Category: Miscellany

THE FIRST DROP OF CHRISTMAS 2012

5/4/2012

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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OPENING DAY

4/4/2012

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One of my favorite non-Christmas "holidays" is tomorrow--Opening Day of the baseball season. Yes, I know there's a game tonight. And I don't know what that mess with the Mariners was last week. It isn't Opening Day until the Reds play. I'm a Mets fan, so that's not being a homer--that's just tradition. Bud Selig hates tradition, for some reason, which makes him a mighty odd fit as commissioner of a sport that's all about tradition.

There's no shortage of music celebrating the magic and mythology of baseball. There are the obvious choices--"Centerfield" by John Fogerty, "Glory Days" from Bruce, Terry Cashman's "Talkin' Baseball". And there are some slightly less obvious choices that have become staples of my own baseball soundtrack--like Rupert Holmes' "Our National Pastime", "The Cheap Seats" from Alabama, Tom Paxton's "My Favorite Spring" and Orchestra Luna's surrealistic version of "Heart" (from "Damn Yankees"). But there are always new and unexplored fountains of Springtime hope and joy.

Peter Cooper is a Nashville based singer/songwriter who also writes and teaches music. He's played with superstars like Emmy Lou Harris and Bobby Bare, appeared on Jay Leno and David Letterman, and been nominated for a Grammy. And he wrote and recorded a baseball song called "Opening Day" which you can download free from Red Beet Records. It's a sweet slice of Americana (with Apple Pie on the side) for the American Pastime, so run on over to Red Beet and give it a go.

You can also get Peter's "Opening Day" (and a few other tracks) from the wonderful Hungry For Music people, in exchange for a small donation. Hungry For Music is a charitable organization that puts out some great music (specializing in Christmas music and Baseball Music) and invests the proceeds into instruments for kids who otherwise wouldn't have access to instruments or music programs. The cause is wonderful, of course, but the music is some of the best you'll find anywhere and easily stands on its own. Check HFM's 9 Christmas and 2 Chanukah discs here and their dozen Diamond Cuts collections here.

Scattered throughout the Diamond Cuts collections are some great tunes from modern day troubadour and folk singer Chuck Brodsky. Brodsky's songs can also be had in the standalone album "The Baseball Ballads"--top to bottom one of the finest baseball themed albums you're likely to come across. Chuck is a brilliant lyricist and the players and stories he's written about on this collection explore some of the sport's lesser known legends and terrain. My personal favorite on "The Baseball Ballads" is "Dock Ellis' No No" (Dock reportedly pitched a no-hitter while on LSD), but there's not a weak track in the set.

If you're a baseball fan, you've probably read Jim Bouton's Ball Four (and, if you haven't, you should). Ball Four was Bouton's baseball diary and one of the first baseball books to paint a realistic picture of life in the big leagues. By today's standards, the book is a tame tell-all. But, at the time, it was an earth shaker. Bouton was on the downside of his career in 1969 and playing for the expansion Seattle Pilots--a team that only existed for one year before going bankrupt and becoming the Milwaukee Brewers. Expansion teams are always filled with colorful characters--career minor leaguers getting a shot at The Show, fringe major leaguers getting a chance to play full time, one year wonders, and aging stars taking their last bite of the apple. Many a player has experienced being a one year phenom, only to disappear suddenly into obscurity, but never had it happened to an entire team.

The Pilots had a theme song, of course--"Go Go You Pilots"--which you can catch as part of the collection on the blog Stuff Nobody Cares About. A more contemporary tribute--a real rockin' tribute--was provided by The Young Fresh Fellows for "The Homerun EP". "Go Pilots Go" is easily worth 99 cents to anyone with even a minor fascination for the team that only lasted a year, and should be worth as much to anyone who values good old Ramones styled rock n roll.

The Baseball Project has two songs on "The Homerun EP". And they have three brilliant albums of their own--"Frozen Ropes & Dying Quails", "The Broadside Ballads" and last year's "High And Inside". The Yep Roc recording unit was founded by Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) and Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows, Minus 5). Toss in Linda Pitmon (The Miracle 3) and REM's Peter Buck and you have a supergroup dedicated to preserving in song the wonderful characters and stories that make baseball the great game it is. The cast of characters deserving of such loving tributes with an Indie twist includes everyone from Satchel Paige to Tony Conigliaro to the Kung Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval. Did we mention Ed Delahanty, Harvey Haddix, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and Bill Buckner? Or how bout Nationals "Phenom" Stephen Strasburg? For "High And Inside" (digital download just $5 this month at Amazon), The Baseball Project even drafted a few of their friends. Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gribbard lends a hand (and a voice) to "Ichiro Goes To The Moon". Hold Steady's Chris Finn wrote the lyrics and provides lead vocals on "Please Don't Call Them Twinkies". Other guests on the set include Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, The Decemberists’ Chris Funk and John Moen, and Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan.

We'll leave you with the Baseball Project's latest video, "All Future And No Past" (from "The Broadside Ballads"). Be sure to visit the group at their web site or label. And, though we've barely scratched the surface of baseball music...

PLAY BALL!

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LEX LAND-ING

3/10/2012

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It's no secret that I can't stand American Idol. Or most any reality show, for that matter. But I do find myself digging NBC's The Voice. It's far less pretentious than AI, in my humble opinion (though, admittedly, that's a rather low bar). Anyway, I was quite surprised to see Lex Land on the show a few weeks ago, remembering her Christmas single from this past December (a freebie, at the time, that we included in one of our Boxing Day posts).

Lex is preparing for the Battle Rounds (she's scheduled to go head-to-head with Charlotte Sometimes this Monday night in a battle of the two best names in the competition) and she's giving folks a chance to get a selection of her music free through her web site. Lex's 5 song Sampler should be available for most of this month. Lex was plenty nervous auditioning on The Voice and still got three judges to fight for her. But, if you'd like to hear Ms. Land without the nerves, the Sampler is a good (and free) place to start.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Lex Land

Lex Land's Christmas single is no longer a freebie, but it's well worth picking up on iTunes or through Lex's site. Extra points for covering "This Year's Santa Baby" rather than its overdone predecessor. But the real gem, here, is Lex's take on "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" where her sultry voice combines wonderfully with the after hours lounge arrangement. You can listen to them both all the way through via Soundcloud. And, should you want to get the song Lex sang for her audition--Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me"--just click on the cover art above or head here.

Now it's only fair to point out that Charlotte Sometimes also has a Christmas song you can buy through either Amazon or iTunes. Charlotte's cover of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" was included on the 2010 collection "A Holiday Benefit, Vol. 4". That collection also includes our old friend Casey Shea, so there's a pedigree to compel further investigation.

Good luck to both Lex Land and Charlotte Sometimes as they battle Monday night (check your local listings) and, as well, in all their future musical endeavors. I admit I'm rooting for Lex this time around, but both women are artists to watch in the coming years.

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THE LAST NIGHT OF CHRISTMAS

1/6/2012

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A quick reminder that you've got a few days left to grab "A Stubby's House Christmas 2011" before it disappears into the mists never to be seen again. Probably. I said I'd kill the link Saturday or Sunday, but I'll leave it up til Tuesday.

Anywho, tonight is the actual end of Christmas--the Twelfth Night, the Feast of the Epiphany, Little Christmas. And here's a little "behind the scenes" note for you. On Christmas Day, my baby girl Mrs. Katz (not her real name) took very ill. I was pretty sure she wouldn't see the New Year. I'm not entirely convinced that she's gotten past it, but it is twelve days later and she's still here. So, anyway, I've been a bit distracted from the blogging these past few weeks. Still am and will continue to be so until I'm convinced she's going to be alright.

But, for tonight, we do have a few new items for you to check out. We have a pair of new freebies as we say "Goodbye Santa" and hear the collected works of Gordon & Cilla.

And we have a new entry in our Essentials collection. I've previously remarked that anyone reading here knows enough to have "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, "The Christmas Song" by Nat King Cole, and The Ventures Christmas Album at the ready, so we strive to point out essentials you might never have thought of as essential. So, tonight, we add one of those. Some of our loyal readers sent along their annual Christmas mix discs and/or links to online mixes. One of these--a truly tremendous effort I might add--contained the song in question. I have most of the versions I identify in the piece, but hearing it in the context provided made me remember what a truly beautiful and too often forgotten song "The Coldest Night Of The Year" is. So read all about it in our Essentials section and, through the magic of YouTube, hear the definitive version from Vashti Bunyan and Twice As Much. Thanks, Jim.

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WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK

12/28/2011

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I have some personal stuff going on at the moment--nothing good--but I can't really do much here right now. We've posted our wrap-ups of some of the Advent Calendars on the Free Page, so you can go back and catch up if you need to. Didn't have time to listen to anything or write it up beyond just a listing of the tracks available. Back soon.

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BOXING DAY

12/26/2011

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It's Boxing Day here at Stubbys and you know what that means. No, George Foreman is not coming out of retirement. Boxing Day is when we just drop a whole buch of links to free stuff that we haven't gotten around to for one reason or another. Some of these free downloads will disappear soon, so you'd best get a move on. Of course, some will be around for years. But you never know for sure which is which.

Last year on Boxing Day, we had--IIRC--38 links. Today, I believe I counted 38 as well. But, this year, 38 links just ain't a-gonna cut it. So we present to you Part 1 of Boxing Day at Stubbys. And I'll be back with Part 2 sometime later this afternoon or this evening.

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A STUBBY'S HOUSE CHRISTMAS 2011

12/25/2011

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So here we are again. Christmas Day! Since I never seem to get to bed, I was up when Santa stopped by and he told me to toss together some tunes for the faithful. This is a collection of some of the free stuff we pointed you towards this year. We nearly doubled the number of free Christmas songs we listed over last year and I know some of you were having trouble keeping up. So was I. So this is kind of the Readers Digest version--44 tracks in all. Last year, I thought about making a two-disc set and came up with one. This year, I set out to make a one-disc set and came up with two. Not really a Best Of; for example I didn't find a place for Caitlin & Keegan and I'm kicking myself that I forgot about Jon Lindsay's song until this was already in the can. But there are certainly some good ones here and maybe a few you might have overlooked that shouldn't be. Everything you need is in the zip file, including artwork. I'll again be killing the link shortly after New Years, but I'll leave this up to the 7th or 8th. Once again, thank you for spending a part of your holiday season here. We'll be around, though I might take a day off to recover. Mrs. Katz (not her real name) says "Meow, y'all". And from all of us at Stubby's, Merry Christmas! Go [link killed, as promised] or click on any of the pictures. Here's the playlist (song titles linked to the original posts):

Disc 1
1. HEY, IT'S CHRISTMAS - J. CATALA
2. PUMP UP THE HOLIDAYS - MOJOCHRONIC
3. DECK THE HALLS - SOPHIE MICHALITSIAN & HUMAN
4. CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME) - DUSTIN KENSRUE
5. CHRISTMAS TIME - PINEY GIR
6. WALKING IN THE AIR - SMERINS ANTI-SOCIAL CLUB
7. MANTEAU DE FROID - LES BREASTFEEDERS
8. IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR - THE REVELATIONS featuring TRE WILLIAMS
9. STAY IN - ARMY NAVY
10. IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME - STEEL MAGNOLIA
11. CHRISTMAS IS ALL AROUND - SLEEPING AT LAST
12. ST. NICK - SMALLTOWN POETS
13. CHRISTMAS EVE - CHARLIE BECK
14. PICTURE FRAMES - SOUL CIRCUS
15. MY BLOODY CHRISTMAS - ICON GIRL PISTOLS
16. CHRISTMAS AT HOME - TATIANA KOCHKAREVA
17. A VERY BRENT AMAKER CHRISTMAS - BRENT AMAKER & THE RODEO
18. SHOPPING ON CHRISTMAS EVE - KEB MO
19. DON'T LET IT SNOW - WENDY JANS
20. WINTER LULLABY - MARISELA MUSIK (Yay! Stubby's House Exclusive! Yay!)
21. LAST CHRISTMAS - THE LINEDANCE FEVER
22. MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS - SIMONE DE

Disc 2
1. WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME - THE BANDANA SPLITS
2. IT'S CHRISTMAS. GO ON AND SAY HELLO - ROMAN CANDLE
3. STOCKING STUFFER - OCEAN IS THEORY
4. RING RING RING - SCARLET TANAGER
5. IT'S CHRISTMAS - GUMMY SOUL
6. WHITE CHRISTMAS - FLORENT
7. CHRISTMAS TIME - THE KRAYOLAS
8. THIS CHRISTMAS TIME - BEN REEL
9. A COLD CHRISTMAS - SLOTTET
10. DANCE OF THE ABANDONED SNOWMAN - POODLEPLAY ARKESTRA
11. RIVER CAROL - CONCERNING LIONS
12. REMEMBER WHEN IT SNOWED - ROSIE THOMAS
13. I HEARD THE BELLS - THE OPIATE MASS
14. REINDEER DIRECTION - THE CAMRYN MANHEIM STEAMROLLER
15. MY NAME IS BLITZEN - RYAN McALLISTER
16. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO THE USA - THE KICKS
17. SANTA BABY - EXOHXO
18. BETHLEHEM (THE UNOFFICIAL 51st STATE) - CHAD THOMAS JOHNSTON
19. ALL MY DUMB DREAMS - ANDREW DOST & THE HEAPIN' HELPINGS
20. CHRISTMAS SONG (WALK ME HOME) - ATTWATER
21. HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING - DAVID IAN featuring ACACIA
22. IT'S SANTA - NO NINJA AM I

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FAVORITE NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUMS OF 2011

12/23/2011

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Last year, I didn't get this list up until December 29, so I figure I'm at least a tad bit ahead of the game. I call this a list of favorites because I'm in no position to say what the "Best" albums are. I'll leave that to people with bigger paychecks (which is to say pretty much everybody). Plus, there are a ton of things I never got the chance to listen to (including the Emmy The Great & Tim Wheeler's entry), so I can't fairly put them on the list (or exclude them for that matter). I do not consider compilations or re-issues, nor free albums. I do include digital-only releases. As always, YOU are the final word on whether a release is/was/will be worthy of your purchase dollar.

JOHN ZORN - A DREAMERS CHRISTMAS (full review here)

I thought John Zorn's Christmas set was absolutely brilliant, with the quality to become an annual favorite. "A Dreamers Christmas" was an instrumental album (except for the final track) and ought to appeal to fans of classic exotica, classic Christmas, and jazz fans of any stripe (traditional, modern, new age, fusion, triple Z, you name it). Pop and Rock fans ought to like it, too, if they give it a chance. The album works as background or foreground and is the kind of a record that, if you're listening as background, it'll draw you into the foreground. After spending a few months with "A Dreamers Christmas", the highlights for me are "Snowfall" and "Magical Sleigh Ride". And now that John Zorn has put a lasting stamp on Christmas, I hope he'll drop a Hanukkah record someday soon.

MINDY GLEDHILL - WINTER MOON (preview here)

Mindy Gledhill's "Winter Moon" is one of the best contemporary pop Christmas albums I've heard in years. At least going back to Universal Honey's "Can't Stop Thinking About Christmas" (2007) and possibly all the way back to Lisa Mychols' "Lost Winter's Dream" (1991, though I bought it in 2002). Mindy paced the album perfectly, the recording is impeccable. And Mindy's voice is just dreamy. Whether she's delivering a peppy pop tune like "Little Saint Nick", a religious standard like "Silent Night", or turning "The Christmas Song" into a uke driven song from the roaring 20s, Mindy Gledhill brings everything to her performance and leaves you wanting more of the same. The original, "Little Soldier", packs as much seasonal wallop as most any holiday song ever has. And she gets extra points from me for recording the first version of "Patapan" I have ever liked--and I not only liked her version, I loved it.

JILLAINE - JAZZY CHRISTMAS TO YOU! (full review here)

For the second year in a row, the album I listened to the most turns up in the third position in my listing. This is just such an easy album to listen to. Whenever I couldn't figure out which Christmas album to toss on, Jillaine got the call. Familiar songs, with a few twists and turns, full throated Jazz and Blues, nicely arranged, mixed and paced. Really, just a Christmas delight. It's not a deep album with heavy message overtones, but that doesn't mean it lacks punch. Jillaine's version of "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" still makes me cry. "Jazzy Christmas To You!" may not be on everybody's year end list, but I liked it just fine.

THE GRIPWEEDS - UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTMAS (preview here)

My favorite new Rock Christmas album of the year, the Power Pop Grip Weeds have, I think, created one for the ages. The song selection was a Rock fan's wet dream--pulling out some of the best and most memorable of the rock holiday tracks of the 70s and 80s. "2000 Miles", "I Believe In Father Christmas", and Jethro Tull's "Christmas Song". Ignoring the over done "Happy Xmas" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Peppering with originals like "Santa Make Me Good" and "Christmas Dream". And tossing in the obscure but wonderful "Merry Christmas All". Guest Stars Mark Lindsey of the Raiders and Pat Dinizio and Jim Babjak of the Smithereens add some spice to the punch, but they weren't really needed. "Under The Influence Of Christmas" rocks and still sounds entirely like Christmas to me--a much rarer feat than you might imagine. As a big fan of the Knack back in the day, this is the Christmas album I'd always hoped they'd record...only better.

MICHAEL BUBLE - CHRISTMAS (preview here)

Well, I have to hand it to him. Michael Buble did release a splendid Christmas album. "Christmas" not only stands well in the company of the classics from Bing and Perry and Andy, it does so without sounding the least bit dated. I never liked the "Let It Snow" EP Buble released at the beginning of his career. I thought it sounded like crap. And cheap crap at that. Michael scored his first points with me this year when he as much as acknowledged that--saying the "Let It Snow" album wasn't him at all, just his voice. With the power to control the song selection, the arrangements and everything else, Buble showed label execs everywhere that they should just stick to their desk jobs and let the creative people do the creative stuff. Buble scored with "Christmas" and he scored big. Sure, Bieber had his moment in the sun, but Buble's album is the one that will live on.

GOOD PEOPLE ALL, THIS CHRISTMAS TIME - JOHNSON ROBERTS, LEE ANN ROBERTS, LEE HOLLAND (full review here)

As I noted in my review of this album, I listen to Christmas music as music. I'm not looking for a spiritual uplift and, if anything, I'm guarded against it. It's not that I'm not spiritual; I'm just not looking for that from my music. So for an album to reach me on that level is plenty incredible. Musically, I was amazed throughout "Good People All, This Christmas Time" at instruments doing things I did not know they could. Johnson Roberts and Lee Holland were unbelievable--divinely inspired you might say--and Lee Ann Roberts' vocals were soaring when they needed to be and earthy when they needed to be. Just an incredible album, start to finish, so well performed and produced that it stands apart. This one should not be missed.

CHRISTMAS WITH KARLING - KARLING ABBEYGATE (preview here)

I loved the energy and variety in this album from Karling Abbeygate. The six originals offer a little something for everyone, with the Rockabilly rave "Christmas Party" likely garnering the most positive nods among the rockabilly faithful, and the country ballad "Angel Tears" sure to draw comparisons to Patsy Cline. But I've always liked "Tra La La La La" the best since it seems to be the perfect fusion of rockabilly and Indie pop. Karling does well with the standards of the season, too. This is one girl you want at your holiday party, because there is nothing like "Christmas With Karling".

DANNY MITCHELL - SAVIOR ON THE WAY (read here)

It takes me too darn long to collect myself for a full review. But I really do mean to review this one and I'm hoping to get that done today or tomorrow. Danny Mitchell knows how to sing and he knows how to play. But, more than that, he knows how to write a song. Danny's originals on "Savior On The Way" stand up well with most any of the traditional standards. The title track has brilliant lyrics that will reach you instantly. And "A Merry Christmas To Me" is by far the best new Christmas song of the season, and likely the best written Christmas song in it's genre of the last 25 years. Danny gives us a secular side and a more religious side and then closes the album with a rousing all-in jazz jam on "Auld Lang Syne".

A BEANTOWN CHRISTMAS - BEANTOWN SWING ORCHESTRA (full review here)

I have a fondness for all things Boston having lived there for a few years eons ago. I always thought it was the perfect combination of big city and small town. Add the Beantown Swing Orchestra to the many great things the city has to offer. "A Beantown Christmas" is a bit like the city in that it's a perfect combination of the classic music of the season and yet it's got the feel of something fresh and new. With four different vocalists and the occasional addition of strings, the group offers up a variety of sounds and styles along their merry way. The originals are memorable and the traditional favorites come alive. There are too many highlights to recount, but the scat singing on "The Christmas Song" is amazing and the original "Christmas Memories" seems to strike a chord with everyone for whom I've played this. The album flows well and there's definitely a feel of a live performance. Speaking of which, The Beantown Swing Orchestra needs a PBS Christmas special...or, more accurately, we need a PBS Christmas special from them.

TIME IS PASSED - FOXTAILS BRIGADE (preview here)

I'm a little on the fence about this one. Some albums just hit you in the right frame of mind at the right time. When that happens, there's always the question "Will you still love me tomorrow". So I really can't say this is a lasting favorite for the years to come...not yet. But it's definitely a favorite of mine right now. "Time Is Passed" is the best anti-Christmas album I've ever heard. There's no anger or fury (typical of most anti-Christmas records), just sad resignation. The music is moody, but beautiful, and perfectly delivered by vocalist Laura Weinbach. Foxtails Brigade has provided the best anti-Christmas song ever in "I'm Not Really In The Christmas Mood This Year" (see the video here). If we're being honest, we've all experienced something similar at one time or another. Universal experience offered up in a classic Christmas music package makes for a lasting contribution to the music of the season.

THIS CHRISTMAS - CHRIS DAVIS (preview here)

Since I only had nine records in last year's list, I figure I'm entitled to eleven this year. If you love Jazz, this is just a very satisfying record to listen to. There's very much a sensation of walking into an after hours club, where the lights are low and the band is hot. Harkening back to the Hard Bop era, the music is solid Jazz with a deep R&B and Blues influence. And Chris Davis doesn't constrain the music; he lets it breathe. The one track I wasn't crazy about was "Angels We Have Heard On High". But that's just me. And every other track, I felt, was a home run. Even "Blue Christmas", and you know I don't like that song. "Winter Wonderland", "Toyland", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Little Drummer Boy"--to name but a few--these are among some of the best jazz arrangements and performances I've heard. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"? Davis out does himself. "This Christmas" is an album I'll be listening to a lot this Christmas, and for many Christmases to come, I'm sure.

Well, that's what I really, really, really liked this year. Feel free to add your own favorites in the comments.

We've got a couple of Christmas Radio-On-Line shows for you to catch over the weekend. With any luck, we'll be back early tomorrow with the rundown. In the meantime, there's lots of action on the Free Page.

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FROM THE HOUSE OF CORRECTIONS

12/17/2011

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I hate time zones.

Turns out Indiana is in the Eastern Time zone. I thought it was Central.

So Rob Martinez will be on the radio Monday and Wednesday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. EASTERN, not Central as originally reported.

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