Category: Jazz Pop

STILL NOT THE LIST

10/18/2019

Lots of new entries, so make sure you check our Not The List. Make sure you check it twice. Wouldn't want you to miss anything cool. Personally, I couldn't resist sharing this 2016 single from Barbra Lica which is included on the just released digital comp (at least I haven't seen any hard copy, yet, although all the previous volumes have been) from the Canadian Jazz Pop Justin Time label, "Justin Time For Christmas, Vol. 6". Included are such holiday faves as Oliver Jones, Susie Arioli, and Ranee Lee. But I think you'll understand why I was drawn to this one in particular.

JULY 2
SAINT AMBROSE SCHOLA CANTORUM--"Restoration" (Fine choir effort from a small Indiana church)

JULY 19
DAVE STRYKER--"Eight Track Christmas" (Guitar-centric Trio Jazz in the tradition of Wes Montgomery)

AUGUST 23
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND OF COLOGNE--"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (New Orleans Jazz & Blues from German 7-piece)

SEPTEMBER 13
THE MONKEES--"Christmas Party" (Vinyl version of 2018 CD)
THE MONKEES--"Christmas Party" (Limited Red and Green vinyl version of above)

SEPTEMBER 14
VIVA ACOUSTICA--"Christmas Eve" (Blend of instrumental Jazz and Country from Russian group; there will probably be CDs, but you'll probably have to go to Russia to get them)

SEPTEMBER 18
DAVE KOZ--"Gifts of the Season" (Smooth Jazz; Melissa Manchester sings "All I Want For Christmas Is You")

SEPTEMBER 20
SEAY--"A Winter Blessing - The Gift" (CD version of New Age vocalist's album released digitally in 2018)
BRYNN STANLEY--"Classic Christmas" (Jazz vocalist in a classic Big Band/Lush Orchestra setting)
VARIOUS--"Let's Make Every Day A Christmas Day" (Vintage R&B collection from Jasmine label)
SOUNDTRACK--"Polar Express" (Transparent white vinyl issue of soundtrack to 2004 film)

SEPTEMBER 27
BIG LITTLE KINGDOM--"Alone For Christmas" (Contemplative and melancholy Adult Contemporary set)
ISTHMUS BRASS--"We Need A Little Christmas" (Wisconsin Brass ensemble's second holiday platter)
VINCE GILL--"The Christmas Collection" (Wide release black vinyl version of 2018 Cracker Barrel Exclusive)
BRENDA LEE--"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree: The Decca Christmas Recordings" (New vinyl; old music)
RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO--"More Sounds of Christmas" (First domestic CD release of Lewis' second Christmas set)
RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO--"More Sounds of Christmas" (Vinyl version of above)
MUSCRIBE--"Yule-Five Carols" (Instrumental Jazz...ish carols done in 5/4 time...a la Brubeck)
DIANA ROSS--"Wonderful Christmas Time" (Vinyl version of last year's CD)
THE TEMPTATIONS--"Christmas Card" (Vinyl re-issue of 1970 Motown release)
VARIOUS--"The Ultimate Rockin' Christmas Collection" (Western Star label doubles the fun of 2016 album)

OCTOBER 1
LUCIA FRITTOLI--"Holy Night (Music For Movie)" (Instrumental Lite/Easy Listening)
LORETTA PERRY--"The Reason For The Season" (Jazz infused Contemporary Gospel)

OCTOBER 4
JONATHAN BUTLER--"Christmas Together" (2nd Xmas album from Jazz guitarist; many Smooth Jazz guests)
JOSEPH FULLER--"Christmas In The City" (Live outing from Christian Classical Crossover pianist)
BILL & GLORIA GAITHER--"12 Christmas Favorites" (Traditional Gospel artists; Available at Cracker Barrel)
LOS LOBOS--"Llego Navidad" (First official commercial Christmas album from Tex Mex Rock combo)
MIRUSIA--"Christmas Memories" (World renowned Australian Soprano and Classical Crossover star)
ROSEATE--"First Christmas" (Christmas with a Bossa beat)
SIMPLY SISTERS--"Christmas" (Pretty AC/Southern Gospel)
VARIOUS--"The Best of Christmas Grass" (Bluegrass from the "Christmas Grass" series)
VARIOUS--"Christmas Grass: The Instrumentals" (Bluegrass from the "Christmas Grass" series)
VARIOUS--"NOW Country Christmas" (Latest from the NOW empire)

OCTOBER 11
GERALD ALBRIGHT--"Not So Silent Night" (Jazz sax player; with guests Take 6, Bebe Winans, Jonathan Butler)
DON AMERO--"Amero Little Christmas" (America release of last year's Canadian Country Christmas set)
JOSE CABRERA--"O Come All Ye Faithful" (Piano set melding Classical, Jazz and Latin sounds)
VANESSA CAMPAGNA--"Merry & Bright" (I believe this is the fourth Christmas set from the Pop Country singer)
CHICAGO--"Chicago Christmas 2019" (37th album from horn driven Classic Rock group)
CHICAGO--"Chicago Christmas 2019" (Target exclusive CD features two Target exclusive tracks)
RAY CONIFF--"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" (Collectors vinyl of 1962 album; had been due last November)
DELICATE STEVE--"The Christmas Album" (Multi-instrumentalist releasing vinyl version of last year's CD)
D-PAD FANFARE--"Rock Man Around The Xmas Tree" (Video game music arranged for the holidays)
D-PAD FANFARE--"Have Yourself A Super Mario Little Christmas" (As above)
MARY FAHL--"Winter Songs And Carols" (A mix of Traditional, Folk, AC and World music)
ERNIE HAASE & SIGNATURE SOUND--"A Jazzy Little Christmas" (Southern Gospel artist)
HOORAY HEROES--"Xmas Album" (FREE digital EP for kids and people who have them)
NE-YO--"Another Kind of Christmas" (Soulful seasonal grooves from singer-songwriter)
THE THREE SUNS--"The Sound of Christmas" (Digital re-issue of 1960 Jazz Vocal group release)
ANDY WILLIAMS--"Christmas Album" (Audiophile Blue Vinyl reissue of 1963 classic delayed from last year)
SOUNDTRACK--"Love Actually" (Limited Edition Candy Cane vinyl from Real Gone)

OCTOBER 15
BRIAN DOERKSEN--"The Heart of Christmas" (Canadian Christian artist; funded through Kickstarter)
BRIAN DOERKSEN--"The Heart of Christmas" (Vinyl version of above)

OCTOBER 18
ACCENT--"Christmas All The Way" (Jazz Vocal combo; hard copy CD may be available later)
BLACKHAWK--"The Spirit of Christmas" (Classic Country group)
THE CAPTAIN'S CREW--"An Outer Banks Christmas" (Folk/Gospel from NC; may be a digital reissue of old CD)
THE COLLINGSWORTH FAMILY--"A True Family Christmas" (Southern Gospel family's third)
CHARLIE DANIELS--"Christmas Classics" (Traditional fare collected from Daniels' earlier Christmas sets)
THE ERWINS--"What Christmas Really Means" (CCM/Worship group)
KEN GRIFFIN--"Back For Christmas" (Traditional holiday and non-holiday fare from late organist)
ROB HALFORD--"Celestial" (Judas Priest front man with his second Yuletide set)
ROB HALFORD--"Celestial" (Vinyl version of above)
JEWEL--"Joy: A Holiday Collection" (20th Anniversary vinyl reissue of Folk Pop singer's Xmas set)
KEB MO--"Moonlight, Mistletoe & You" (Roots artist blends Blues and romance)
DONNA KING--"All The Lights" (Nashville based Christian/Gospel artist whose 2013 set was quite enjoyable)
MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER--"Christmas (35th Anniversary Edition)" (Limited Edition vinyl reissue)
IDINA MENZEL--"Christmas--A Season of Love" (Second seasonal outing from star of stage & screen)
LEON REDBONE--"Christmas Island" (Import CD reissue of the late singer's Christmas set, feat. Dr. John)
DIONNE WARWICK--"And The Voices of Christmas" (Album of holiday duets from Iconic diva)
VARIOUS--"Carols: The Sounds of Christmas" (Smooth Jazz collection from Trippin N Rhythm label)
VARIOUS--"Christmas At Birdland" (Jazzy cabaret featuring Klea Blackhurst)
VARIOUS--"Justin Time For Christmas, Vol. 6" (Comp from Canadian Jazz label's stable of artists)
VARIOUS--"Rock By The Sea Christmas, Vol. 10" (Florida charity raising money for cancer sufferers)

OCTOBER 23
VARIOUS--"A Taste of Christmas Pudding 2019" (Mostly Indie Rock from Alice Cooper's annual benefit concert)

OCTOBER 25
92 KEYS--"Christmas" (Pop/Classical Crossover duet of piano and violin)
92 KEYS--"Christmas" (IF there's a CD, as I suspect there will be, it should be available here)
BOOKER T & THE MGs--"In The Christmas Spirit" (Barnes & Noble exclusive red vinyl of 1966 classic)
JIM BRICKMAN--"Celebration of Christmas" (Yet another Xmas set from Easy Listening artist)
DAVID CARNES--"A Christmas Journey" (Based on title, a reissue of 1999 set from virtuoso pianist)
CELTIC WOMAN--"The Magic of Christmas" (Celtic Pop/Classical Crossover group's latest seasonal effort)
ELIZABETH CHAN--"If The Fates Allow" (8 years, 8 Christmas records from the reigning Queen of Christmas)
TATIANA EVA-MARIE--"Wintertime Dreams" (30s style Parisian romance via Gypsy Jazz)
ORLA FALLON--"A Winter's Tale" (Second solo Christmas set from Celtic harpist/singer of Celtic Woman fame)
MAGNE FURUHOLMEN--"White Xmas Lies" (Alt Rock/Alt Pop from former A-Ha keyboard artist)
MAGNE FURUHOLMEN--"White Xmas Lies" (Vinyl version of above)
ANA GASTEYER--"Sugar And Booze" (A mix of Jazz and humor from from SNL cast member)
ANA GASTEYER--"Sugar And Booze" (Vinyl version of above)
KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY--"Sing! An Irish Christmas" (Northern Irish Christian duo)
DANNY GOKEY--"The Greatest Gift" (CCM performer and former American Idol contestant)
THE HAPPY RACERS--"A Merry Very Christmas" (CD of last year's digital set of Rock for Kids...of all ages)
LATERAL BLUE--"This Christmas" (Bluegrass group from Green Hill Music)
RACHAEL LEAHCAR--"Together For Christmas" (Australian Pop and Classical singer)
TRINI LOPEZ--"My Christmas Gift To You" (Re-issue--with different title--of singer's 2017 Christmas album)
VICTOR MANUELLE--"Memorias de Navidad" (Puerto Rican Latin Pop/Salsa artist)
MARC MARTEL--"The Christmas Collection" (The best from Marc's Christmas EPs, plus some new)
LEA MICHELE--"Christmas In The City" (Former Glee star)
SCOTT MILLER--"Mountain Frontier Christmas" (Green Hill release featuring hammered dulcimer)
OAK RIDGE BOYS--"Down Home Christmas" (Country act's EIGHTH holiday album)
ROCKY PATERRA--"Naughty List" (Pop Rock artist; lead single is "Icicle")
MELANIE PENN--"Immanuel: The Folk Sessions" (EP featuring Bluegrass/Folk flavor)
PENTATONIX--"The Best of Pentatonix Christmas" (Collection of past favorites, plus 4 new tracks)
PUSS N BOOTS--"Dear Santa" (EP from female Alt Country band based in Brooklyn)
SALLY SAPPINGTON--"On This Christmas Night" (6-song EP from teenage Indie singer/songwriter)
SINGING CONTRACTORS--"Building A Christmas To Remember" (Don't know, don't want to know)
JEAN WATSON--"For Unto Us" (CCM/Devotional violinist and singer)
WHITEHORSE--"Winter Classic" (Vinyl issue of last year's set from Canadian duo)
VARIOUS--"Blink Before Christmas" (Import collection of vintage Blues/R&B; will reach Amazon in December)
VARIOUS--"Jazz For The Holidays" (Collection of instrumental Jazz from the Green Hill stable of artists)

NOVEMBER 1
MARIAH CAREY--"Merry Christmas: Deluxe Anniversary Edition" (2-CD set includes rare mixes & live tracks)
ELEM ELEY, et. al.--"Christmas Day" (Operatic baritone and assorted accompaniment)
THE 5 BROWNS--"Christmas With The 5 Browns" (Piano playing Classical crossover siblings)
AMY GRANT--"Christmas" (3-LP vinyl set plus bonus 45 with 2 exclusive tracks)
SARA GROVES--"Joy Of Every Longing Heart" (CCM Folk Pop artist who gave us "O Holy Night" a decade ago)
KELLIE HADDOCK--"Peace On Earth" (Christian Singer/Songwriter)
REBECCA KILGORE & ECHOES OF SWING--"Winter Days at Schloss Elmau" (Traditional Jazz)
THE KRAYOLAS--"Christmas With My Dad" (70's Garage Rock band with Tex-Mex influences)
CYNDI LAUPER--"Merry Christmas, Have A Nice Life" (Limited Edition Green vinyl version of 1998 album)
MONALISA TWINS--"Christmas" (Actual twins who meld traditional Pop and Folk with Indie Pop and Folk)
JAY PEREZ--"A Jay Perez Christmas" (Tejano/R&B artist)
CALEE REED--"Rejoice!" (Christian vocalist)
JOHNNY REID--"My Kind Of Christmas" (EP from Canadian Country singer; vinyl due Dec. 6)
JOSH ROUSE--"The Holiday Sounds of" (Alt Folk Pop artist inspired by 60s Jazz)
JOSH ROUSE--"The Holiday Sounds of" (Vinyl version of above)
MITCH RYDER--"Christmas Take A Ride" (Vinyl version of last year's set from Detroit Rocker)
THE SEEKERS--"We Wish You A Merry Christmas" (Re-issue of Morningtown Ride To Christmas + a 2003 tune)
SHE & HIM--"A Very She & Him Christmas" (Vinyl version of 2011 album)
SHE & HIM--"A Very She & Him Christmas" (Barnes & Nobel Vinyl Exclusive version of 2011 album; red and green splatter on solid white)
TRUE CONCORD--"Christmas With True Concord" (Grammy nominated Arizona based Choir and Orchestra)
VANDALS--"Oi To The World Live" (Punk band's classic 2002 holiday concert on CD for first time)
VANDALS--"Oi To The World Live" (First time on vinyl, as well. Limited edition white vinyl)
PHIL WICKHAM--"Christmas" (Second Christmas album from CCM artist)
VARIOUS--"An All Star Salute To Christmas" (Re-issue of eclectic 2009 2-CD set)
VARIOUS--"DREAM Christmas, Vol. 4" (CCM from the DREAM stable of artists)
VARIOUS--"Prog Rock Christmas" (Features Steve Morse, Annie Halsam, and more)
VARIOUS--"Prog Rock Christmas" (Vinyl version of above; red or white)
VARIOUS--"Punk Rock Christmas 2" (Cleopatra follow up to 2015 comp)
VARIOUS--"Punk Rock Christmas 2" (Red vinyl version of above)
VARIOUS--"Rock N Roll Christmas" (3-CD Import for the price of one relatively cheap domestic CD)
VARIOUS--"A Sparkling Christmas" (23 Christmas oldies on 180gm Gold & Clear vinyl, Import limited to 1500)
SOUNDTRACK--"Home Alone" (Limited Edition Green vinyl version of 1990 soundtrack)

NOVEMBER 8
LEROY ANDERSON--"Complete Christmas Collection" (2-CD set from RealGone)
CHET ATKINS--"Complete RCA & Columbia Christmas Recordings" (2-CD set from RealGone)
B3 KINGS--"Laughing All The Way" (3rd Christmas set from Canadian seasonal Jazz superstars)
STANLEY BLACK--"Christmas Holiday For Romance" (First time on CD for this 1954 Lite Music classic)
WADE BOWEN--"Twelve Twenty-Five" (Country/Red Dirt singer with a throwback Christmas album)
WADE BOWEN--"Twelve Twenty-Five" (Vinyl version of above)
LINCOLN BREWSTER--"A Mostly Acoustic Christmas Album" (Canadian CCM artist)
JIM BRICKMAN--"The Magic of Christmas" (When one new Jim Brickman Christmas album isn't enough)
NATALIE COLE--"Holly & Ivy" (25th Anniversary reissue from Craft Recordings; remastered)
NATALIE COLE--"Holly & Ivy" (Vinyl version of above; 180gm collector's grade vinyl)
DOUBLE DRUMS--"Groovin' Christmas" (German percussion duo)
AMY GRANT--"Home For Christmas" (First time on vinyl for Amy's 1992 classic)
ERIN HARPE & THE DELTA SWINGERS--"Christmas Swing" (2018 rocking' Blues set comes to vinyl)
JOHN LEGEND--"A Legendary Christmas Deluxe" (last year's set with four additional tunes)
MICHAEL LINGTON--"A Foreign Affair Christmas" (Smooth Jazz from Danish American Sax player)
WYNTON MARSALIS--"Big Band Holidays II" (Sequel to 2015 effort with the JLCO)
EUGENE ORMANDY--"Complete Columbia Christmas Albums" (Sonic splendor from RealGone)
JIM REEVES--"Twelve Songs of Christmas (Remastered & Expanded)" (Finally)
DYLAN SCOTT--"Merry Christmas" (Country artist with some classic crooner instincts)
BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA--"Boogie Woogie Christmas" (Green vinyl release of 2002 album)
BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA--"Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" (Red vinyl release of 2005 album)
SIDEWALK PROPHETS--"Merry Christmas To You" (Deluxe version of 2013 holiday set from CCM group)
VARIOUS--"Great Songs of Christmas" (RealGone release culled from Goodyear & Grants LPs; first time on CD for 19 of the 20 tracks, including rare Christmas recordings from Gary Puckett and Mark Lindsay)
VARIOUS--"Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas" (LMTD 180gm color vinyl shorter version of 2018 CD)
VARIOUS--"NOW 100 Hits Christmas" (5-CD set from the NOW empire)
VARIOUS--"Yulesville" (Collection of early Rock and vintage R&B from Bear Family label)

NOVEMBER 9
NEON SWING X-PERIENCE--"O Howly Night" (Pennsylvania Neo-Swing Jump Jive and Rock band)

NOVEMBER 10
NAT KING COLE--"The Christmas Song" (Target EXCLUSIVE GREEN Vinyl version of classic holiday album)
FRANK SINATRA--"Ultimate Christmas" (Target EXCLUSIVE Limited Edition GREEN Vinyl 2-LP set)

NOVEMBER 15
SAARA AALTO--"Fairytale - Joulun Taikaa" (Finnish Pop star)
BARNES & BARNES--"Holidaze In Lumania" (Last year's brilliantly demented digital album comes to CD)
BARNES & BARNES--"Holidaze In Lumania" (Last year's brilliantly demented digital album comes to vinyl)
JOACHIM BADENHORST & MOGIL--"Adventa" (Avant Garde Jazz from Iceland)
MOLLY BURCH--"The Molly Burch Christmas Album" (Amazing Alt Pop artist)
MOLLY BURCH--"The Molly Burch Christmas Album" (Vinyl version of above)
MOLLY BURCH--"The Molly Burch Christmas Album" (VMP exclusive Evergreen color vinyl version; Lmtd 300)
CHRISTMAS JUG BAND--"Live From The West Pole" (More Christmas fun from West Coast collective)
ANAIS DELVA--"Quand J'Entends Chanter Noel" (French Pop/Traditional singer; mp3 at Amazon)
ELLA FITZGERALD--"Wishes You A Swinging Christmas" (VMP exclusive 180gm Purple&Green Hi-Melt vinyl)
LEAH--"Ancient Winter" (Winter themed set combining Folk, Celtic, Rock & Classical)
LEAH--"Ancient Winter" (Vinyl version of above; color vinyl already sold out)
KAYLENE PEOPLES--"Carol Of The Bells" (CD issue of 2016 digital Jazz EP from California flautist/vocalist)
JOE STILGOE--"The Christmas Album" (Neo-Swing singer/songwriter)
VARIOUS--"Christmas In Soulsville" (VMP exclusive Red & Green Starburst vinyl edition; Limited to 1000)
VARIOUS--"Music To Enjoy Christmas By" (Budget priced 3-CD Import)
VARIOUS--"NOW Country Christmas" (RED Vinyl version of CD released Oct. 4)
VARIOUS--"A Very Cool Christmas" (2-LP Audiophile 180gm color vinyl comp, ltd and numbered to 1500)

NOVEMBER 18
GERALD KRAMPL--"Advent & Christmas" (2 album set of Neo-Classical/New Age solo piano)

NOVEMBER 22
BAD RELIGION--"Christmas Songs" (GOLD Vinyl version of 2013 EP; Limited to 500 units)
RACHELLE BENTLEY--"Christmas Gift" (Jazz Pop/Traditional vocalist; re-issue of 2011 release)
CHICAGO--"Chicago Christmas 2019" (Vinyl version of CD released October 11)
JESSIE CLEMENT--"Winter Wonderland" (21 year old Pop artist)
BING CROSBY--"Bing At Christmas" (With the London Symphony Orch & featuring The Puppini Sisters on 2)
KEITH HARKIN--"It's Christmas Time" (Second Christmas album from former Celtic Thunder vocalist)
GOOD LOVELIES--"Evergreen" (Second Christmas album from Canadian vocal harmony Folk Pop trio)
GOOD LOVELIES--"Evergreen" (Vinyl version of above)
HIDEAKI HORI & HIROSHI TAKASE--"Christmas Time" (Jazz from Japan; 14 tracks)
THE McCRARY SISTERS--"A Very McCrary Christmas" (Bluesy Gospel with some great guests)
IDINA MENZEL--"Christmas--A Season of Love" (Vinyl version of CD due Oct. 18)
AMANDA ANNE PLATT & THE HONEYCUTTERS--"Christmas On A Greyhound Bus" (Americana EP)
STYLISTICS--"Christmas" (Vinyl release of 1992 album)
SILENT WINTERS--"Christmas Morning" (Canadian Folk duo)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present" (2-CD set from former Take That vocalist; lots of originals)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present" (Vinyl version of above)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present Deluxe" (Above CD with four additional songs)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present Deluxe" (Vinyl version of Deluxe version above)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present" (RED cassette version, EXCLUSIVELY from Robbie Williams)
ROBBIE WILLIAMS--"The Christmas Present" (GREEN cassette version EXCLUSIVELY from Robbie Williams)
VARIOUS--"Merry Luxmas" (A collection of vintage singles from The Cramps' vinyl basement)
VARIOUS--"A Vintage Broadway Christmas" (Broadway stars of yesteryear/recent past)

SNOWFLAKES SINGLES (NOVEMBER 22)
LIVINGMORE--"Show Me Light And Love"/"Winter Wonderland" (White 7" vinyl; Limited to 320)
SUPERBRAVO--"La Nuit"/"Chanson Pour Les Enfants l'Hiver" (White 7" vinyl; Limited to 320)
US AND THEM--"When The Stars Are Shining Brightly"/"Winter" (White 7" vinyl; Limited to 320)
BUNDLE OF ALL THREE 2019 SNOWFLAKES SINGLES

NOVEMBER 25
THE OUTSIDE TRACK--"Christmas Star" (UK Folk)

NOVEMBER 29
JUDY COLLINS & JONAS FJELD--"Winter Stories" (Folk, Bluegrass, and Country set of wintry vignettes)
ANNIE HALSAM--"It Snows In Heaven Too" (OOP 2000 album from iconic Renaissance vocalist, remastered)
WILL HARRIS & FRIENDS--"The Sound of Christmas" (Contemporary Christian)
LETTERS TO CLEO--"OK Christmas" (Color Vinyl EP from Alt Rock band, LMTD to 500, released digitally Nov. 15)
KATE RUSBY--"Holly Head" (Fifth seasonal set from UK Folk Pop artist)
RICK WAKEMAN--"Christmas Portraits" (Solo piano from progressive keyboard legend)
RICK WAKEMAN--"Christmas Portraits" (Vinyl version of above)
VARIOUS--"Blues Christmas" (Putumayo's 2019 holiday comp includes Charles Brown, Kenny Neal, more)
VARIOUS--"Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas" (Reissue of 2000 release)
VARIOUS--"Ki Ho'alu Christmas: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar" (Reissue of 1996 release)

DECEMBER 1
CATS IN SPACE--"My Kind of Christmas" (7" Satsuma Color Vinyl from British 70s flavored Rock group)
CATS IN SPACE--"My Kind of Christmas" (12" Picture Disc of above with different B-side; Limited to 300)

DECEMBER 6
JOHN BARROWMAN--"A Fabulous Christmas" (British vocalist and Doctor Who actor)
WYNTON MARSALIS--"Big Band Holidays II" (Vinyl version of CD releasing November 8)
AIDAN MOFFAT & RM HUBBERT--"Ghost Stories For Christmas" (Vinyl version of 2018 album)
PENTATONIX--"The Best of Pentatonix Christmas" (Vinyl version of CD releasing 10/25)
JOHNNY REID--"My Kind of Christmas" (Vinyl version of above Country EP due on CD November 1)
LANA WINTERHALT--"Diamonds" (Indie Alternative/Folk Pop/Ambient artist from Canada)

DECEMBER 13
JOHN BARROWMAN--"A Fabulous Christmas" (Barrowman's album arrives at Amazon)
FURNACE & THE FUNDAMENTALS--"A Very Furnace Christmas" (Vinyl version of 2018 digital album from Australian group, turning Pop/Rock hits into Christmas songs)
JOHN LEGEND--"A Legendary Christmas Deluxe" (Vinyl version of CD released Nov. 8)
PENTATONIX--"The Best of Pentatonix Christmas" (Vinyl version of CD released 10/25)
PUSS N BOOTS--"Dear Santa" (Vinyl EP of Alt Country CD-EP due Oct. 25)
DECKCHAIR POETS--"Always Piste At Christmas" (Rock with a smile from Supergroup)
VARIOUS--"Blink Before Christmas" (Comp of vintage Blues/R&B released overseas 10/25 reaches Amazon)
VARIOUS--"The 12 Rockin' Days of Christmas" (Comp of vintage Rock and R&B based on The 12 Days)

TBA
Backstreet Boys (They're back, ai'ight?)
Campbell & Green (NOV) (Canadian husband and wife Folk Pop duo)
Cher (nuff said)
Clean Pete (Dutch Pop/Rock twin sister duo)
Glenn Crytzer Orchestra--"Underneath The Mistletoe" (Sounds of the Jazz Age and Swing Era; 11 originals, 9 classics; crowdfunded through Kickstarter)
Death Cat--"Death Cat vs. X-Mas" (Experimental Punk multi-media group)
Faith Angelina Dixon (New Age piano from 13 year old prodigy)
Paul Edis (UK Jazz artist)
Pasquale Esposito (Italian tenor)
Luke Evans (Actor known for roles in Beauty & The Beast and the Fast & Furious series)
Faithful Journey (Southern Gospel quartet from the MidWest)
Melody Joyce (EDM singer/songwriter)
Folk Hymnal--"Incarnation Songs, Vol. II" (Christian Folk follow up to last year's Christmas EP; Kickstarter funded)
Lennie Gallant (Canadian Country star who had one of the best Christmas singles of 2018)
HW Klownface--"Desecration of Santa Claus" (Metal artist who won a copyright suit in Judge Judy's courtroom)
Chris Mann (Former Voice contestant who released a Christmas EP in 2012)
Natalie McMaster (Canadian Celtic fiddler)
Tony Meade (Pop Rock artist from Colorado)
Mistah Shak--"Christmas Where I'm From" (Christmas music from Trinidad & Tobago)
The New West Symphony & Chorus (70 member choir and orchestra)
Oversight Gallery (Indie Emo band from Indiana)
Dolly Parton (Country superstar says this is definite and will be accompanied by a Christmas tour)
Andrew Ryan (L.A. based Jazz Pop artist)
Salt of the Sound (Ambient Christian Vocal duo)
Slobberbone (Alt Country band from Texas)
Smashing Pumpkins (Billy seems pretty stoked by the idea)
Canadian Troubadour Doug Smith--"Christmas In The Valley" (Canadian Country artist)
Sovereign Grace (Worship group planning 3rd Christmas album)
Larry Stewart (Country set from one of the vocalists from Restless Heart)
Joey Stuckey (NOV) (Blind Georgia Blues Rock artist)
The Taters--"Shiny & Brite" (Roots Rock/Americana)
Olivia West--"Hurry Up Santa" (Country Pop; Kickstarter)
Various--"Seasonal Favorites, Vol. 5" (Yet another indispensable collection of Surf Rock, etc., from Double Crown)
Various--"A Very Cherry Christmas--Vol. 14" (late NOV) (Brilliant Indie Pop and Rock, curated by Gareth Jones)

POSSIBLE
Carolyn Broussard (Cajun Americana)
Delta Rae (Alt Pop Americana)
DMX--"DMX-Mas" (Rap)
EXO (K-Pop Boy Band)

2020
Mandy Gaines (Cincinnati Jazz vocalist)
Paul Kelly (The dude who taught us "How To Make Gravy" for Christmas working on a full holiday album)
Melvin Seals (Leader of JGB, a Grateful Dead spinoff, with what is expected to be a fairly traditional "churchy" effort)

1 Comment

CAPTAIN JACK WILL GET YOU BY TONIGHT

9/12/2019

1 Comment

John Barrowman, best known to...well, me...as Captain Jack Harkness on the BBC series Doctor Who and Torchwood, will be releasing a Christmas album on December 6. "A Fabulous Christmas" will feature seasonal classics such as "Sleigh Ride", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", "Silent Night", "When a Child is Born" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as well as a number of "celebrity duets" to be unveiled shortly.

While I may know Barrowman as Captain Jack, he's a very well known and respected vocalist across the pond (and you can hear why in the video above). Barrowman has certainly dabbled in Christmas music throughout his recording career, and his 2006 BBC Christmas concert was widely bootlegged and shared on the Internets, but "A Fabulous Christmas" will be his first official full-length holiday recording.

Now if, like me, you're a devotee of the Doctor, you can always scrounge up enough music for a Doctor Who Christmas. There are Christmas bits out there from Billie Piper, Alex Kingston, Kylie Minogue, Catherine Tate, Katherine Jenkins, Tom Baker and, I'm told, Colin Baker. Not to mention "Song For Ten" and, of course, "I'd Like To Spend Christmas With A Dalek". More likely, you'll just want to get Barrowman's Christmas album in sheer appreciation for his vocal gifts.

You can pre-order "A Fabulous Christmas" through the Universal Music Store.

The only reason John Barrowman got our top spot over Josh Rouse is because the Captain Jack headline was just too irresistible to pass up. But "The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse" is much more in my wheelhouse. The Alt Folk Pop artist is bringing forth a seasonal record inspired by the easy breezy Jazz of the 60s (think Vince Guaraldi). Of course, Rouse is neither Guaraldi nor a Jazz artist, which makes the coming album all the more intriguing. Think of the first time someone put chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers together. Roots Folk, Alt Pop and Jazz? Mmmm. Can I get s'more please? The album is, essentially, 9 original songs, written over the course of the last ten years--mostly for fun (which adds even more texture to an already eclectic picture). But there's a bonus set of 6 tunes (3 covers and 3 demos), just in case you were afraid we would have a seasonal shortage of Mariah Carey covers this year. I'm really trying to keep ahold of my wallet but, damn, look at that cover art. "The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse" arrives November 1 in both CD and RED vinyl formats. Bonus disc applies to CD as well as vinyl formats (but only for the "First Edition", meaning you won't get the extra tunes after this initial holiday season...I guess).

Disc: 1
1. Mediterranean X-Mas
2. Red Suit
3. New York Holiday
4. Easy Man
5. Sleigh Brother Bill
6. Lights of Town
7. Letters in the Mailbox
8. Heartbreak Holiday
9. Christmas Songs

Disc: 2
1. All I Want For Christmas (Mariah Carey Cover)
2. Up On The Housetop
3. Let It Snow
4. Red Suit (Demo)
5. Easy Man (Demo)
6. Heartache Holiday (Demo)

JOSH ROUSE WEB SITE
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A few more details on the coming Dionne Warwick Christmas album. The album will be titled "Dionne Warwick and the Voices of Christmas" and will drop on October 18. Wouldn't be surprised to see it added to Amazon in the next couple of days but, in the meantime, the biggest news is probably that the record--which is entirely made up of duets--will include a "White Christmas" duet with Johnny Mathis. Other pairings include Dionne with Michael McDonald on "Jingle Bell Rock," Boyz II Men’s Wayna Morris on "The Christmas Song," and longtime Chicago member Jason Scheff on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". John Rich and The Oak Ridge Boys join Dionne for "Jingle Bells", Andra Day pitches in on a new arrangement of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", and we've previously mentioned "Frosty The Snowman" featuring Eric Paslay. Even Aloe Blacc gets in on the fun. 12 tracks in all.

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 20

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
3. This Time of the Year
4. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
5. Meet Me In The Middle (In The Snow)
6. Selfie With Santa
7. Jingle Bells
8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
9. I Love the Winter Weather
10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

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RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 22

1. White Christmas
2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
3. Christmas Morning
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Jolly Old St. Nicholas
6. Winter Wonderland
7. Baby It's Cold Outside
8. I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day
9. O Holy Night
10. Happy Holiday

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RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 25

1. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
2. The Wexford Carol
3. Joy to the World
4. Greensleeves
5. Carol of the Bells
6. Silent Night
7. Angels We Have Heard on High
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

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No video or audio as yet, "O Come All Ye Faithful" fuses Jazz, Classical and Latin for this instrumental piano outing from world renowned pianist Jose Cabrera. Release date is October 11.

1. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
2. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
3. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
4. O Holy Night
5. Joy to the World
6. Deck the Halls
7. Silent Night
8. O Come, All Ye Faithful
9. What Child Is This?
10. Jingle Bells

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CCM artist and former American Idol contestant Danny Gokey has a new Christmas album coming October 25. "The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Collection" is a mix of Christmas classics and original songs, featuring mainstays “Come Let Us Adore Him,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” & and both an English and Spanish version of the hymn “Silent Night.” The album also features 3 brand new original songs written by Danny. No track list yet, but we do have cover art.

And, finally, a new Bluegrass entry coming from Lateral Blue on October 25. Lateral Blue's album of 70s Pop covers, "Go Your Own Way", was a lot of fun, so let's hope "This Christmas" is infused with the same spirit of whimsy. Once again, no track list as yet, but we do have this video the group posted to YouTube last Christmas.

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UNDERNEATH THE MISTLETOE

6/14/2019

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I don't have to tell you that right now is when artists and labels are plotting out and recording their Christmas projects for the coming holiday season. And that's why now is when you should begin checking out the crowd funding sites to pick up on projects that you might want to pencil in for purchase come the fall and winter (or now, if you want to be part of the action).

Back in 2013, we featured a digital release from Glenn Crytzer, who specializes in the sounds of the Jazz Age and Swing era. If you need to refresh your memory of "A Little Love This Christmas", here's my personal favorite from the set.

Of course "A Little Love This Christmas" was Glenn with a smaller group, The Savoy Seven. But to fully appreciate the Crytzer magnificence, you'd really want to hear him with a full orchestra (with strings!). And Christmas obsessives will get their opportunity to be musically transported back to the days of Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Cab Calloway this Christmas as the Glenn Crytzer Orchestra unleashes "Underneath The Mistletoe". The currently anticipated song list includes 20 tracks...11 originals and 9 new arrangements of old standards. And the lineup includes nods to Hanukkah and to Krampus. Let's check out some of the titles, shall we?

Originals
Underneath The Mistletoe
An Old Fashioned Christmas
The Little Tree
Keep a Little Christmas in Your Heart
Hey, Mister Snowflake
I'm Sorry Santa
It's a Wonderful Life
All I Want for Christmas is Food
Christmas in New York
Playing Santa Claus
(Watch Out For) The Krampus

Classics
Deck the Halls
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
Silent Night
Toyland
Tea (Chinese Dance from the Nutcracker)
Up on the Housetop
We Three Kings
I Saw Three Ships

Additionally, the GCO may record some bonus tracks and there are Kickstarter packages both with and without the bonus tracks...your choice.

The usual Kickstarter rules apply. There are multiple tiers with assorted incentives that include lead sheets, ornaments, lapel pins, your name in the liner notes, guitar lessons, and more. And, if Glenn fails to reach his pledge goal by August 2, you will not be charged.

Glenn previews several of the new songs on his Kickstarter page but you have to imagine them with a full orchestra (and strings!). Head on over to Kickstarter and let Glenn Crytzer make his pitch. If, like me, you'd like a little more Swing or a bit of Jitterbug and Jump in your Christmas, you'll be locking in your purchase of "Underneath The Mistletoe" early. Delivery expected in November.

If your interests run more to Folky Christian seasonal sounds, Folk Hymnal are nearing the end of a campaign to produce a follow-up EP to last year's "Incarnation Songs". Folk Hymnal is an artist collective, led by producer and songwriter Tim Briggs. "Incarnation Songs, Volume II" will feature Stacy Lantz, Nathan Storey and others. Depending upon your level of support (and assuming the project meets its goal by June 30), you can get both "Incarnation Songs" CDs, as well as a non-holiday set expected in the spring of 2020, "Good News Songs". Head to Kickstarter for all the details. And here's a song from last year's EP.

The Christmas project from Nashville based Country Pop artist Olivia West could really use your support with less than two weeks remaining to reach her funding target. Olivia grew up in Kansas City, btw (just sayin'....Aaron).

Olivia has written a bunch of Christmas songs and has chosen her best six for this project, the working title for which is "Hurry Up Santa". But the song title that has my interest piqued is "Everybody Wants A Penguin". Doncha want to hear what that one sounds like? I do. And Gary Chapman is expected to make an appearance on "Just Because It's Christmas".

Pledge perks include handmade ornaments and a tour of Nashville with Olivia (if I didn't have $200,000 in medical debt, I'd seriously consider that tier).

Being as it's still spring, Olivia has had trouble getting the word out to we Christmas music obsessives and "Hurry Up Santa" has had a bit of difficulty moving the needle in its first two weeks. Olivia only has until June 26 to reach her $5000 goal, so head on over to Kickstarter and give the lady a fair hearing. C'mon. You want to hear "Everybody Wants A Penguin". You know you do.

Here's Olivia's 2015 Christmas single, "Unwrap Me" (which is not slated to be on the new project), just so you get a taste of Olivia West.

If you haven't heard, PledgeMusic has ceased operations. A quick perusal of IndieGoGo turned up no new Christmas album projects as yet.

Our final note for this post is that former SNL cast member Ana Gasteyer has completed her Christmas album. We first told you about that project in 2016. Though it has taken some time, Ana's Christmas album is now complete and ready for release later this year.

Ana's Christmas set is entitled "Sugar and Booze" and Ana says the title track is an homage to her two favorite things about the holidays. Expect "Sugar and Booze" to be a mix of light Jazz and light humor, as was Ana's debut record "I'm Hip".

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WINTER WAX IN THE WORKS

4/28/2019

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Photo by Chris Haston

Time for a little catch-up on some holiday-themed records in the works for 2019. And, as is our wont here at Stubby's, we're starting off with the artist you're probably least familiar with.

Brynn Stanley is an up and coming New Jersey born Jazz and Pop singer. She's been described as "the Peggy Lee of her generation" and also drawn comparisons to Norah Jones and Diana Krall. Brynn first emerged in 2013, after heading out to California to better learn her trade.

In 2015, Stanley released her debut album, "Hello California". Largely a Pop exercise, "Hello California" only hinted at Brynn's potential as a Jazz vocalist. Turns out I can be a bit of a snob. Found myself tremendously unmoved by the Popish "You're The One". The smokey soulful Jazz of "Black & White", though, was exactly what the doctor ordered. YMMV, of course.

Performing on both coasts, Brynn has since moved more and more towards the music she's most passionate about...the music of The Great American Songbook. The Brynn Stanley of 2017's "Classic" (which you can check out on Soundcloud) is the Brynn Stanley I'm hoping to encounter when she releases her first Christmas album, currently in the works.

It should be no surprise that Brynn would choose a Christmas album for her next project. You'll find several videos of the young chanteuse celebrating the holidays on YouTube. She'll, again, be working with The Tony Guerrero Quintet (heard on the video above) on the coming holiday set. Working title for the album is "Christmas".

Brynn's only currently available Christmas release is the 2015 pop single "Selfie With Santa".

If it's April, that means that Kate Rusby is back in the studio working on a new Christmas album. The British Folk singer reports that it's difficult to get into a Christmas mindset out of season, but she's quite used to it having already released FOUR Yuletide long-plays.

Kate's first Christmas album, 2008's "Sweet Bells", remains a popular holiday classic. She followed that with "While Mortals Sleep" in 2011, "The Frost Is All Over" in 2015, and "Angels And Men" in 2017.

While we await more seasonal sweetness from this favored Folk songbird, Kate's latest non-Christmas album--"Philosophers, Poets And Kings"--releases in a couple of weeks. The lead single, "Jenny", is a tune in which underdogs of all kinds should find hope and inspiration.

Speaking of Folk music, there are few Folk groups who got their start in the early 60s still around today. And The Seekers may be the only one of that select group featuring, essentially, the original line-up. Technically, the Australian group began with Ken Ray holding down the spot now occupied by Judith Durham. But it was only after Durham joined early in 1962 that The Seekers found their sound, scoring international hits with "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World Of Our Own" and "Georgy Girl".

The Seekers split up in 1968, reunited in 1975, then went through some personnel changes. The original Seekers reunited again in 1992 and have been together ever since.

Outside of a stray track or two, The Seekers didn't get serious about the holiday season until 2001, when they released "Morningtown Ride To Christmas"(currently OOP). As a solo artist, Judith Durham has released plenty of delicious holiday slices and has frequently appeared on the annual "Spirit of Christmas" collections put out down under by Myer Stores and The Salvation Army.

The Seekers recently signed with Decca, who will release what is anticipated to be their final "new" album, "Farewell", in mid-May (mid-June in America). It's a live set recorded in 2013. But, for us, the big news is that a Christmas album is in the works, expected to feature rare and unreleased material from the group's long career.

If you're visiting Stubby's in April, then you no doubt already know that The Backstreet Boys plan to release their first Christmas album later this year. The 90s Boy Band kicks off their DNA World Tour in Portugal on May 11, wrapping up in New Jersey in September. Along the way, they'll be working on their festive full-length which, we're promised, will include "some classics and some originals".

To date, The Backstreet Boys have released just two Christmas tunes, the 1996 ballad "It's Christmas" and the uptempo "It's Christmas Time Again" from 2012. Try to work on those song titles, boys. It'd be a bit disappointing to see a full album with titles like "It's Christmas Time Again (Again)" and "I Told You It Was Christmas". Just sayin'.

98 Degrees got some mileage out of their recent Christmas record, N Sync saw their holiday album re-released this past year, and The Spice Girls are re-uniting. So the timing is probably spot on for a bit of mistletoe and merriment from BSB. They're back. Alright?

This next bit really doesn't belong in this rundown, as it's not technically a Christmas album and it's not upcoming...it's here. Released earlier this month, Nico Cartosio's "Melting" is one of the most affecting records I've heard in a long time. We don't often talk about Classical music, here, but, if you're adventurous, a Classical track in your holiday mix can really set you apart.

"Melting" is largely a very dark work, rising up in hope at the very end. From the outset, "Melting" plunges you into a cold dark place and then drags you further down into hell. Only when you reach the title track are you raised from perdition, your soul set free from the darkness.

Not technically a seasonal album, Cartosio does use winter titles and themes to express the harshness of the cold and dark. "Snow Above The Earth" and "Girl On An Iceberg" are two such examples.

But, really, I just wanted an excuse to play the video for the album's opening track, "Christmas On The Moon", in case you haven't seen it. Because nothing says Christmas like little girls, teddy bears, strip clubs, drugs, and semi-automatic weapons. STRONG PARENTAL ADVISORY: for extreme violence and the appearance of the foulest of 4-letter words (the "C" word) near the beginning (it's in the video, not the song which is instrumental).

Could be Keb Mo for Christmas 2019

Lightning Round.

Further confirmation that you can count on Dolly Parton and The Smashing Pumpkins for Christmas albums this year--separately, of course, not in tandem. Australian-American Christian Pop Rock duo for King and Country is also said to be tossing around the idea of more Christmas music. Their 2013 EP "Into The Silent Night" remains a popular player and the group released "Christmas: Live From The Phoenix" in 2017. It might wait until 2020, but there will definitely be more.

Shania Twain is also hard at work on a holiday set. There's been some talk that the Canadian Country star's record will be all original, but I'm not buying it. If Shania doesn't sing "White Christmas", then what's the point? Just my opinion, of course.

Look for a New Age solo piano Christmas record from Faith Angelina Dixon this coming November. The 13 year old prodigy's latest, "Notes From Zion", debuted at #1 on the One World Music charts in January. A talented and passionate composer, have Faith (see what I did there?) that she will not be offering up some snooze fest of tried and tired standards.

And, while we're awaiting official confirmation, word on the street has it that Keb Mo is currently in the studio laying down a new Christmas album. Being a Blues Hound, that's pretty exciting news to me. That's just a rumor (if a fairly solid one), at the moment. Fingers crossed... Keb Mo's Christmas output, so far, can be found on his 2011 EP, "The Spirit of The Holiday".

And then there's Liz...

Finally, today, Robbie Williams got his start with the British Pop band Take That in the 90s but became a bankable artist when he went solo. 7 number one singles and 10 number one albums later, Williams is among the best selling and richest solo acts in British history. Oddly, he's barely registered on this side of the Atlantic, charting only two singles on the Top 100, "Angels" and "Millennium", with the former charting the highest at just #53. I imagine that's got to annoy the heck out of him, in spite of his success across the pond.

Williams has always seemed kinda Christmas adjacent (for example, he sang on the Band Aid 20 version of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and the video for his retro duet with Nicole Kidman has a Christmas theme). But his only "official" holiday release to date has been "Walk This Sleigh", the festive flip to "Angels" in 1997. "Walk This Sleigh" has frequently been described as one of the worst Christmas songs of all time, but I've always rather liked it. Why? Because it's different, and you know how much I love different.

Robbie is currently working on a full Christmas album which I expect we'll see at the end of this year. He's got a musical fetish for Rat Pack styled Jazz Pop, so I'd expect to hear some of that on the completed project. But Robbie knows how to write an infectious Pop song as well as anyone, so I'd think we'll also get a lot of that.

And.......here's a possible preview to close us out. Enjoy.

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COMING ATTRACTION - THE GREGORY BROTHERS

11/8/2018

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You know The Gregory Brothers from their series of "Auto-Tune The News" videos, which later became "Songify" as they took their talents beyond the bounds of just news. I mean, really, you can't call it auto-tuning the news when you're taking a video of someone enjoying a Five Guys burger and turning it into something as epic and musical as "Oh My Dayum" (although, for obvious reasons, I'm partial to "The Cat In Center Field"). But, anyway, The Gregory Brothers are so famous for their viral creations that it's less well known that they are a talented musical group as well. Truthfully, you'd have to be to do what they do with "Songify"; each of those videos is an original song. But I digress.

The Gregory Brothers, as a singing group, have released a handful of records, beginning with "Meet The Gregory Brothers" in 2009. And you might not be aware that they do an annual Christmas show, as well. So it's about time they got around to recording a Christmas album. There's no auto-tune and no news on "Sleigh Ride/Fireside", just sweet sweet music.

1. O Come, All Ye Faithful
2. I Don't Want Anything For Christmas
3. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
4. Those Traditions We Do
5. Auld Lang Syne
6. Go Tell It On the Mountain
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
8. What Are You Doing New Years Eve
9. New Year's Eve
10. Christmas Lullabye
11. Christmas in Prison
12. Still, Still, Still

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"Sleigh Ride/Fireside" is available in CD, vinyl, and digital formats and will be officially released on November 15. I mention that up front because, on our List, I've put it on the 16th. It's completely arbitrary on my part; there are just times I get tired of seeing every day with one release (what happened to "universal Fridays"?). Anyway...

"Sleigh Ride/Fireside" takes advantage of the old vinyl configuration by presenting two sides of the holiday. The "Sleigh Ride" side is more upbeat and festive, while the "Fireside" side is mellower...a chance to unwind from the "Sleigh Ride" festivities, as it were. The album opens with "O Come All Ye Faithful", which seems an odd choice to open the festive side. Maybe The Gregory Brothers traditionally begin their annual festive festivities caroling an old carol. I'd have thought maybe, I dunno, "Sleigh Ride"? Just sayin'. But, that said, it's an exceptional Country and Gospel meet 70s FM radio arrangement that does stick to the ribs in the best possible way.

Likewise, "I Don't Want Anything For Christmas", which I presume to be an original, is a wonderful melding of traditional Jazz Pop vocals and Western Swing (with accents of Big Band and Gypsy Jazz). One of the things I listen for when I hear a new Christmas song is how it might fit in the pantheon of classic Christmas music. And you could easily imagine "I Don't Want Anything For Christmas" on an album by Gene Autry or Peggy Lee or Bobby Helms or Django Reinhardt or Count Basie or, for that matter, on the telly as some champagne music from Lawrence Welk. Dare I say it (dare, dare), it's wunnerful wunnerful.

Back around 2010, The Gregory Brothers offered up a free download of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" (technically as by Sarah & The Stanleys). It was a fantastic Jazzy/Bluesy arrangement. For "Sleigh Ride/Fireside", they've kept the great arrangement, but souped it up considerably. It's as if Santa traded in his sleigh and reindeer for a Maserati. They're making the same trip but doing it in greater style. For my money, this is the highlight of the album. And, though I confess I haven't been keeping track, it might be the first time ever that Gandhi has been name-checked in a Christmas song.

If you thought perhaps The Gregory Brothers would leave behind their quirky sense of humor, "Those Traditions We Do" is the song for you. It's sort of a twisted cross between Rudy Valle, Perry Como, and Weird Al. Just be glad you aren't Uncle Joe (but why am I telling you/It's the same thing that you do). Then we get a 60s soul version of "Auld Lang Syne" that includes what sounds to me like an original second verse (which is cool; you know "Auld Lang Syne"...you hardly even listen to it, its so familiar. So you're sitting there and, all of a sudden your ears perk up and you go, "Well that's new."). And the "Sleigh Ride" ends with "Go Tell It On The Mountain" (as heard above).

The "Fireside" set kicks off with "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". I love this arrangement, which I'd place somewhere between 1959 and 1962 (sort of Santo and Johnny meet "A Summer Place"). But even better are Sarah's vocals on this one; she absolutely kills it. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" is pretty straight forward crooner with some excellent Jazz sax.

"New Year's Eve" (a third New Year's tune?) sounds like another original to me. This one has the feel of a Leon Redbone tune and features great lyrics and some fine and Bluesy guitar work. Sarah serenades us sweetly on "Christmas Lullabye" and one of the nicest versions of "Still Still Still" I can recall. Sandwiched between those two is a fairly faithful rendition of "Christmas In Prison".

"Sleigh Ride/Fireside" is a thoroughly enjoyable listen...more as foreground than background (though that'll work too). And it's the kind of record that sounds better with each successive listen, which isn't always easy to pull off. Production is impeccable and the musicians are all on their game. There is a bit of a split personality that has nothing to do with the festivities/unwinding split. How to put this...hmmm. I found myself liking "Sleigh Ride/Fireside" from two distinct parts of my Christmas head. On the one hand, it appealed to the part of me that (just like you) fell in love with those "Christmas Cocktails" collections. On the other hand, there's a decided undercurrent throughout of 60s Soul/R&B...which turns out to be just the special seasoning "Sleigh Ride/Fireside" needs to set it apart.

I just have one bone to pick with The Gregory Brothers. Why do you call yourselves The Gregory Brothers when the most enchanting voice belongs to Sarah? It wasn't The Cornelius Brothers, it was The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. Shouldn't it be The Gregory Brothers and Sister Sarah? Or is it just too late to turn back now? Ahhhnnnnd those groans are my cue to get outta here. Peace.

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NEW RELEASE - REHYA STEVENS - "CELEBRATE"

11/2/2018

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A little while back, I mentioned that we might have to go silent for awhile and that time may well be here. This computer is about 15-20 minutes away from expiring once and for all and forever. I bought a back-up device but, surprise, it turns out not to be compatible with this computer. *sigh* It's not as simple as just switching from one computer to another, either. I'd wanted to make it through Christmas, but the plan (the necessity) has always been to move everything to the other house. This one's gotta be sold. By everything, that means the computer, the internet...and Missy Katz. Not looking forward to that particular transition; I don't think she's going to understand, really. And, while I'm sure she'll be excited at new territory to explore for a day or so, the houses are close enough to each other that I think I'm going to have trouble keeping her from returning to this house, after its no longer mine. Anyway, not your problem. Let's see if I can get this thing written before the computer dies.

Rehya Stevens was born in California and, with her father being a professional musician, grew up around music. She started writing songs at the age of 8. When she began her professional career, she did so with an EP that leaned toward Country Pop, but she never felt entirely comfortable with that genre. Her heart, going back to her earliest years, had always been in R&B, in all its assorted shades. In 2013, she released the album "Vintage Love"--an album much more reflective of who she was as an artist. A prolific songwriter, Rehya's music has made its way into numerous television shows and movies (now I gotta go back and watch my "Unforgettable" DVDs again, since she apparently placed some music there and I loved that show). In 2018, she turned her desires and attentions to creating a Christmas album. But not just a Christmas album...a Christmas album of all original songs that nonetheless had the feel of the classic Christmas albums of the past.

"A Christmas Song" is notable for several things. First are the sweeping strings, which are reminiscent of those lush romantic Christmas albums of the late 50s and early 60s. Second is the exceptional guitar of Chris Standring (Chris had a fairly awesome Christmas album of his own, "Send Me Some Snow"). And third is the ever so slightly smokey and very sultry vocals of Rehya Stevens. It's a distinctive voice that calls you like the sirens of seafaring mythology.

Now, if every song on "Celebrate" had the same character, the same lush sweeping strings, the same romantic mood, that would be one thing. But that's not the case. There are as many different moods and approaches on "Celebrate" as there are songs.

1. Happy Holiday
2. A Christmas Song (feat. Chris Standring)
3. Come In From The Cold
4. Jingle Jangle
5. Celebrate
6. Fly Past My Roof (feat. Jessy J.)
7. Gloria
8. Welcome Home
9. Snowfall

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"Celebrate" kicks off with "Happy Holiday", a 70s Soul number that, for me, called to mind artists like Ronnie Dyson and Deniece Williams, with the romance of the Delfonics. Once again, I'm sure I'll come up with a better comparison after this piece is posted, but that's where I'm at right now. "Happy Holiday" has that mid-tempo rhythm that should make it popular with the Carolina Beach Music crowd, too. And that "Hurry up, hurry up" refrain will stick with you (in a good way, of course).

Following "A Christmas Song" is "Come In From The Cold", an AC ballad that plays on a theme heard throughout "Celebrate"...coming home. I feel weird making this "comparison" but, growing up, we had some Bible story records and "Come In From The Cold", for whatever reason, made me drift back to the story of the Prodigal Son from those records. I doubt that's what she had in mind, but...

Changing directions yet again, Rehya follows with "Jingle Jangle" which, musically, is a bit of a Mash-up of "Rocking Around The Christmas Tree" and "Marshmallow World" and perhaps a couple of other early 60s Rock Christmas tunes. I can't deny it's appeal, and it does have a way of pulling the rest of the album together, but, honestly, it wasn't my favorite (your mileage may vary and probably will). There's a Gospel feel underlying the album's title track--subtle but effective. And then come's my personal favorite from the set, "Fly Past My Roof".

Yowzah! That's steaming hot! In case anyone is confused on the matter, Jessy J (who provides the smokin' sax solo on "Fly Past My Roof") is not Jessie J. Jessy J also has a Christmas album worth checking out, "California Christmas".

Rehya follows "Fly Past My Roof" with the album's sole religious track, "Gloria". "Gloria" was last year's single, in advance of the album. It may be the album's only spiritual track but, in many ways, it's the most successful. "Gloria" has that magnificent majesty of the vintage arrangements of traditional hymns that were always a part of the annual television Christmas specials from Bing, Tennessee Ernie and Jim Nabors. Rehya starts with a virtual whisper, her voice first floats then soars, the song rises to a glorious symphony of love and light--you can practically feel the star appearing in the east--and then closes gently like a feather coming to rest. I can't deny that "Fly Past My Roof" is my favorite on "Celebrate", but "Gloria" is a close second. It just has that grandeur about it. Listening to as much Christmas music as I do, I come across a lot of CCM (and other) music trying to convey the immensity of the birth of the Savior. It's not easy to do and few truly succeed. "Gloria" succeeds...and then some.

"Welcome Home" takes on the role of lullaby. Here, more than anywhere, you appreciate how well "Celebrate" is paced. "Gloria" is so "big" and powerful while "Welcome Home" is so simple and intimate. The tendency might be to want to separate them from each other. But the combination is just so perfect. Baby Jesus needs a lullaby, after all.

"Celebrate" closes with another of my favorites--"Snowfall". To me, "Snowfall" is the perfect marriage of words and music, of song and arrangement, of artist and song. A facile description would be of a mid-tempo early 70s Soft Rock tune. But that's just so...facile. The lyrics of "Snowfall", in keeping with the theme that runs throughout "Celebrate", speak to coming home in a way that I think is so relatable to anyone. You spend your early years in a hurry to grow up and move on to a life that's bigger and better. Then you spend the rest of your life trying to get back to what you didn't realize you had (because you were in such a hurry to move on). The house you grew up in--that seemed so big when you were so little--suddenly seems tiny, but in a wonderful way. Little things which you barely noticed or took for granted--like the old windows that let in a bit of the winter chill--suddenly there's something wonderful and extraordinary about them. And every sight and sound of the old home and neighborhood brings back memories so strong, they're as real as the smell of the turkey in the oven in the next room. The lyrics are just utterly brilliant. Ah, but the music to those lyrics and that arrangement. Those lyrics could have been far less effective or, worse, wasted entirely, without the music (and, yes, Rehya Stevens does her own arrangements). The strumming guitar that predominates assumes the feel of the falling snow while the steady beat so completely gives me the feel of being in the car, driving to Grandma's house (or wherever you went or go for your family gatherings). And Rehya's vocals are just perfect for this song; so understated and yet every last bit of emotion is in there. Hey, maybe it's just me, but all together like that? It was a virtual reality experience. One of my Grandmothers has been gone for 30 years, the other for 20, and both of my parents have passed. I have brothers but it's been ages since we gathered for a holiday. But "Snowfall" brings it all back to me as if it were yesterday. So thank you for that.

Taking a different musical approach on nine original Christmas songs, you might think it difficult for "Celebrate" to resonate as a cohesive album, but it does and it does so quite well. This speaks to the intelligent ordering of the tracks. Rehya moves gracefully from one style to another and not once do you feel anything but a smooth ride. And as for having the feel of the classic Christmas albums? Again, you might think that would be difficult to accomplish with such a variance of styles and sounds. But it turns out that "Celebrate" is as warm and comfortable as your favorite blanket. You feel perfectly comfortable just wrapping yourself up in "Celebrate" with Rehya's wonderful voice providing the flame for your mental fireplace. Finally, you might wonder if an album of original Christmas songs that so harkens back to Christmas albums of old will stand on its own or just fade into the shuffle. But, while the songs may borrow some of the trappings of earlier Christmas stylings, they're well enough written and performed to withstand the comparisons. Rehya writes and sings like Rehya, ultimately, and borrowing a dash of Bing and a sprinkle of Brenda just adds a little spice to the Christmas cookie without changing its own unique flavor. And the standout tracks really standout (for me, that's "Fly Past My Roof", "Gloria", and "Snowfall", but I'm sure you'll settle on favorites of your own).

Technically, "Celebrate" by Rehya Stevens was released October 19. I've only just moved it there on our List (we've had it at October 2, which had to do with the Pledge Music campaign). Autographed CDs (with download included) are available exclusively from the Rehya Stevens web store, while digital downloads should be available wherever digital downloads are sold. If you're looking for something that feels familiar without feeling as played out as day old chewing gum, something new and fresh that delivers those old memories in emotional technicolor with spiritual surround sound, Rehya Stevens' "Celebrate" could be just the string of brightly colored lights your musical Christmas tree has been missing.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT - LUCY LOCKWOOD

10/24/2018

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It's turned out to be a pretty big year for new Christmas music. We've gotten or are getting new holiday albums from Eric Clapton, John Legend, Ingrid Michaelson, The Monkees, William Shatner, Rodney Crowell, JD McPherson, Dailey & Vincent, The Mavericks, Engelbert, Martina McBride, Moffat & Hubbert, and we just announced the best edition yet of the fabulous Snowflakes Singles. But, for my head, the portion of our musical Christmas tree reserved for Jazz and Blues is still looking pretty bare. And so I go looking. And, sometimes, I find a gem that I missed the first time around. Or it finds me.

1. That's What I Want for Christmas
2. Winter Moon
3. My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)
4. River
5. Silver Bells
6. Good Morning Blues
7. Rockin' Robin
8. Christmas Everyday
9. Silver Bells (Scatmas Edition)

LUCY LOCKWOOD WEB SITE
PURCHASE CD FROM LUCY LOCKWOOD
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AT CD BABY
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AT iTUNES
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD AT AMAZON
STREAM ON SPOTIFY

Lucy Lockwood is a Jazz and Blues singer from the Northwest portion of England (near Liverpool) and "Warm Hearth - Shivering Heart" is one of the best Christmas albums I've ever missed and then found (possibly the best). As you can hear on "Silver Bells" above, Lucy can scat with the best of them. We haven't heard scatting that good since Ella.

But Lucy is more than just scatting. The best Jazz vocalists are the ones who use their voice as an instrument (we spoke about this a bit in our earlier look at Dred "Perky" Scott and the Steve Rudolph Trio). That's more than just vocal improvisation, at which Lucy does excel. There's the ability to bend notes, something we most often think of when we think of Blues guitarists. And there are times when Lucy sings where she has the precise resonance and tone of a brass or a woodwind instrument; at times, you'd swear her voice has become the personification of Dizzy's trumpet or Bird's sax or J.J. Johnson's trombone or Benny Goodman's clarinet. That's talent. And she whistles, too. Lucy is unafraid of tackling the entire panorama of music. Material in her live shows ranges from Hoagy Carmichael to Howlin' Wolf, from Cole Porter to Iron Maiden.

"Warm Hearth - Shivering Heart", originally released in 2016, is Lucy Lockwood's debut record (instant bonus points for debuting with a Christmas record). And, much to her credit (and our enjoyment), she eschewed the usual suspects and selected a program of lesser known, but no less classic, songs of the season. Sure, Joni Mitchell's "River" has had it's share of covers lately, but how many people have covered Peggy Lee's "My Dear Acquaintance (Happy New Year)"? Only Regina Spektor that I can think of. Then there's "Winter Moon" (speaking of Hoagy Carmichael); even the few covers of that standard that I can think of off the top of my head (Art Pepper's and Banu Gibson's) weren't on Winter or Christmas albums. And how many covers of Smokey Robinson's great "Christmas Everyday" can you name? I can only think of two--The Temptations and The RMS Five (the latter because I bought and enjoyed their 2012 Christmas album, which is titled after the song). Isn't that amazing? Such a great song (personally, I've always felt the best of all the Motown originals...no offense Stevie) and nobody covers it. And, since we've mentioned "Christmas Everyday", let's also make the point that "Warm Hearth - Shivering Heart" isn't just for Jazz heads; there's a nice assortment of sounds, here.

Finally, Lucy deserves credit for assembling a cast of musicians who are simply splendid. I won't mention them all by name because I don't want to leave anyone out (you'll find them listed in the "Album Notes" at CD Baby), but I can't help but single out Dave Eatock whose Blues Harp only appears on "Silver Bells", giving the song some additional texture. Nice touch.

Lucy Lockwood would probably appreciate if I would mention that there's a concept, here, reflected in the album's title. Two sides of the season...festive fun and quiet reflection, winter romance and lonely isolation. And I get that; I categorize Christmas music that way in my own head. But I'm less about concepts and more about the music. And the music on "Warm Hearth - Shivering Heart" is exceptional from beginning to end. Lucy knows when to pour it on and she knows when less is more. She knows a good song when she hears it and she knows how to make a good song better. And, finally, she clearly loves Christmas music--it shows in every decision made, here, and it shows in every note.

While we wait for Lucy Lockwood to release another album, there are some non-holiday tracks you can enjoy at Soundcloud. And I highly recommend adding "Warm Hearth - Shivering Heart" to your holiday playlist. CD available direct from Lucy Lockwood and digital download available pretty much everywhere. My personal favorites on the album are "Good Morning Blues" (all 7 outstanding minutes of it) and "Winter Moon", but its all superb. And what better way to conclude than with a free download track. Here's Lucy's rendition of the holiday love song made famous by Nancy Wilson, "That's What I Want For Christmas", available at ReverbNation.

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SINGLES! (NOW WITH MORE INTERNATIONAL FLAVOUR)

10/19/2018

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"Navidad" by Frank Johnson is one of my favorite Christmas singles of the, as yet, young season. The sound is as fresh as any modern Indie Rock, yet a throwback to the Psych sounds of the late 60s. I wish I could tell you more about Frank Johnson. I spent a good deal of time looking and a good deal of time typing into google translate and, still, I know next to nothing. We do know that Frank Johnson is from Spain. We are told that Frank Johnson has played in other bands and that this is Frank Johnson's solo debut...the lead track from the album "Garman" (and that either the single or the album or both will eventually be available on vinyl, or so Frank Johnson says). And we know that Frank Johnson was influenced by the group Love and by the guitars of Eddy Hazel. And I keep repeating the name in full because I don't even know if Frank Johnson is a man or a woman. Several of the pronouns in a less than helpful PR piece translate as "she" and "her" (and, in at least one picture on Facebook, the beard being worn by Frank Johnson appears to be fake). But the vocals sound masculine, so let's go with that.

I did translate the lyrics, though. So here's what the song is about. Basically, "Navidad" is about how the year is long and December is dark and cold. But, if you find that you're getting down, Christmas is the reward at the end of it all. And it isn't because of expensive presents...spending money and getting presents is not going to make you happy. Don't look down, look up. That's where you'll find the peace and happiness that will sustain you through the next year. What the video of two people in reindeer suits running towards each other has to do with that, I have no idea. But I love the song, whoever Frank Johnson turns out to be. You can find "Navidad" at Amazon or Bandcamp or CD Baby or wherever you get your downloads.

One of the people on my personal holiday disc-swapping list has confessed to me, in the past, that he is fascinated by sea shanties and will seek, high and low, for any song that connects the sea shanty with Christmas. As he lives in Canada, and as the group Celtic Rant is also from Canada, he likely spotted this one before I did and already added it to his collection. But, just in case... and, of course, for the rest of us...

As noted, Celtic Rant is from Nova Scotia in Canada. And, as the band name would suggest, they play a folksy blend of Irish and Scottish tunes, sea shanties, and original tunes, and have done since 2006. This year, Celtic Rant recorded a Christmas album, "Ornaments". "Ornaments" has been nominated for Best Traditional/Roots Recording of the Year by Music Nova Scotia (the winners to be announced in a couple of weeks). As yet, I haven't been able to find a purchase link for "Ornaments". It's possible it hasn't been officially released yet (maybe the CDs are still pressing or whatever), but you can stream it on Soundcloud.

"Christmas Day Back Home" is the latest of three holiday singles from "Ornaments", joining "Christmas In The Trenches" and "Auld Lang Syne". Rob Wigle, the vocalist for Celtic Rant, was curious about a tradition he'd read about where sailors reportedly would collect their Christmas gifts, port to port, throughout the year. He looked for a sea shanty that told the tale but, finding none, he wrote his own. You can get your copy of Celtic Rant's "Christmas Day Back Home" from CD Baby.

How many times have you heard someone say, "They just don't make 'em like that anymore." Well, truth be told, some do. You just have to know where to look.

"I'm Gettin' Into The Swing of Christmas" may sound like a song from the classic crooner age of Frank and Bing and Mel Torme, but it's brand new (just releasing today, in fact) written and sung by Todd Murray. Say all you want about the modern artists who try to recreate the old magic, Todd Murray is the real deal and the authenticity shows. First of all, there's that amazing voice; you really can't do crooner right without a voice like that. And Todd's done the work, singing a wide variety of music in a wide variety of settings since he was a child--Gospel, Pop, Country, Jazz, Folk, and Cabaret in churches, at fairs, at VA hospitals, in concerts, on cruise lines, and in musical theater. Even before he was in college, he was doing 300 shows a year. And of course you need a full, live orchestra to back you up. Let's face it, Todd's an expert baker with the perfect recipe for a show-stopping Christmas cookie. "I'm Gettin' Into The Swing of Christmas" is complimented by Todd's other new Christmas song, "Let's Hear It For Santa Claus". The latter enchanted me as it comes from the child mind we're always trying to recapture as we grow older. And "Let's Hear It For Santa Claus" sounds to me like a tune that will invite covers in other genres down the line as it so readily appeals to children of all ages. Todd has three full albums under his belt, worth checking out if you're into the old standards. It only seems a shame he waited so long to try his hand at Christmas music. You'll find "I'm Gettin' Into The Swing of Christmas" at Amazon and iTunes and the other usual digital platforms, "Let's Hear It For Santa Claus" here and here and likewise. You'll also find both songs and his albums at Todd Murray's web site.

They love Christmas and Christmas music in the Philippines. Every year, when I go searching for new and forthcoming Christmas music, I always come across a bunch from the Philippines. I don't often go chasing those down, but sometimes I do. I loved discovering The Bloomfields, for example, whose regular sound is more Beatles-like but whose Christmas album is pure Beach Boys.

TJ Monterde is relatively new on the Filipino music scene, but he's dominated their charts in the last few years. TJ left his job as a radio announcer back around the turn of the decade looking for a label to sign him, but, after knocking on a lot of doors, found no takers. So he began uploading his music to YouTube in 2011 and generated the kind of following we associate with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes. He currently has over a million and a half followers on social media and over 56,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel. Needless to say, a record label did eventually sign him and, at one point in 2017, he had four songs in the Philippine Top 20.

A balladeer with a soulful voice, TJ Monterde's Christmas single is "Litrato Ngayong Pasko" ("This Christmas Photograph"). I don't have lyrics to plug into google translate, but I believe it's a song about missing someone who is far away. Maybe it's because I've always loved the holiday songs from faraway lands, but it sounds like Christmas to me and I wouldn't hesitate to include it in my Yuletide playlist, not even a little bit. If you're game for the foreign language stuff, you'll find "Litrato Ngayong Pasko" at Amazon.

There's something undeniably fun about Cajun Christmas music...whether it comes from the Blues side of the gumbo or the Country side. "Louisiana Christmas" from Trevor Bohannon is one of the latter. I can still remember the first time I saw Doug Kershaw on the TV and, while this isn't Doug, neither did Doug give us a true Doug Kershaw Christmas song either (the best we got was a non-fiddling "Dominic The Donkey" from late in his career).

Trevor Bohannon is a Louisiana Country artist who, already a musician, started writing songs in 1997. He was hoping to have others sing his songs (and still hopes for that, I'm sure). But, at some point, it became one of those, "If you want something done, best do it yourself" kinda situations. Aside from the festive feel and fiddle, I thought the description of Santa doing his work as "in and out like a hurricane" was both original and evocative (neither he nor I intending any disrespect to victims of Florence and Michael). "Louisiana Christmas" by Trevor Bohannon is available at Amazon and CD Baby.

Born Roland Yearwood, RemBunction is no music newcomer. He was winning talent contests in Trinidad and Tobago at the age of 11. In high school, he toured the world as part of Trinity College's Steel Drum ensemble. As an adult, Roland has found success as an actor, director, playwright, videographer, cartoonist, animator, singer and songwriter.

Among RemBunction's musical work, he seems to have a particular affinity for Christmas songs, including the ever popular "Mr. Santa Claus (Socks And Drawz)". That and many other classics appear on his 2013 album , "A Merry Remy Christmas".

RemBunction's 2018 Christmas single is a Groovy Soca original, "The Christmas Spirit", something Remy brings every year. Pick it up from Amazon.

I suppose you've been looking for this one..."We All Need Christmas" by Def Leppard. It's fine, nice even. Gonna sound great on the radio. I just don't have anything to say about it, really. I'm sure others do. Plus, I'm really, really tired right now. That's the problem with these singles posts. By the time I get through 5 or 6 singles, these days, I run out of gas. Bad luck that Def Leppard was number 7. Written by Rick Savage. You can grab it at Amazon.

We get a ton of goofy records every Christmas and, you know me, I'm not a big fan of the goof. But there are a few reasons why I'm including "Fly Possum Fly" on our singles rundown. For one thing, there's a Bluegrass version (though the Country version appears to be more popular). But another is that, no matter what Christmas search terms you might employ, you likely would never find it on your own. Nothing about "Fly Possum Fly" is going to trigger a result if you're searching for "Christmas" or "Holiday" or anything else (anything but "possum" anyway).

The tale isn't all that different from a hundred other novelty records. Rudolph gets a cold or the flu (get your shots, everybody) and can't complete his holiday duties. The song doesn't really explain why the other 8 reindeer can't manage without him, but whatever. Being as Santa is in Appalachia when Rudolph collapses, the good mountain folk tell the fat man that the local possum passel can git-r-done. I do think they could have come up with better names for the possums than Jack, Jill and Joey, but, again, whatever.

The other interesting thing about "Fly Possum Fly" is the female vocalist. Grant Maloy Smith gets top billing as he appears to be the writer of the song (it's also a children's book, yo), but the star is clearly EmiSunshine. This is the first time I've encountered EmiSunshine, but she's quite the sensation in the Country music world. A bit of an Old School (Mountain Music) Country artist, Emi released her first full-length album in 2014...at the age of 9. Do I have to talk about my macaroni art again? She has four full albums to her name, now, at the advanced age of 14. Yeesh. "Fly Possum Fly" is a goofy Christmas novelty record. But listen to some of EmiSunshine's other records and you'll be mighty impressed (and not just because she's as young as she is). And she doesn't just sing, she writes songs and plays the uke and the guitar. Of course, we're about the Christmas stuff here. You can get "Fly Possum Fly" at Amazon.

Maybe it's much too early in the game, but we have a New Year's single already. "Happy New Year" is the lead single from O.S.L.U.'s forthcoming sophomore effort "Chasing The Kings" (tentatively expected in January). O.S.L.U. is shorthand for Our Secret Little Underground, a project led by Andy Lewis from the North West of England. The group and it's label, Best Side Records, offer the mission statement that they exist to keep the Blues alive...even if that be through modern interpretation. O.S.L.U.'s debut effort, "Stone Broke: Five New Sessions For Robert Johnson", certainly fit the bill. And the other songs previewed from "Chasing The Kings" (including a really cool Blues cover of Paul McCartney's "That Would Be Something") do as well. But the original "Happy New Year" seems a bit of an anomaly. They describe it as an "offshoot" of the Blues and, to my ears at least, it sounds like a 50s Rock record hop tune. "Albert", the virtual flip, by the way, is a nice instrumental piano Boogie Woogie number. We'll leave it you you to decide if "Happy New Year" by O.S.L.U. fits your personal holiday playlist. You can pick it up at Amazon. And, what the heck, even though there's nothing holiday about it, we'll leave you today with "Albert".

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CANADIAN INVASION

10/7/2018

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We're getting a bit of a Canadian invasion for Christmas this year as some popular artists who are huge in Canada and at least known in this country have all decided to do Christmas albums in the same calendar year. We've already spoken of Jess Moskaluke and, here, we've got a few more for you. Beginning with Serena Ryder. The following video is not from the coming Serena Ryder album, "Christmas Kisses", and is likely not the least bit reflective of the coming album. But her 2007 single "Calling To Say" is about the only Christmas audio we have for her.

1. Let It Snow
2. Christmas Kisses
3. White Christmas
4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
5. Blue Christmas
6. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
7. Jingle Bell Rock
8. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
9. Santa Baby
10. Christmas Song

SERENA RYDER WEB SITE
PURCHASE FROM AMAZON

Juno Award winning Serena Ryder is known as a Folk Rock artist, but in interviews with Canadian television outlets, she describes the record as more of a Jazz outing. Serena says she's always been crazy about Jazz and has wanted to do a Jazz album for many years. But, she adds, she really had very little interest in doing a Christmas album, though she likes the old Christmas songs because they are great songs. One day, it occurred to her that she could do them both in one project. The album contains one original, "Christmas Kisses", the title track. The bit of it I've heard sounds more like a "Jingle Bell Rock" era tune than Jazz, but I haven't heard much. My computer hates Spotify, but you can check out "Christmas Kisses" here. The rest of the album is comprised of secular standards of the season. the arrangement of "Blue Christmas" is supposed to be particularly hot. We'll see about that. "Christmas Kisses" releases October 19 in Canada, but Amazon U.S. will have it the following week. I also see that there's supposed to be vinyl for this one, currently also listed for October 19 in Canada. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that delayed to some time in November and I have no idea whether it will be offered in this country.

Another Canadian Folk Rock group is Whitehorse. We don't have any Christmas audio from Whitehorse, but here's a tune that could easily slide into a Halloween mix. "Nighthawks".

1. Merry Xmas, Baby (I Hope You Get What You Deserve)
2. December's Children
3. Snowballs and Snow Angels
4. Ho Ho Ho
5. 2000 Miles
6. Two Snowbirds
7. Blue Christmas
8. Merry Christmas, Baby
9. Cheers To Another Year

WHITEHORSE WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON

The husband and wife team of Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland (married in 2006) were both accomplished artists on their own when they decided to put their solo careers on hold and form Whitehorse in 2010. Though the primary instrument for both of them id guitar, they each play a number of other instruments to round out the sound. When they tour, they tour as a duo and make extensive use of looped percussion tracks. I mention all of this as a way of explaining that the full sound you hear in "Nighthawks" is really just the two of them, for the most part. Much like the video, they appear to be everywhere all at once. Pretty cool. And, although they're identified as Folk Rock, you can hear that their sound is very contemporary (you can even hear some Hip Hop influence). I dig 'em.

Whitehorse won a Juno Award for their 2015 album "Leave No Bridge Unburned".

"Whitehorse Winter Classic" is largely original and Whitehorse chose to emphasize the more melancholy aspects of the holiday--loneliness, regret, etc,--making for a slighter darker holiday. They even coined a word for their vision of Christmas, "melancholiday". Among the few covers on the record are the Pretenders' "2000 Miles" and "Blue Christmas" (why is everybody doing that crappy song this year?). For "Whitehorse Winter Classic", they've included a children's choir and string arrangements. I'm actually pretty excited to hear this one, though we'll have to wait until November 2.

I'm not familiar with Don Amero, but with the brief listens I gave his music, I'd characterize him as a Country singer and songewriter. Don does an annual Christmas show and kind of figured it was time to have a Christmas CD so that those attending the shows can get one, if they'd like a keepsake, and others could get one if they can't attend the shows. The album is "Amero Little Christmas" (cute), and he's funding the album through Pledge Music and there are about 9 days left in the campaign (though it isn't like Kickstarter, so I'm guessing he can continue to sell the CD after the clock expires). Among the many "support levels", there's a limited edition and autographed vinyl version for you collectors and gift givers out there.

As I say, Don Amero is new to me, but I do like that song above, "Don't Let Christmas Pass You By". It was his Christmas single from a few years back, dedicated to his father who had passed that year. I don't know if "Don't Let Christmas Pass You By" will be on the album (I suspect it might be), but it's a darn fine Christmas song.

1. Away In A Manger
2. Holidaze
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. Love Is Christmas
5. Mary Did You Know
6. O Holy Night
7. Bonus Track (Walker Family Traditions)

REDHEAD EXPRESS WEB SITE
PRE-ORDER FROM REDHEAD EXPRESS

OK, so they aren't Canadian. But the sisters who make up Redhead Express did originally come from Alaska, so that's close enough for our purposes. Besides, I really love listening to them.

I think we've already talked about Redhead Express a couple of times, here. So, hopefully, you remember they are sisters who all received different instruments one Christmas and started an Alt Country/Americana group. Then, after they'd about exhausted venues in Alaska, they moved down to the Lower 48 where they honed their skills and perfected their sound. You should certainly recall that they've been issuing great sounding holiday singles over the last few years, and those are included in their forthcoming EP "Christmastime". In addition to the old favorites, "Christmastime" includes two newly covered carols--"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "O Holy Night", a new original--"Holidaze", and a Bonus Track that is subtitled "Walker Family Traditions".

"Christmastime" is available in hard copy CD form (pre-orders are now being accepted) and will be available from digital merchants sometime in November.

As I say, I really love listening to Redhead Express (can't wait to hear them do "O Holy Night"), so let's close with their cover of Sara Bareilles' "Love Is Christmas".

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EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN (Part 1)

9/9/2018

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We've gotten the rundown on Real Gone's Christmas selections for 2018. Other than the John Klein release, there aren't any purchase links as yet (and no cover art), but they've been added to The List. November 2 is the anticipated release date. With Real Gone, you know that the re-mastering will be the best and the liner notes will be impeccable. If you had your choice of anyone releasing this music, truly, you'd choose Real Gone. We'll revisit these releases when we get official cover art and track lists. But, for now, I'm just gonna copy and paste the titles and brief descriptions as they appear on The List.

LORNE GREENE/CAST OF BONANZA--"Have A Happy Holiday"/"Christmas At The Ponderosa" (Twofer featuring Lorne's '65 solo effort)
JOHN KLEIN--"A Christmas Sound Spectacular"/"Let The Bells Ring" (Twofer; first stereo on CD of 1959 LP, first time on CD for 1964 LP)
ANDRE KOSTELANETZ--"The Complete Columbia Christmas Collection" (2-CD set; all 3 of his Xmas albums, plus rare 1950 track)
THE McGUIRE SISTERS--"Greetings From The McGuire Sisters (Expanded Edition)" (First time on CD for 1958 LP + bonus cuts)
ROD McKUEN--"New Carols For Christmas: The Rod McKuen Christmas Album" (1971 album, last issued in 1995)

Real Gone ran into some trouble getting the rights to the Jim Reeves album I was looking forward to, but they seem pretty confident that that'll be resolved in time for next year's crop. We've also heard that Real Gone will be issuing vinyl of Hanson's "Snowed In" (1997) and "Merry Merry Christmas" by New Kids On The Block (1989). We don't have any more details on that as yet. With Real Gone, you know special care will be taken to ensure that these are very special vinyl offerings. And, to the best of my recollection, I don't think that Hanson album has ever been on vinyl before.

In addition to Real Gone, Christmas music obsessives like myself always look forward to the annual holiday releases from Jasmine. The Jasmine CDs are traditionally double-CDs of vintage holiday fare featuring a hodgepodge of singles, album sides, loose tracks and a few things that don't seem to fit at all. Some of it is easy to find, some completely obscure (sometimes there are tracks that have never seen CD issue at all). A Jasmine Christmas CD is a bit of a treasure hunt, actually. Oh, and the collections always have weird, long titles. This year's 2-CD sets are "Radiant Beams On This Christmas Eve" and "The Last Mile Home For Christmas". Both titles drop September 14.

And the first nuggets of treasure I spy are the two singles from The Mills Brothers on "Radiant Beams", 1949's "My Christmas Song To You"/"On This Christmas Eve" and 1955's "You Don't Have To Be A Santa Claus"/"I Believe In Santa Claus". I believe those are the best sides The Mills Brothers ever recorded. And that's saying something.

RADIANT BEAMS ON THIS CHRISTMAS EVE
Disc: 1
1. White Christmas Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra-Deck The Halls Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
2. The First Noel-Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
3. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear -Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra
4. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)-Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
5. O Holy Night -Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
6. Joy To The World- Billy Vaughn And His Orchestra & Chorus
7. I Wonder As I Wander -Jo Stafford
8. O Little Town Of Bethlehem- Jo Stafford
9. Youre All I Want For Christmas- Joe Graydon & The Skylarks
10. Jumpin Jiminy Christmas Song -Spinners
11. Christmas In Killarney Song -Spinners
12. The First Snowfall -The Page Cavanaugh Trio & The Jud Conlon Singers & Orchestra
13. Too Fat For The Chimney- Teresa Brewer
14. I Just Cant Wait Til Christmas -Teresa Brewer
15. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus -Teresa Brewer
16. Ebenezer Scrooge -Teresa Brewer
17. Twelve Days Of Christmas- Ames Brothers
18. Wassail Song- Ames Brothers
19. Frosty, The Snowman- Harry Babbitt & The Heartbeats
20. Rudolph,The Red-Nosed Reindeer -Harry Babbitt & The Heartbeats
21. Snowfall- Henry Mancini And His Orchestra & Chorus
22. Sleigh Ride- Al Caiola
23. One Bright Star Al Caiola
24. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear -Eydie Gorme / Arthur Fiedler,Orchestra & Chorus
25. White Christmas- Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
26. Marys Boy Child- Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
27. Silent Night (Stille Nacht) -Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus
28. Suber Die Glocken Nie Klingen (The Bells Ring Any Sweeter) -Charly Tabor And Orchestra & Chorus

Disc: 2
1. Deck The Halls- Roger Williams
2. We Three Kings Of Orient Are / The First Noel / Away In A Manger / Angels We Have Heard On High- Roger Williams
3. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful) -Roger Williams
4. O Holy Night / Joy To The World / It Came Upon A Midnight Clear / O Sanctissima- Roger Williams
5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing- Roger Williams
6. What Child Is This? -Helen Oconnell
7. Christmas Is A-Comin -The Jack Halloran Singers
8. Marys Boy Child -The Jack Halloran Singers
9. White Christmas- Ink Spots
10. Silent Night- Roy Rogers
11. The Christmas Song- Nat King Cole
12. Mrs. Santa Claus Nat King Cole
13. Frosty, The Snowman Nat King Cole
14. Little Christmas Tree- Nat King Cole
15. We Three Kings Of Orient Are / Good King Wenceslas / Gesu Bambino- Gisele Mackenzie
16. Silent Night / God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen / The Coventry Carol -Gisele Mackenzie
17. When Winter Comes A-Callin -The Ray Charles Singers & Dick Hyman
18. Snowfall -The Ray Charles Singers & Dick Hyman
19. Sleigh Ride -Bing Crosby
20. Sleigh Ride- Andrews Sisters
21. You Dont Have To Be A Santa Claus- Mills Brothers
22. I Believe In Santa Claus- Mills Brothers
23. On This Christmas Eve- Mills Brothers
24. My Christmas Song For You - Mills Brothers

Radiant Beams On This Christmas Eve is another spectacular collection of some of the greatest seasonal songs of all time! Generous helpings of Christmas melodies by some of the world's greatest artists including Roger Williams, Billy Vaughn, Gisele MacKenzie, The Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Charly Tabor and Teresa Brewer. Both the Andrews Sisters' and Bing Crosby's recordings of "Sleigh Ride" are featured, side by side for the first time, in one collection. Much, much more from Jo Stafford, The Page Cavanaugh Trio, Henry Mancini, The Song Spinners, Al Caiola, The Ames Brothers, Eydie Gorme, Harry Babbitt, Helen O'Connell, The Ink Spots, The Jack Halloran Singers, Roy Rogers and The Ray Charles Singers. This is a set to play over and over for years to come during this joyous season, and particularly on Christmas Eve!

THE LAST MILE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS
Disc: 1
1. Silver Bells Pat Boone
2. Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)- Pat Boone
3. Here Comes Santa Claus- Pat Boone & the Foley Sisters
4. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear -Pat Boone
5. White Christmas- Pat Boone
6. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing- Pat Boone
7. Jingle Bells- Pat Boone & the Foley Sisters
8. Joy to the World- Pat Boone
9. The Christmas Song- Henri Rene and His Orchestra
10. The Angel and the Stranger- Lyn Cornell
11. His Invisible Hand- the Four Lads
12. The Eyes of God -The Four Lads
13. Merry, Merry Christmas- Ruby Wright
14. There's No Place Like Home at Christmas -Jan Garber and His Orchestra
15. The Last Mile Home -Andrews Sisters & Dick Haymes
16. A Dreamer's Holiday -Andrews Sisters
17. Spring in December- Andrews Sisters
18. A Child's First Christmas- Jan Peerce
19. Christmas Is the Day Anita- Kerr Singers
20. Snowfall- Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys
21. Winter Wonderland- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
22. White Christmas -Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
23. Here Comes Santa- Claus Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
24. I Want to Wish You a Merry Christmas- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
25. The Spirit of Christmas -Kitty Kallen
26. The Searching Wind -Tommy Dorsey & Victor Young and His Orchestra
27. Blue Christmas- Billy Eckstine
28. Christmas Eve- Billy Eckstine
29. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?- Billy Eckstine

Disc: 2
1. A-Caroling We Go- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
2. Away in a Manger Fred -Waring and His Pennsylvanians
3. What Child Is This / Come, Dear Children- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
4. Mary's Baby -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
5. Bright, Bright, the Holly Berries -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
6. Angels We Have Heard on High / O Come, O Come, Emmanuel / Jubilate Deo- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
7. O Listen to the Angels' Song- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
8. Be Joyful, Be Merry -Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
9. I Wonder As I Wander- Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians
10. Caroling, Caroling Fred -Waring and His Pennsylvanians
11. The Christmas Song- the Three Suns
12. The First Noel -Keely Smith
13. The Boy with the Golden Kazoo- Dave Terry and His Orchestra
14. Mary's Boy Child -The Depaur Chorus
15. Away in a Manger -The Sportsmen Quartet
16. Good King Wenceslas- the Sportsmen Quartet
17. O Little Town of Bethlehem / Joy to the World- Clark Dennis
18. White Christmas- Kate Smith
19. Christmas in the Air- Johnny Desmond
20. Sleigh Ride -The Melachrino Strings
21. Santa Mouse- Jerry Vale
22. Merry, Merry Christmas- the Lennon Sisters
23. Let's Light the Christmas Tree -The Lennon Sisters
24. Jing-A-Ling, Jing-A-Ling- Richard Hayes & Jerry Murad's Harmonicats
25. Santa Claus for President- Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra
26. All Because It's Christmas- Lou Monte
27. Jingle Bells- Mambo Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra
28. The Secret of Christmas- Rex Allen
29. Midnight Sleighride the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra
30. I See God Johnny- Desmond & the Ray Charles Singers
31. America's Prayer- Johnny Desmond & the Ray Charles Singers

The Last Mile Home For Christmas is one of two 2018 spectacular sets: a balance of sacred and secular songs by leading artists of the 1940s, 50s and 60s that can be added to Jasmine's collection of great Christmas compilations. Here are large segments of tracks by Pat Boone, Fred Waring, Sammy Kaye, Billy Eckstine and The Andrews Sisters. Many recordings appearing on CD for the first time by such additional stars as the Anita Kerr Singers, Kitty Kallen, Tommy Dorsey, Kate Smith, Johnny Desmond, The Lennon Sisters and Keely Smith. Traditional hymns and carols are featured along with such titles as "Merry, Merry Christmas", "The Angel And The Stranger", "Snowfall", "Santa Mouse", "Spring In December", "A Child's First Christmas" and "Jingle Bells Mambo". One of the best of Christmas sets from Jasmine.

There's at least one more company in the vintage mix--Bear Family. Bear Family is known for their comprehensive box sets for assorted artists, but they've recently gotten into the Christmas music collection business. Actually, they've gotten into the holiday music collection business. We just featured their Halloween comp, "The Shadow Knows", and, jeez, I didn't even know they'd done an Easter collection (actually, that one looks pretty good, "Easter Bunny Hop"). Bear Family's previous Christmas collections are "Christmas On The Countryside" and "Big City Christmas". This year's collection is "Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas". It debuts in the states on November 9 (European release date October 19).

Looking over the track list of "Have Yourself A Swingin' Little Christmas", I'm not seeing anything I need, though there are a couple of cuts on the rare side. I remember that Thelma Cooper song being a bear to track down, back in the day. More Mills Brothers. And Ralph Marterie's 1954 cover of "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" is a nice inclusion, as well.

1:   Jingle Bells - Glenn Miller
2:   Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town - The Ames Brothers
3:   Here Comes Santa Claus - The Mills Brothers
4:   Baby, It's Cold Outside - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
5:   Frosty The Snowman - Perry Como
6:   Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Les Brown
7:   Winter Wonderland - The Andrews Sisters
8:   Santa Claus Came In The Spring - Benny Goodman
9:   Merry Christmas - Anne Shelton
10:   Swingin' Them Jingle Bells - Fats Waller
11:   Christmas Boogie - 'Sugar Chile' Robinson
12:   I Need A Man (For Xmas) - Thelma Cooper
13:   Christmas Island - The Andrews Sisters
14:   Rudolph, The Red/Nosed Reindeer Mambo - Billy May
15:   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Johnny Mercer
16:   (Everybody's Waitin' For) The Man With The Bag - Kay Starr
17:   Zat You, Santa Claus? - Louis Armstrong
18:   Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney - Ella Fitzgerald
19:   What Will Santa Claus Say (When He Finds Everybody Swingin') - Louis Prima
20:   The Christmas Spell - Peggy Lee
21:   Boogie Woogie Santa Claus - Lionel Hampton
22:   Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong
23:   Dig That Crazy Santa Claus - Ralph Marterie
24:   Merry Christmas, Baby - Lionel Hampton
25:   Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - The Mills Brothers
26:   Jingle Bells - The Ames Brothers
27:   Silent Night - Mario Lanza

An exceptionally danceable compilation of Christmas songs from the fields of Jazz, Swing and vintage Rhythm & Blues.
- Celebrate your nostalgic Christmas with 27 'Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Boogie, Jive and Easy Listening' rarities from 1935-1959.
- These include the two rare songs from Louis Armstrong's 1953 comedic Decca single and the original version of Kay Starr's Waiting For The Man With The Bag, which became famous through the Brian Setzer Orchestra!
Glenn Miller's big-band version of Jingle Bells as well as Mario Lanza's goose-bumps causing interpretation of Silent Night and the breathtaking Christmas classics of the Mills Brothers and Johnny Mercer, rousing danceable rhythms until the Christmas tree wiggles!
Also included is a rare R&B title by Thelma Cooper, who is often confused with Dolly Cooper!
A compilation that will not only delight the fans of Swing - it is so much more enjoyable to prepare a Christmas cake with this music playing, and dance lovers will always get their money's worth!
After the two previous very successful releases with Christmas songs - 'Christmas On The Countryside' (BCD17508) and 'Big City Christmas' (BCD17509) - now follows the third part with extremely danceable grooves from the genres of Jazz, Swing and Rhythm & Blues, compiled by the Bear Family team. Our releases for the Christmas season obviously hit the nerve of our friends. The sets deliver intelligently compiled albums that offer themselves as an alternative to Xmas kitsch.
The entertaining mix of some well-known songs and several new discoveries provides even die-hard Christmas haters and music collectors with enough material to celebrate an alternative Christmas full of pleasure.
The 24-page accompanying booklet contains the essential information on the individual recordings. All titles have been carefully remastered. No more baking cookies - get up on the dance floor!
1-CD with 24 pages booklet, 27 tracks, approx. 75 min.

Well, that's gonna do it for this installment of "Everything Old Is New Again". When we get the full deets on the Real Gone releases, we'll bring those right to you. Let's close with Ann Shelton from the original 78 (Bear Family's re-mastered version won't have the static, pops and clicks, I promise).

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EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN (Part 1)

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