this country, being her duet with Faith No More's Mike Patton on a Samba cover of the Beatles "Julia" (in Brazil, the fave is Carla's original "Teu Olhar"). Writing original music is a very big part of Carla's craft.

Listening to Carla is an experience unlike any other. Her influences are many and varied and you'll hear all of them, sooner or later...a bit of Latin Jazz, a bit of Motown, some contemporary Pop, a smidge of Alt Rock, some R&B, Funk, and Blues, and (of course) Samba.

So when I see a notice like this on Twitter:

...yeah, I get a little excited. That was posted last week.

Excited as I may be, I should tell you that we're unlikely to get a full holiday album from Carla this year. Her current full-length project is "Blue", for which she's just launched a Kickstarter campaign and that is the Carla Hassett album you can expect to see before the end of the year. So whether she's cutting a Christmas track or two for an upcoming compilation, a seasonal single, or for a full-length Christmas album next year...we don't have an answer to that question just yet. But you can bet I'll be looking for holiday music from Carla, wherever and whenever it turns up. Follow along with me via Carla's web site or Facebook.

And, anyway, this teaser for "Blue" sounds spectacular!

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ONCE AGAIN IT'S KENNY

7/14/2015

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Kenny Rogers has announced that he'll be back with a new studio Christmas album this year, "Once Again It's Christmas". I mention "new" and "studio" because everyone seems to gloss right over the fact that he released a live Christmas album just a few years back (2010, I think). Kenny's last new studio Christmas record was 1998's "Christmas From The Heart". It's also being said that this is Kenny's sixth Christmas record. But, goodness me, there are three pages of the things over at Amazon.

For "Once Again It's Christmas", the Gambler is recruiting some special guest artists including Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland fame (though I'm still hoping we get a full album from her this year), Alison Krauss, Home Free, and a Country Pop duet known as Winfield's Locket. There's also a track featuring Jim Brickman, but I've got to believe that's "That Silent Night" which appeared on Brickman's Amazon Exclusive CD last winter (which gets the wide release treatment this year).

As he has for the last 34 years, Kenny will be hitting the road with a Christmas tour (featuring Linda Davis)--this year armed with a whole new batch of songs. I've never seen it myself, but I hear its a heckuva show.

And, hey, this is kinda weird--especially in a post about Kenny Rogers (I just hate doing a post about just one release; it bothers me for some reason....seems inefficient....or something).

Sci-Fi Ska Punk band Threat Level Burgundy is getting ready to drop a new album. And that album will include a Christmas track--"Christmas Cheer". You don't see as much of that as you used to--a band including a single holiday song on an otherwise non-seasonal release. Of course, even as a Christmas junkie, I'm really more interested in hearing the record's opening track--"Boba Fett? Boba Fett!" Now THAT sounds like entertainment. Here's the track list TLB posted on Facebook.

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A LITTLE SONG, A LITTLE DANCE....

7/13/2015

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...a little Setzer in your pants.

Finally got a quick look behind the curtain as we're learning a bit more about this year's crop of Christmas albums. The biggest previously undisclosed name (so far) is that of that Stray Cat dude, Brian Setzer. Ever since Brian ditched the Rockabilly for Neo-Swing, he's been a frequent Christmas flyer. With Orchestra in tow, Brian released "Boogie Woogie Christmas" in 2002. He followed that one with "Dig That Crazy Christmas" in 2005. That same year Brian also issued the DVD, "Christmas Extravaganza". A pair of Christmas "Best Of"s were released in 2008, "Christmas Rocks" and "The Ultimate Christmas Collection" (the latter including a performance DVD). Finally, in 2010, we got "Christmas Comes Alive" (which, as the title suggests, was a live album featuring the best Christmas tunes in Brian's holiday portfolio).

Though the details, as yet, are scarce, The Brian Setzer Orchestra is on the holiday schedule once again. This year's album is "Rockin' Rudolph" and is currently planned for an October 16 release. It will reportedly be issued in both CD and vinyl formats.

I usually leave the speculation to the mentalists--especially as I'm so very bad at it--but one has to wonder, given his already sizable holiday Swing catalog and given that his most recent album release was last year's "Rockabilly Riot", if maybe Brian is going to lay a Rockabilly Christmas album on us this time around. It'd be super cool, that's for sure, but it's likely to Swing and Rock regardless of its direction, because that's just kind of what Brian Setzer does whatever he does. And don't read too much into the notice billing the release to BSO. This far out, the distributors know about as much as I do what Brian's up to.

Additionally, "Boogie Woogie Christmas" is slated for a vinyl release this year, for those who had that included in their lists to Santa. Release date for that one is tentatively scheduled for October 30.

Over the weekend, we also learned that the always delicious Kylie Minogue is on the verge of releasing a Christmas full length. It's said that Kylie wants to take her time with her next non-holiday effort but feels its important to get new music to her legion of fans (few in America realize what a huge star Kylie is overseas). A Christmas album seemed to be the answer to her riddle. If you're at all familiar with Kylie's body.... of work (sorry, couldn't resist), it will come as no surprise to you that the album is going to have a decidedly dance oriented sound. "Disco-influenced" is probably the safe description. Unidentified sources told the British press that Kylie is half-way through recording it and that the album will feature "festive classics" and some original material. This will be her first Christmas album, though Kylie currently has two holiday tracks in circulation--"Santa Baby" (recorded in 2000) and "Let It Snow" from 2010. Both of those sported a much more traditional Christmas sound.

By now, you're no doubt aware that the group Train is working on a Christmas album, tentatively titled "Christmas In Tahoe". Every year, there's always one pending album from a well known artist that I can't seem to get excited about and this is this year's. See, I still haven't forgiven them for their soft-drink jingle masquerading as a Christmas song. Every time I think of this album, I can't help but imagine an entire record of holiday jingles for McDonalds, Geico, Kelloggs, etc. This is your shot at redemption, guys. Don't mess it up.

One of the big sleeper holiday hits of the past 5 years was "Joy - An Irish Christmas" from the husband and wife team of Keith and Kristyn Getty. That record was released in 2011. This year, Keith and Kristyn will be vying for your attention with "Joy - An Irish Christmas (LIVE)". The set will be available on CD and DVD and hits the virtual shelves October 9. Look for their live Christmas concert on PBS stations this fall.

As was the case last year, there are lots of classic Christmas albums making their way to vinyl this year (either "again" or for the first time ever). We'll cover those and the albums finding their way to CD for the first time in a separate post. We also expect a bunch to be re-issued digitally, including an oddball that's a personal favorite of mine, "Calypso Christmas" by the Esso Trinidad Steelband. Looking for something different for your holiday mix? Nothing is quite so different as Steel Drum bands. Although not quite as delightful as their cover of "I Want You Back", I played the heck out of this 1967 record when I was working college radio (my personal copy; the radio station didn't have it in their library). Look for it November 1.

And one bit of bad news. The Blue Hawaiians failed to reach their Christmas album funding goal through Kickstarter. With Kickstarter, that means that those who pledged will not be billed and the group gets nothing for their efforts. Though the band says they're determined to see this record get made, it won't be happening this year. We'll let you know if they decide to re-launch the crowd-funding campaign.

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IT'S GONNA BE, WAIT FOR IT......LEGENDARY

7/6/2015

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One of the holdovers from last year's "Possible" list is definitely on the schedule this year. Though the great Count Basie has been gone for over 30 years, now, the group that carries his name--The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra--continues on with the same commitment to excellence as when Basie, himself, was at the helm. The band backed Tony Bennett on his "A Swingin' Christmas" CD in 2008, but they've never had their very own holiday long player. All that changes this October with the Concord Jazz release of the group's as yet untitled Yuletime set (their Christmas show this year is titled "A Swingin' Christmas", so could be Tony's gonna have to share that titlle).

The album was recorded at the Capitol Studios last summer and originally on the schedule for last November, but Concord decided to hold the record for this year, in order to give it a proper roll out. Though we don't yet have a track listing, the CBO's live Christmas shows usually include swinging renditions of "Let It Snow" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", beautiful takes on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" and Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time Is Here", and some highly original arrangements of "Little Drummer Boy" and "O Christmas Tree". And, lest we forget, Eddie Durham's "Good Morning Blues (I Want To See Santa Claus)" has been a Count Basie seasonal standard since at least 1937, when Jimmy Rushing was a featured vocalist; it would be a shame if we didn't get to hear that one done up fresh.

The album features several guests, including the immortal Johnny Mathis, Ledisi and Ellis Marsalis. But I've no doubt the members of the orchestra will get plenty of opportunity to strut their stuff, too.

Concord Jazz should also be releasing a Christmas set from Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band this year. The 18-piece Big Band previously recorded some holiday music for the "Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas" CD. Some of the music on that album is, naturally, cartoony. But you can get a feel for their style on "This Is Christmas" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen".

Fans of Rat Pack styled Christmas croonings are in for a treat when Russ Lorenson (backed by the Kelly Park Big Band) drops his second holiday album on September 4. His first, "What I Want For Christmas" from 2006, was a highly satisfying set of classic Christmas sounds and featured a terrific version of "I Guess There Ain't No Santa Claus" as well as "Christmas In San Francisco" (originally written for Tony Bennett, first recorded by Vic Damone, and currently most associated with Russ Lorenson--yes, his version was that good).

"In The Holiday Spirit" is available for pre-order now through Russ' site and includes both chestnuts of old (such as "The Christmas Blues" and "A Winter Romance") and newer songs written in the old standard style. There are also nods to Bing ("Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth"), Sammy ("It's Christmas Time All Over The World") and Louis Prima ("Shake Hands With Santa Claus"). That's what I call a full service playlist.

And its great that the album is coming out in early September, so we lovers of the sounds of the season can get something new, yet classic, to kick off the holidays. After all, "It'll Be Christmas Before You Know It".

THAT'S NOT A BUICK!

Although they aren't Christmas albums, these projects from some of our Christmas friends are certainly worth looking forward to.

Darlene Love, the reigning Queen of Christmas, is delivering a new non-holiday CD--all the more needed now that the annual David Letterman appearances are done. "Introducing Darlene Love" will be Darlene's first non-Christmas studio album in nearly 20 years. Steven Van Zandt of E-Street band fame will produce the album which is expected in the fall on his Way Cool label (in cooperation with Columbia Records). The album will feature songs written by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Linda Perry (remember "What's Up" from 4 Non-Blondes?), Joan Jett, Jimmy Webb, and Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil to name a few (and, personally, I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of those folks turn up in a supporting role on the disc). "Introducing Darlene Love" is set to drop early this fall.

While she doesn't yet have the pedigree of Darlene Love, I fell in love with Laurie Cameron's voice as soon as I heard her cover of the song Darlene is most known for--"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". And I have been waiting for Laurie's debut album for a long, long time. Laurie released a digital EP, "The Melancholy Tides", in 2010. The Christmas single followed in 2011. And, finally, her debut Long Play is done and set for release on July 20. The Scottish lass has an exquisite poignance in her voice that's instantly captivating and empathy inspiring. I wish and expect great things for her.

All the songs on "The Girl Who Cried For The Boy Who Cried Wolf" are written by Laurie, except "The Slave's Lament" (originally penned by Robert Burns in the 1700s). You can get a taste of the album on Laurie's Soundcloud page, pre-order via Bandcamp, and (if the exchange rates get you down) prepare to get the digital version from Amazon MP3. And don't forget, you can still get Laurie's 2012 Christmas single, "Merry Christmas From Scotland", as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp.

I know I should probably play a song from her new album, to see us out, but this is the one that gets me every time.

MERCYME - MERCYME, IT'S CHRISTMAS !

ROCKIN' RUDOLPH - BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA

THE FULL NELSON

KC & STUBBY'S HOLIDAY SCREW-UP

SEASONAL SAMBA

ONCE AGAIN IT'S KENNY

A LITTLE SONG, A LITTLE DANCE....

IT'S GONNA BE, WAIT FOR IT......LEGENDARY

NOAH GUTHRIE - AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

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