Country's Chely Wright is the latest to announce a Christmas album set to arrive later this year. Chely was Country's Top New Female Vocalist in 1995 and she scored her first #1 single in 1999 with "Single White Female". And I can't be the only one who remembers "Shut Up And Drive".
Although Chely hasn't recorded much Christmas music, herself, she's written plenty for other artists, including a trio of tunes for Mindy Smith's "My Holiday". One of those, "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)", was also recorded by the Indigo Girls. Chely, who performed at the 2014 Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington DC, has had doing a Christmas album of her own on her to-do list for several years and has finally found the time to write some new original Christmas songs and head into the studio. In addition to the new originals, she also promises to record some of those she wrote for others. No specific date has been announced, but Chely seems certain this one will find its way into your Christmas stocking this year.
Let's check out Chely Wright's unreleased demo for "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)".
Although Chely hasn't recorded much Christmas music, herself, she's written plenty for other artists, including a trio of tunes for Mindy Smith's "My Holiday". One of those, "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)", was also recorded by the Indigo Girls. Chely, who performed at the 2014 Christmas Tree Lighting in Washington DC, has had doing a Christmas album of her own on her to-do list for several years and has finally found the time to write some new original Christmas songs and head into the studio. In addition to the new originals, she also promises to record some of those she wrote for others. No specific date has been announced, but Chely seems certain this one will find its way into your Christmas stocking this year.
Let's check out Chely Wright's unreleased demo for "It Really Is (A Wonderful Life)".
To me, the best thing about the Internet is that far away lands are right next door. Exhibit A: Uncle Jed. Uncle Jed is a family band from Australia and they are amazing. They'd been active down under for a few years when they made their appearance on "Australia's Got Talent" in 2013. It's pretty clear that that's where most folks in the other 6 continents first encountered them. Now I know that, when you hear "family band", you think something folksy, but these three have a very broad range that includes Indie Pop, Alt Rock, R&B, and Bluesy Rock. While they performed a much more polished version of this song ("Brother") later in the competition, I love the rawness of their audition and the spontaneous reactions of the audience and judges hearing them for the first time. Dig it.
Do I have to tell you that they won the whole shootin' match? Dreams do come true and Uncle Jed's vocalist Laura Stitt has at least one more. “It has been a dream of mine for a very long time to make a Christmas album and finally it’s happening”. Uncle Jed starts a winter tour (though probably not here) in November, so expect their Christmas album to drop sometime that month.
One little hitch in the giddyup. Uncle Jed changed their name to Luna Grand in 2015. The thing is, I don't think the name change took, at least not entirely. So, as we watch for this one, we're going to have to watch for one of their two band names...Uncle Jed or Luna Grand. Either way, it should be worth the extra effort.
One little hitch in the giddyup. Uncle Jed changed their name to Luna Grand in 2015. The thing is, I don't think the name change took, at least not entirely. So, as we watch for this one, we're going to have to watch for one of their two band names...Uncle Jed or Luna Grand. Either way, it should be worth the extra effort.
While we're globetrotting, let's make a brief stop in Finland.
Sometimes something pops up on Amazon that I can't really list or talk about without more information. Lo and behold, tonight, Tarja Turunen has a new Amazon listing--"From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)". Not a detail to be found anywhere on-line.
Tarja gained her fame as the vocalist for the Hard Rock/Metal group Nightwish. Her first solo project was the Christmas album "Henkäys ikuisuudesta". It was decidedly not a rock album, leaving many of her fans cold. Now, me, I discover most artists through their Christmas music. Not knowing Nightwish at all, I absolutely adored "Henkäys ikuisuudesta". It's still one of my favorites. A few years ago, Tarja released an album with nothing but the assorted "Ave Maria"'s out there. That record was straight up Classical. But, of late, Tarja Turunen seems to be getting back to her Rock roots. So it's possible...just possible...she's finally made the Christmas album her fans from Nightwish have always wanted. We'll need more details before we can say for sure, but you can set your calendar for November 17, if you're at all interested.
Sometimes something pops up on Amazon that I can't really list or talk about without more information. Lo and behold, tonight, Tarja Turunen has a new Amazon listing--"From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)". Not a detail to be found anywhere on-line.
Tarja gained her fame as the vocalist for the Hard Rock/Metal group Nightwish. Her first solo project was the Christmas album "Henkäys ikuisuudesta". It was decidedly not a rock album, leaving many of her fans cold. Now, me, I discover most artists through their Christmas music. Not knowing Nightwish at all, I absolutely adored "Henkäys ikuisuudesta". It's still one of my favorites. A few years ago, Tarja released an album with nothing but the assorted "Ave Maria"'s out there. That record was straight up Classical. But, of late, Tarja Turunen seems to be getting back to her Rock roots. So it's possible...just possible...she's finally made the Christmas album her fans from Nightwish have always wanted. We'll need more details before we can say for sure, but you can set your calendar for November 17, if you're at all interested.
I've enjoyed the Trio West Christmas albums, but I seem to have missed a couple of tunes they released last year featuring Jazz vocalist and pianist Champian Fulton. Fulton will be laying an entire Christmas album upon us this November, which makes revisiting last year's "Christmas Imagination" useful and very entertaining.
Though she spends much of her time playing in New York these days, Champian was born and raised in Oklahoma. Some people grow up listening to the records of icons like Clark Terry. Champian grew up in a house where Clark Terry would stop by all the time, to hang and jam with her musician father. Champian's first paying gig, in fact, was fronting her own band at Clark Terry's 75th Birthday Party (she was just 10 at the time). And she's been compared favorably to Diana Krall, so how you gonna say no to that?
"Christmas With Champian" arrives in November, kicking off a big tour for the little lady in November and December.
Though she spends much of her time playing in New York these days, Champian was born and raised in Oklahoma. Some people grow up listening to the records of icons like Clark Terry. Champian grew up in a house where Clark Terry would stop by all the time, to hang and jam with her musician father. Champian's first paying gig, in fact, was fronting her own band at Clark Terry's 75th Birthday Party (she was just 10 at the time). And she's been compared favorably to Diana Krall, so how you gonna say no to that?
"Christmas With Champian" arrives in November, kicking off a big tour for the little lady in November and December.
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