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JELA CELLO - CHRISTMAS DREAMS

9/28/2015

I'm a sucker for certain instruments--especially when they're used a bit differently that we'd expect. One such instrument is the cello. Use of the cello is one of those things that drew me to Harry Chapin and made me an instant fan of the Electric Light Orchestra (headed for a "Showdown", y'all). So I was thrilled to see Jela Cello on the holiday release schedule.

Jela Cello is the performance name for Jelena Mihailovic. The Serbian artist (who spends a good deal of time in L.A. these days) is classicly trained, but has always mixed her love of Classical with her love of contemporary music. Though she performed throughout her years at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Music, she truly began in earnest in 2011 when she released the album "Clash", which included covers of Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles alongside the music of Brahms and Bach. That album sold very well overseas and received the highest praise from music critics the world over.

For live performances, Jela assembled some 60 other young, talented and classically trained musicians to be her Power Symphony Orchestra. The effect can be astounding. And it certainly doesn't hurt that she's a very attractive young woman.

Jela's upcoming holiday album is "Christmas Dreams", due to be released November 6. The album consists mostly of seasonal favorites and also includes "Snowdust Pearl", which I'm guessing is a holiday re-working of "Pearl In The Dust", a song written especially for Jela by Bob Petrovic. "Christmas Dreams" also contains the song above (last year's Christmas single), "Jingle Bells" featuring the current lead singer from the rock group Journey, Arnel Pineda. I'll admit, I'm a little ambivalent about that one (and the animation does nothing for me), which is why I'm going to close this piece with Jela's cover of "Purple Haze". I think it's Jela at her very best and most intriguing. It's been viewed on YouTube almost one and a half million times, so its not like I'm the only one who thinks Jela is one to watch.

1. Jingle Bells (feat. Arnel Pineda)
2. Sleigh Ride
3. Deck the Halls
4. The Little Drummer Boy
5. Santa, Santa
6. Silent Night
7. Let It Snow
8. White Christmas
9. Jingle Bells
10. Snowdust Pearl

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AUTUMN - EDGAR WINTER GROUP

9/25/2015

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MORE COMING ATTRACTIONS

9/23/2015

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I don't know why, but every year around this time, I just run out of energy. At least I think it's this time every year; I'm too tired to check and see. Once we get to October, I usually take a deep breath, pull myself together, and charge ahead. But I hope you don't mind if I just give you some covers and track lists for more upcoming Christmas albums with little to no commentary (mostly "no"). If you do mind, well, I guess that's too bad for you because this is all you're getting today. Click on the album covers for a place to pre-order, assuming there's a listing for them somewhere. If there's not, yet, you can click all you want and go nowhere.

First up, we have the cover art and just announced release date for the Sons of Serendip Christmas album, "Christmas: Beyond The Lights". Sons of Serendip were America's Got Talent favorites (one of the best acts ever on the show, according to a few of the judges). The album releases October 23 and is being crowd funded via PledgeMusic (which is where you can pre-order). No track list yet, though.

A four-piece consisting of cello, piano, harp and voice, Sons of Serendip have a unique sound--a combination of Soul and Classical, mostly--but, my God, what gorgeous music they make. You're going to want this one. I know I do.

Jann Arden is a popular Canadian artist. "A Jann Arden Christmas" drops October 30. No place to pre-order this one just yet, but count on it being an "Import" here in the states.

1. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
2. The Christmas Song
3. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
4. O Holy Night
5. Silver Bells
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas
7. Medley
8. Blue Christmas
9. Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth
10. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
11. Silent Night
12. Please Come Home For Christmas
13. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Soulful and spiritual. That's how I'd describe former American Idol finalist Danny Gokey. "Christmas is Here" bows October 16.

1. What Christmas Means to Me
2. The Most Wonderful Time
3. White Christmas
4. Mary, Did You Know?
5. The Christmas Song
6. Lift Up Your Eyes
7. O Holy Night
8. This Christmas
9. Give Me Jesus
10. Christmas is Here

"I'll Be Home For Christmas" is a re-issue of a 2006 release, but I'm not sure most people knew about it. I got my copy direct from Kenny Neal's web site. Kenny is a New Orleans guy, so there's a bit of a rural swamp vibe on this one. But there are also influences evident from Chicago and Texas. Kenny is joined on the album by Syreeta Neal (his daughter, I believe), and his son Kenny Jr. also plays on the record. Look for it November 6. If you were wondering, this isn't the original cover art.

1. Christmas Comes Once A Year
2. Silver Bells
3. Winter Wonderland
4. Merry Little Christmas
5. Please Come Home for Christmas
6. I'll Be Home For Christmas
7. Merry Christmas Baby #2
8. Lonesome Christmas
9. Merry Christmas Baby #1
10. O Come All Ye Faithful
11. Silent Night

Mint Condition's "Healing Season" hits store shelves October 16.

1. Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto
2. Healing Season
3. 1st Snowfall
4. Little Drummer Boy
5. Not What I Wanted
6. Lonely Christmas
7. A Child Is Born
8. Someday At Christmas
9. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
10. 1 Brand Name

Coming November 6, the wide release of Peter Andre's "White Christmas", which was sold exclusively through Iceland Food Stores last year. Andre is a British artist and celebrity and "White Christmas" is listed as an Import, but its looking like it won't be too pricey ($15.33 pre-order price at Barnes & Noble right now). The digital version will be available a week earlier on Amazon.

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Let It Snow
White Christmas
Christmas Time’s For Family
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Jingle Bell Rock
Last Christmas
Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Driving Home For Christmas
Silent Night

Alright, LeAnn, take me home.

Today Is Christmas
We Need A Little Christmas
That Spirit of Christmas (Featuring Aloe Blacc)
I Still Believe In Santa Claus
Holly Jolly Christmas / Frosty The Snowman
Celebrate Me Home (Featuring Gavin DeGraw)
Must Be Santa
Christmas Time is Here
The Heartache Can Wait
Little Drummer Boy
Joy (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Angels We Have Heard On High / Hark The Herald Angels Sing)
Auld Lang Syne

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SURF & SKANK

9/21/2015

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I'm still trying to manage an incredibly shrinking budget, so I've avoided ordering or pre-ordering most of the mainstream releases until I can calmly evaluate what I need (as opposed to "want", 'cause I want it all) and what I can afford. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are the only future purchase etched in stone. Everything else is up in the air. I imagine I'll get all those Blues items from our previous post. And I really very much want most of this year's Real Gone releases and, as they've got a lot this year, that would be quite the drop. It's a bit of a strange position for me, as I usually blow a wad on Christmas music every year. I may still, but I'm trying not to.

But I did place two orders on Friday. Both are coming from overseas (one a pre-order), so we'll have to wait a while before I have them in my greedy little hands. But, if you're curious of what the broke guy who loves it all has taken the plunge for, just keep reading.

Please note that the "cover art" to the right is not a real album--just something I threw together on an artsy craftsy day a few years back. Though, if it were real, it could certainly be at least as interesting as the William Hung CD. It's just something I remembered having done as soon as I started thinking about money.

Cool! Sounds like the Ventures meet Roy Wood's Wizard (minus all the screeching kids).

You may not ever think about it, but Christmas is the same day the whole world round. December 25th may mark the dark and cold of mid-winter to us and our European ancestors. But down under in Australia, December 25th is right smack dab in the middle of summer. Funny how that happens. So it makes sense that Christmas in Australia would be all sunshine and surfboards.

Martin Cilia is the reigning surf guitar king in Aussie land and he's doing the Christmas thing this year. "Electric Christmas" is set for an October 9th release and features 11 traditional tracks and three Martin Cilia originals--"Christmas In July", "Christmas Stomp", and "South of the Equator".

Martin was born in England and spent the first ten years of his life, there, so he gets the whole cold and snow aspect. In those formative years, Martin recalls being heavily influenced by the music of Christmas. After moving to Perth, Australia, he turned pro at 14, playing in a variety of rock bands before going solo. He released his first solo effort, "Revenge of the Surf Guitar", in 2007. "Electric Christmas" will be Martin's fifth studio album.

While trying to stay true to the carols as he heard them back in England, Cilia gives them a half-twist via original arrangements. You can rock out with songs like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and you'll feel like you're living in a Frankie Avalon movie when "Christmas In July" plays.

Coming from Australia, I imagine you'll see Import prices if and when "Electric Christmas" turns up on Amazon. But, short of hopping on a plane and going to the land down under, you can get a decent price pre-ordering direct from Cilia. Don't be intimidated by the $25 figure. The US dollar is strong in relation to the Australian dollar, so your number will be more like $18 or $19 and shipping is free. Or maybe you'd prefer to wait until the disc comes to CDBaby, where it looks like you'll get a domestic price (plus shipping, though). Head over to Martin's web site and you'll be able to sample some more of the record while you consider. But don't dawdle because.....

Surf's up, dudes! (and be excellent to each other)

1. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
2. Deck The Halls
3. Good King Wenceslas
4. Christmas In July
5. Hark The Herald Angels Sing
6. Christmas Stomp
7. Jingle Bells
8. Little Drummer Boy
9. We Wish You A Merry Xmas
10. Away In A Manger
11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
12. South Of The Equator
13. Auld Lang Syne
14. Silent Night

Item number two comes from England. I had originally thought it was a 2015 release (even had it on The List for a couple of days) but it turns out it was released last year and I missed it.

The band is Baked A La Ska and their Christmas album is "Ska of Wonder". Sensing a trend? Clearly it's a Country album. Kidding, kidding. 'Tis Ska. And I believe I'm on record saying there just isn't enough Ska Christmas music. So I had to pick this one up.

Baked A La Ska was born when five musicians from various other bands got together. Once they'd agreed what type of band they wanted to be, each of the 5 was invited to bring one additional musician on board. Someone must have brought two, however, as they mostly play as an eleven-piece. And, once again, you can tell that they're having an absolute blast, which always helps the listener to do the same. Yeah, mon, they be riotous and infectious--dat for sure.

I've yet to hear anything from "Ska of Wonder", but you can see from the track list that it's a pretty fun mix. That's typical of Baked A La Ska, though. They're known for their oddball covers of everything from Britney Spears' "Toxic" to the "Oompa Loompa" song from "Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory". It'll be interesting to see if this band's take on "Walking In The Air" can top the Ska version from the Smerins Anti-Social Club that we loved so much here at Stubby's (and which is still a free download, if you haven't gotten it already). Don't look for any political commentary in the songs of Baked A La Ska; this band is all about rocking the house with tongues firmly in cheek.

"Ska of Wonder" hasn't yet made its way to Amazon or CDBaby, so your best bet is to order direct from the band. Unlike the Australian dollar, the U.S. dollar is a little weak against the Pound, so the £10 price works out to around 18 or 19 American dollars once you've added in shipping..

1. Cold Winter Time
2. Zat You, Santa Claus?
3. Walking In The Air
4. Klezmas
5. We Three Kings
6. Winter Wonderland
7. Jingle Dread
8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
9. In The Bleak Midwinter
10. Harmonica For Christmas
11. Merry Xmas Everybody
12. Follow That Ska

So that's what I bought on Friday. You've heard of Surf & Turf? Well, I just bought me some Surf & Skank. Cool beans!

A couple of quick closing notes. If you missed the news earlier, the Christmas album from Little Big Town has been pushed back to next year. The move was necessary when Jimi Westbrook had to have vocal chord surgery.

And it looks like we'll only be getting a Christmas single from Katy Perry this year, rather than an entire Christmas album. The song is "Every Day Is A Holiday", newly written by Katy and some of her kittens. Katy is the Christmas face for H&M this year and the song is the soundtrack for the commercials. Last year, H&M's Christmas celebs were Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga and we got a holiday single from them ("Winter Wonderland"). I'd still like to see Katy put in the effort to make an entire Christmas album. But I guess that will have to wait for another day.

And, ooh, I almost forgot. Tramp Records will be releasing a THIRD volume of "Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party" on November 20. No further details yet. The compilation will be issued in limited edition vinyl (with gatefold cover), limited edition CD, and your basic unlimited digital. These are some of the best compilations of rare and mostly forgotten R&B recordings ever issued and they come with extensive liner notes and scans of all the singles. I had an email conversation with the guy who compiles these collections a few years back and, at that time, he said he didn't think there would BE a third volume, so thank God he was wrong about that. We'll make sure to post a track list as soon as we get one. It's an import, so it might be a bit pricey, but the first two were well worth it. I can't imagine the third one would be any different.

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FEELIN' BLUES

9/17/2015

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Many of last year's announced vinyl releases were pushed to this year. Vinyl will do that to you. Needless to say, I was trying to keep an eye on "A Blues Christmas"--a collection of the best holiday tracks from the Alligator Christmas compilations, all making their vinyl debut I believe. Things get busy around Christmas and I lost sight of it; it seemed to just vanish from even the virtual world. Well, it finally turned up.

"A Blues Christmas" finally arrives on November 6. If you're a regular around here, I'm sure you own the CDs and know the songs and artists well--the late Koko Taylor, Roomful Of Blues, Shemekia Copeland, Charlie Musselwhite, the Holmes Brothers. It's an All-Star line-up for sure. Would've been nice of them to include an unreleased track or something, but, still... Blues is a live music; you don't really get the full flavor until you're sitting in a dark, hot, noisy, over-crowded Blues club. But, next to live, Blues sounds best on vinyl. Blues on CD...something gets lost. For me, anyway. So, yes, on my extremely abbreviated buying list this year, "A Blues Christmas" must appear.

And a little bit of trivia for you. Both Koko Taylor's "Merry Merry Christmas" and "I'm Your Santa" by Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials were used in the soundtrack for the season one Christmas episode of "Early Edition". If you don't remember that show, it was about a guy who gets tomorrow's newspaper today, and one of the stars was the cat who accompanied the paper everyday. So, yeah, I was a fan.

Side One:
1. Koko Taylor - Merry, Merry Christmas
2. Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials - I'm Your Santa
3. Shemekia Copeland - Stay A Little Longer, Santa
4. The Holmes Brothers - Back Door Santa
5. Katie Webster - Deck The Halls With Boogie Woogie
6. Charlie Musselwhite - Silent Night

Side Two:
1. Little Charlie & The Nightcats - Santa Claus
2. Michael "Iron Man" Burks - Christmas Snow
3. Marcia Ball - Christmas Fais Do Do
4. Roomful Of Blues - Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues?
5. Tinsley Ellis - Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
6. Elvin Bishop - The Little Drummer Boy

The Blues Christmas vibes keep a-rollin' along, thanks to a new collection on Cleopatra. Cleopatra's been kind of strange with their Christmas compilations. I mean that in a good way...mostly. They have a tendency to mix old tracks with newly recoded ones and then not really tell you which is which. The recordings here in are described as "new" in the early PR pieces, but I'm pretty sure Freddy King and Lightnin' Hopkins didn't come back from the dead to re-record their Christmas classics. We've all heard Foghat's "Run, Run Rudolph", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" is the title track from Kenny Neal's Christmas album from a few years back. On the other hand, I don't recall coming across "Back Door Santa" by Popa Chubby before (granted Cleopatra is his label) and I've been dying for a vocal holiday track from Joe Louis Walker (he does turn up on "Silver Bells" on the all instrumental "Blues Xmas"). So, yes, once again, new mixed with old from Cleopatra and you can't tell the players even with a program. But there's no need to over think this. It's Blues. It's Christmas. And, if I squint just right, I can make those deer look like cats. Cleopatra's "Blues Christmas" is expected October 30.

1. Joe Louis Walker - Christmas (Comes But Once A Year)
2. Larry McCray - Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
3. Steve Cropper - Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby
4. Popa Chubby - Back Door Santa
5. Paul Nelson (Johnny Winter Band) - Christmas Tears
6. Kenny Neal - I'll Be Home For Christmas
7. Eric Gales - Little Drummer Boy
8. Chris Spedding - Blue Christmas
9. Pat Travers - Happy Christmas
10. Leslie West - Silent Night
11. Foghat - Run Run Rudolph
12. Wolf Mail - I Want To Spend Christmas With You
13. James Montgomery Band - Deck The Halls
14. Chris Thomas King - The First Noel
15. Debbie Davies - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
16. Lightnin' Hopkins - Santa
17. Freddy King - Christmas Tears
18. Charles Johnson - Merry Christmas, Baby

C'mon and take a trip with me to "Johnny Pierre's Holiday Jamboree". Now, for cover art alone, I'd pick it up if I came across it in the bins and crates. I keep telling people the cover art is very important. And here we have a perfect example. I mean, look at it. Don't you want to hoist one of those green things with Santa? His expression is perfect, the background is perfect, it's just...perfect. So you get an A+ on the cover art, dude. Now, of course, what's in the grooves is where the real points are scored.

Johnny Pierre has been making the Long Island Blues Rock scene for some 25 years. He lived for a long while in New Orleans, so he picked all that music up. His gravely vocals can remind you of Tom Waits on the slower stuff and he can bring on Howlin' Wolf on the stuff that cooks. Johnny's opened for some of the greats--Albert King, Paul Butterfield, and NRBQ to name a few. In making a Christmas record, Johnny decided not to simply spit out the same tunes everyone else does.

Every song on "Johnny Pierre's Holiday Jamboree" is an original. The music isn't breaking any new ground, it's just a rockin' good time, pretty much. Excellent for a pub or a party. For whatever reason, I was actually drawn more to the weird stuff, here, than the blues rockers. "Christmas Night" is an under 2 minute diddy in which the vocals don't come in until the second minute. It's weird and kind of beautiful, all at once. I'm still not entirely sure what's going on in "Christmas Eve @ Santa's Workshop". But I like it. And I dug "New Year's Party" because, to me at least, it's got a Doug & The Slugs vibe. And I was a big Doug & The Slugs fan. And, if it is the Blues Rock you came for, you can't go wrong with "It's Christmastime Again".

"johnny Pierre's Holiday Jamboree" is coming your way October 30. Right now, Amazon only has a listing for the digital version, but I know there will be hard copies which you'll probably find on CDBaby and at Johnny's own web site. Cheers, Santa.

1. It's Christmastime Again
2. Christmas Cards
3. I Wanna Be Your Santa Claus
4. Christmas Eve @ Santa's Workshop
5. Hey Santa Claus
6. Santa's Housetop Blues
7. Christmas Night
8. North Pole Hop
9. Have A Happy New Year
10. New Year's Party

Free music player widget at ReverbNation.com

That one minute clip should give you a good idea of what to expect from Rhonda Vincent's "Christmas Time", dropping October 30. Rhonda's a national treasure, in my humble opinion. Because she's just so dang good, she's brought Bluegrass to audiences that had never heard it before, certainly never appreciated it. And that's a good thing. She'll also cross over to Country and Gospel when the mood strikes her.

"Christmas Time" is Rhonda's second Christmas album, her first being "Beautiful Star" in 2006. She penned four all new songs for this one, including "Dreaming of Christmas" and the title track. And she got to put together her dream version of "Twelve Days of Christmas" featuring a different Country star for each line. And a lot of your favorite traditional carols are included in the closing medley, which features Rhonda--for the first time ever--accompanied only by piano. I don't know if its what she's going for, but I could see Rhonda as a torch singer.

1. Dreaming of Christmas
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Twelve Days of Christmas (Featuring The Oak Ridge Boys, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Bill Anderson, Dolly Parton, Ronnie Milsap, Gene Watson, Larry Gatlin, Jeannie Seely, Lorrie Morgan, Pam Tillis, and EmiSunshine)
4. Angels We Have Heard On High
5. Milk & Cookies
6. Christmas Time
7. Christmas Time At Home
8. Away In A Manger
9. Jingle Bells
10. Silent Night
11. O Little Town of Bethlehem
12. Christmas Medley

This one's kicked around for years. And I'm sure I must've come across something about it at some point. But, this go around, I'm actually interested. Why am I suddenly interested? Well, people pass on and you start to realize what treasures those people were and what treasure's the still living artists are, as well. Watch the video of Jim Ed Brown, there. Jim died earlier this year, June 11 to be precise. Knowing that, aren't you glad this video exists?

Country's Family Reunion was the idea of Larry Black, a long time disc jockey, and he founded Gabriel Communications in 1996 to bring his concept to life. The idea was simple enough. Get a bunch of classic Country artists together to talk about their music and careers, share stories, and maybe sing a song or two. Film the proceedings and sell the videos. The very first video in the series was "Country's Family Reunion Christmas" in 1998. It came on VHS at the time and was re-issued on DVD in 2005. The company, itself, is going strong with dozens of such videos (non-Christmas) having been issued.

I could say a lot more, but I think the video clip above and the track list below is about all the information you need. The "Country's Family Reunion Christmas" DVD (with a lower price than the last time out) is scheduled to be released September 29. Keep in mind there are stories in addition to the songs. The running time on this sucker is two hours.

Disc One:
1. Bill Anderson - Christmas Time's A-Comin'
2. Johnny Russell - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
3. Brother Oswald - Silent Night (instrumental)
4. Bill Carlisle - Silent Night
5. Jack Greene - Blue Christmas
6. Margo Smith - Sittin' On Santa's Knee
7. Jim Ed Brown - An Old Christmas Card
8. Kitty Wells - Jingle Bells
9. Sheb Wooley - Bingle Jells
10. Jean Shepard - O Come All Ye Faithful
11. Skeeter Davis - C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
12. Mac Wiseman - Away In A Manger

Disc Two:
1. Del Reeves - Little Say Joe
2. Jan Howard - White Christmas
3. Little Jimmy Dickens - There's No Place Like Home On Christmas
4. Grandpa Jones - The Christmas Guest
5. Bill Anderson (with Jan Howard and Carol Lee) - Christmas In Your Heart
6. Dickey Lee - I'll Be Home For Christmas
7. Billy Walker - Winter Wonderland
8. Jeannie Seely - Shake Me, I Rattle
9. Merle Kilgore - Baby Rocked Her Dolly
10. Jimmy C. Newman - Joyeux Noel
11. Jeanne Pruett - Christmas Is For Kids

One of the cool things about this time of year is stumbling across labels I've never heard of putting together Christmas albums featuring their stable of artists. And, every now and then, you strike absolute gold.

Fetal Records started out as a punk and ska label in the 80s, featuring DC area bands like Law & Order and Bollocks. Not too long ago the label was revived and, while you can still find some punk and ska, Fetal is pursuing music of all kinds...and Blues in particular.

On the downside, it's not always easy to keep up on the progress of these projects. Indy labels just don't have the huge PR machines of the majors at their fingertips. But at least you have a fighting shot if you know its out there.

So Fetal doesn't tell us much in the way of release date, format, etc. But they have posted a full list of the tracks they're working on (with genres included). Much of it is original. And, whatever else this album has going for it, its got Christmas music from Charlie Sayles (4 tracks on this working track list!) and, man, I would kill to have some Christmas tracks from Charlie Sayles. Charlie's a legendary singer and Blues harp player (self taught) whose 1976 album "Raw Harmonica Blues" is an under-appreciated classic. He spent years playing on street corners for tips, but built a following by traveling and hitting street corners everywhere. If you've got some free time, check out "Laughin' and Grinning" on SoundCloud.

Fetal Records' Christmas album is expected later this year. And, with all the Blues I see on that track list, I'm all in, brother.

CHARLIE SAYLES

Curious Christmas Boy - Law and Order. Feat. Ken Wenzel. Post Punk/Folk
All This Happened on Christmas Day - Subsidiarity/Tony Fazio. Feat. Greg Phillips and Bella Howard. Folk
Homeless Christmas - Subsidiarity/Tony Fazio. Feat. Scott Taylor. R&B
Children’s Christmas Gloria - Jane Kraemer. Feat Richard Schletty. Choral
Christmas Memories - Jane Kraemer. Feat. Jubilate!. Choral
Sleep Baby Sleep - Richard Schletty. Choral
Child of Eternal Love - Richard Schletty. Choral/Folk/Contemporary
I’m Blessed (To See Christmas One More Time)- Scott Taylor. Blues
Christmas Everyday - Scott Taylor. Blues
The Spirit of Christmas - Scott Taylor. Blues
Jingle Bells - Scott Taylor. Blues (cover)
Old Saint Nick - Scott Taylor. Blues (cover)
Noel - Scott Taylor. Blues (cover)
Silent Night - Charlie Sayles. Traditional (cover)
Christmas Lights - Charlie Sayles. Blues
On Christmas Day - Charlie Sayles. R&B/Rap
It's not the Presents - Charlie Sayles. Blues/Rock
O Come Emanuel - Tony Fazio. Rock/Blues (cover)
Angels on High - Tony Fazio. Rock/Blues (cover)
Little Drummer Boy - Greg Phillips. Rock/R&B (cover)
Peppermint Milkshake - Run Little Elephant. Pop

Arranger, producer and vocalist Sam Robson built his following, early on, via YouTube and, in 2009, he tossed this little holiday nugget up there. Six years later, the UK a cappella artist is releasing a holiday full-length. "Oh Holy Night" is on there, but I would guess he recorded it anew, six years covering a lot of artistic growth and all.

Robson is not an a cappella artist in the way that Pentatonix or Straight No Chaser are. He's more along the lines of Bobby McFerrin--layering his own voice for the effect. And he does it very well. As the Huffington Post put it last year, "Sam Robson proves that you only need one person to make a choir." They went on to call him "chillingly good." If you've heard his version of "The Circle of Life" (from The Lion King), then you're already a fan. You might find Sam's album over in the Classical section--his music even has a certain Ambient character--but one look at the track list for "A cappella Christmas" let's you know this is not entirely a silent night outing. "A cappella Christmas" launches November 6.

1. Once In Royal David City
2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday
3. Away In A Manger
4. I Believe In Father Christmas
5. Medley
6. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
7. We Three Kings
8. Wonderful Christmastime
9. Fairytale of New York
10. In The Bleak Midwinter
11. Walking In The Air
12. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
13. O Holy Night
14. The Christmas Song

You're going to want to have your sunglasses on for the cover art that lies ahead. Go ahead, I'll wait.

We still don't have a track list, but we've got cover art for "Sunshine Christmas" from KC & The Sunshine Band, coming to a virtual store near you October 16.

Good God, I'm blind!

The Kingston Trio return with a 2-CD live performance mixing classic Trio hits with Christmas songs. The original members of the Trio from the fifties and sixties are either retired (Bob Shane's still with us) or have passed. But the current lineup has been together for ten years or more and George Grove has been with them since 1976.

"On A Cold Winter's Night: The Kingston Trio Holiday Concert" is scheduled for release on November 6. The Kingston Trio were very big in my house growing up and I always preferred their live albums. Just sayin'.

The Kingston Trio's "Last Month of the Year" from 1960, has stood the test of time well. And the current lineup thought that it was about time for another in 2013 (yeah, I'd say 53 years is long enough for a follow-up), releasing "Glad Tidings". As you might expect from an actual Trio Christmas live show, the Christmas songs on this new one are intermingled with "MTA", "Tijuana Jail", "Tom Dooley" and the like. And that ain't a bad thing (though I do miss "Scotch & Soda" and "The Merry Minuet").

"On A Cold Winter's Night: The Kingston Trio Holiday Concert" is expected November 3. And, if you're worried about the group not putting forth the classic Kingston Trio sound, you can check the samples on Amazon's mp3 listing.

Disc 1:
1. Darlin' Corey
2. Tijuana Jail
3. Last Month of the Year
4. Go Tell It On The Mountain
5. Early Morning Rain
6. MTA
7. Glorious Kingdom
8. All Through The Night
9. All The Hard Days Are Gone
10. Maria
11. Sommerset Gloucester Wassail

Disc 2:
1. Road To Freedom
2. Go Where I Send Thee
3. Goodnight My Baby
4. Reuben James
5. Bimini
6. White Snows of Winter
7. Reverend Mr. Black
8. Tom Dooley
9. A Round About Christmas
10. Worried Man
11. Where Have All The Flowers Gone
12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Bonus: We Three Kings
Bonus: O Holy Night

The new Christmas music isn't up for streaming anywhere, but its nearly Halloween and the Kingston Trio posted an old favorite, "Zombie Jamboree" that punches us out on the proper note, I think.

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EVEN MORE WILDE

9/7/2015

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Britain's Kim Wilde (whose breakthrough hit was "Kids In America") released her holiday set --"The Wilde Winter Songbook"--back in 2013. The 80s Pop Diva is re-releasing the set this year...or, rather, a bigger and better version. In addition to a DVD featuring videos of the album's tunes, "The Wilde Winter Songbook: Deluxe Edition" includes 6 bonus tracks--2 covers, 2 new originals, and 2 remixes.
COVERS: "Last Christmas", "Keeping The Dream Alive"
NEW SONGS: "Isobel's Dream", "Deck The Halls (Angels Sing)"
REMIXES: "Hope", "Burn Gold"

I'm relatively certain this "Deluxe Edition" will be an import (at least initially) and I haven't seen a listing for it yet. But I've always liked Kim and more Kim Wilde Christmas music can't be a bad thing. Just know that its out there and proceed accordingly.

The coming Christmas album from Kylie Minogue might end up an import as well, but at least the project has finally been confirmed. No more playing it coy (I'm looking at you, Katy Perry). Not only was Kylie's disco influenced holiday platter acknowledged, but we learned that Kylie and little sister Dannii teamed up on a pair of Christmas covers, though only one is expected to make the final album. (They say they want the best one so, when the other one surfaces--as it inevitably will--just remember its the one they felt was weaker.) Kylie's looking at a December release, at the moment.

At least India.Arie's long awaited "Christmas With Friends" is domestic. Originally on the schedule for last year, the album was bumped late. It was recorded with Jazz great Joe Sample who passed away last year. And its my guess that's why the label held it back. The record also features guest spots from Brandy, KEM, Michael McDonald, Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz, Gene Moore, and Trombone Shorty. Now that's a party I want to be at. The record is set to drop October 16. In addition to cover art and track list, we also have a snippet of "Silent Night", featuring Joe Sample and Brandy with India. The vocals are gorgeous, of course, but I really dig listening to Joe do his thing with the eighty-eights.

1. Let It Snow feat. Joe Sample
2. Favorite Time of Year feat. Tori Kelly
3. Silent Night feat. Joe Sample & Brandy
4. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas feat. Joe Sample & KEM
5. Merry Christmas Baby feat. Michael McDonald
6. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm feat. Dave Koz & Trombone Shorty
7. The Christmas Song feat. Joe Sample
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen feat. Khristian Dentley of Take 6
9. Mary, Did You Know? feat. Gene Moore
10. Auld Lang Syne feat. Kirk Whalum

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ALL WORK AND NO PLAY...

9/4/2015

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Hey, the Labor Day Weekend is upon us, signaling the end of summer and firing the opening salvo in the countdown to Christmas. Last trip to the beach, if you happen to be near one. Last backyard barbecue if you don't. So something light, today.

This is a video I stumbled upon earlier from Santa's Magical Workshop. I'd pay them a visit, but its in Red Cliffs, Australia, and I don't see that kind of travel in either my itinerary or my budget. The video just tickled me, is all.

Happy Labor Day, everybody.

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SOME COOL STUFF

9/3/2015

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These aren't Christmas releases the rest of the world will be talking about around the Christmas tree later this year. In fact, I still haven't figured out how to get one of them. But these are the little surprises tucked away in a small corner of the very big mountain of Christmas releases that make all the hunting worthwhile. These are the kinds of things I look for--musically familiar enough to easily seduce someone but different enough to expand their aural horizons a little bit. Of course, if already operating in expanded mode, your head is going to love these immediately.

These guys are awesome. Let me say it again. These guys are awesome. Jay Gomez and Bong Rosario are two instrumental artists from the Philippines. Jay, who plays the flute, here, graduated from and now teaches at the Philippine School for the Arts (think Fame, but in the Philippines). I haven't been able to dig up anything approaching a bio on Bong, but he brings the voices of the angels out of that guitar. Both are solo artists, essentially, but they also work really well together. And nobody loves Christmas more than the people of the Philippines. They literally celebrate from April through January.

"My Heart's Thanksgiving", above, is not from the new Christmas album, but from the pair's last outing, "Vespers 3: My Heart's Thanksgiving". And we all know what follows Thanksgiving, right? That's right, indigestion. But after that. No, after Black Friday, too. No, after Cyber Monday. Keep going. It'll come to you.

"Vespers 4: The Work of Christmas" is primarily New Age/Ambient. But it's also Folk and Jazz and Classical and just a little bit tropical. Mostly what it is is gorgeous. Bong has such a gentle touch on that guitar and I'm a sucker for flute. This is the kind of disc I've talked about that I toss in the CD player at 2 a.m on a quiet snowy night and just....breathe. Relax, decompress, re-align the hamster wheels of my mind.

And I think the extra special cool factor on this one is that, alongside the old familiar carols, there are seven tracks of (I'm guessing) traditional Filipino holiday favorites. Unless you've been spending a lot of time with Christmas music from the Philippines, the tracks will sound fresh and new. Instrumental, so there's no need to worry about understanding the lyrics. And they are Christmas songs; that magical holiday sparkle is in there.

If I had to guess, I'd say "Vespers 4: The Work of Christmas" was released last Christmas, but its possible it was an early 2015 set. I'd also guess there might have been some physical discs on the islands, but I'm probably wrong about that, too. What we've got right now is the digital download version which reached Amazon on August 21. And it's 16 tracks--nearly ah hour of music--for $4.99. That's pretty good, isn't it? There's another track over at Rhapsody--"Kahit Na Abril Ay Harang Pasko Pa Rin"--I don't know what the story is there. Some people don't like this sort of thing, but I love it. Already bought it. Though I might wait until 2 a.m. on a quiet snowy night to give it a proper listen.

1. O Come All Ye Faithful
2. Pasko Na!
3. Paglamig Ng Hangin
4. Pasko Na Naman
5. O Little Town of Bethlehem
6. Isang Sanggol
7. Away In A Manger
8. Silent Night
9. Emanuel
10. What Child Is This?
11. Payapang Daigdig
12. O Holy Night
13. Oyayi
14. Ang Pasko Ay Sumapit
15. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
16. The Work Of Christmas

A palette cleanser....coming later this month and destined to be one of this year's easy sellers, it's a limited edition Funko Pop! Vinyl Guardians of The Galaxy Holiday Dancing Groot Bobblehead (it doesn't actually dance....just, you know, bobs), just $9.99 from Entertainment Earth. Look around YouTube a bit; the guys who collect figures like this thought the Groot was especially well done.

Our other mighty fine find, today, is just as far afield and no less beautiful than the first. You know how people say "You have to hear this"? You have to hear this.

I don't know if anybody's noticed, but there's been some terrific music coming out of Africa, lately. And Victor Seii is one reason why. Seii is an arranger and producer and some consider him Africa's Quincy Jones. A Kenyan native, Victor has twice gathered his friends--some of Africa's finest and most popular artists--to record a Christmas album. That unbelievable performance of "In Excelsis Deo" is from 2013's "A Kenyan Christmas: Well Seasoned 2". The featured vocalists on the track are Kavutha Mwanzia and Dan Aceda.

The difficulty is that African music doesn't register a blip on the American music scene and market. Releases may bubble up for a little bit but, just before they break the surface layer of American public consciousness, they disappear. By the time I hear about something cool from Africa, it can't be found for sale anywhere. To be fair, I haven't really checked all of "anywhere" as yet. There's actually a vendor I go to for this sort of thing and I will see what his holiday inventory is looking like. And I know there is a web-store that carries nothing but mp3s from African artists. I know its out there but I don't remember where. But stuff like this should at least be available from Amazon MP3 or iTunes or whomever. It's not.

The album had eight tracks, we're told. You can stream six of them at Victor Seii's Soundcloud page. But I'd do that sooner rather than later since you never know when "Well Seasoned 3" is going to make the scene. Six streaming tracks is a pretty good deal when the music is this unique, compelling and beautiful. Now we just have to work on that "where can I buy it" thing.

UPDATE: Meant to mention, and forgot (cuz I should be in bed when these things get written) that, although I haven't located a place to get the whole album, "In Excelsis Deo" can be found on Dan Aceda's solo effort, "Made In Kenya". So there's that. Also forgot to include the cover art, but I'll toss that in now.

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BUILDING A LEGACY

9/1/2015

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Every year, the major labels drop a slew of "Greatest Christmas Hits" albums, repackaging that artist's holiday catalog. Time was, you'd have to have two or three Christmas albums under your belt to get the "Greatest Christmas Hits" treatment. But that's not the case anymore. Years ago, I gave up paying attention to these. A lot of times, they don't even make it to our List. The way I think of it, the people coming here are Christmas music fanatics. An album mixing up tracks from two CD-era albums that you already have doesn't strike me as the best use of limited resources. Anyway, you'll see them in the stores. A lot of the things I'm interested in you won't see anywhere.

One part of the slew comes from Sony's Legacy imprint. They call their line "The Classic Christmas Album". Lately, the Sony Legacy collections have been a bit more interesting than your average bear, for one reason or another. And they may merit greater publicity and consideration.

I confess I was most curious to see the playlist for "The Classic Christmas Album By Earth, Wind & Fire". The group only ever recorded one Christmas album. Though, granted, that was way, way, way back in the forgotten days of....2014. I wonder if that means that it didn't sell or that it sold incredibly well. Regardless, since these "Classic" sets are generally budget priced, here's your chance to get all of "Holiday", PLUS some other stuff, at a significant discount (assuming you didn't already buy it, which of course we all did). As you might suspect, in addition to all of "Holiday", this collection includes both "Gather Round" (a Target exclusive and fairly awesome Christmas commercial from 2005) and "Get Your Hump On This Christmas" (the novelty funk song recorded--with Cleveland--for the animated "A Cleveland Brown Christmas" in 2009). The other three tracks aren't really Christmas tracks, though "One World" (recorded for "Music Speaks Louder Than Words" in 1989) is one of those songs that people have been slipping into their holiday playlists for years, now. All in all, not a bad one to pick up if only to have the other two Christmas tracks.

Sarah McLachlan, too, has only one official Christmas album..."Wintersong" from 2006. But she's been a bit more active in the holiday music genre than EWF, not least because of her recent string of Christmas singles to promote her School of Music. For those who weren't aware, Sarah started the School of Music when she saw schools terminating programs in music and art (this is in Canada, btw, but the same thing is happening in this country). The school offers both group and individual music lessons to underserved youth at no cost. That does put the school at the mercy of donations from the general public to operate. The annual Christmas songs are generally offered as free downloads to draw attention to the school, but I don't know if many or any of them have gotten a hard copy release. Until now. I haven't seen the full track list but "The Classic Christmas Album by Sarah McLachlan" includes all of "Wintersong" plus Sarah's School of Music tracks from 2011, 2012 and 2013. Additionally, the album includes Sarah's unforgettable duet with Barenaked Ladies on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and her cover of "Song For A Winter's Night", both tunes recorded for a 1994 Nettwerk album, "Christmas Songs".

Gotta be honest, Celtic Thunder hasn't really resonated with me all that much. But the Celtic/Classical Crossover group has legions of fans and no doubt they'll want to hear all about "The Classic Christmas Album by Celtic Thunder". As Celtic Thunder has two Christmas full-lengths, you might expect the standard 2-album mix. But all I see in Legacy's promotional materials is the playlist for "Holiday Symphony". That might be because "Christmas" is being reissued this year, too. But I'm gonna wait and see how that one all shakes out in the end. At least this one has cover art.

There's one more "Classic Christmas Album" among Legacy's October 2 releases. "The Classic Christmas '80s Album" features your favorite holiday anthems from that decade, like "Christmas Wrapping" from the Waitresses and Billy Squier's "Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You". Now, again, we obsessive Christmas music hunters aren't likely to find anything here we haven't heard before. But I like these little theme collections, and most of the decade's Christmas essentials are here--Wham and Run DMC, sure, but also Dave Edmunds, Buster Poindexter, Fishbone, and the brothers McKenzie--Bob and Doug--with their 80s classic "12 Days of Christmas" (the unofficial Canadian national anthem...well, to me at least). The Single Version, I feel compelled to mention--so not the full version. As yet, this one hasn't turned up in a retail listing, but we'll add these to the List and link it up when it does. Now, take off, eh?

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JELA CELLO - CHRISTMAS DREAMS

AUTUMN - EDGAR WINTER GROUP

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EVEN MORE WILDE

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