Labor Day over, we're finally ready to heat up for the holiday season. Before Labor Day, you mostly hear about the Contemporary Christian and the more traditional Big Star vocalist projects. But Rock, Jazz, Blues...you rarely hear more than whispers until after Labor Day. It's like a rule or something. Heck, you might not hear about some major Rock releases until Columbus Day.
So, last week, Seth MacFarlane does a bit of PR for "Holiday For Swing" and, today, Idina Menzel gives us the release date, title and cover art for "Holiday Wishes"--am I noticing a "holiday" theme this year? Anyway, there's Idina's cover off to your right. Look for the album October 14. The "Frozen" star promises "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Holly Jolly Christmas", Joni Mitchell's "River" and a new song, "December Prayer". Full track list coming soon.
And Darius Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish tells us his coming Christmas album will have "a couple originals on it and I think eight of the standard stuff". Among the highlights are "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Baby Its Cold Outside" (a duet with Sheryl Crow).
So, last week, Seth MacFarlane does a bit of PR for "Holiday For Swing" and, today, Idina Menzel gives us the release date, title and cover art for "Holiday Wishes"--am I noticing a "holiday" theme this year? Anyway, there's Idina's cover off to your right. Look for the album October 14. The "Frozen" star promises "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Holly Jolly Christmas", Joni Mitchell's "River" and a new song, "December Prayer". Full track list coming soon.
And Darius Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish tells us his coming Christmas album will have "a couple originals on it and I think eight of the standard stuff". Among the highlights are "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch" and "Baby Its Cold Outside" (a duet with Sheryl Crow).
I should probably save this next one for a singles round-up, but its a real rock release AND its vinyl. Unfortunately, right now, its only going to be available as an import. Hopefully, it'll work its way to Interpunk or something before the season's over. Hey, a guy can hope. It's a limited edition 10" single from the British Progressive Rock band Magnum. The band has been around since 1972 (excluding a five year hiatus at the end of the 90s) and still features two original members, vocalist Bob Catley and songwriter/guitarist Tony Clarkin. Due for release October 24, the full version of "On Christmas Day" runs more than 7 minutes (ah, Progressive Rock, how I've missed you)--thus the need for ten inches. The flip features a radio edit (Radio Edit? We don't need no stinking radio edit!) and another newly cut track, "Born To Be King". Visit the band's web site and maybe you can get more information (but probably not). Thankfully, "On Christmas Day" will also be released digitally; the mp3 version, at least, ought to reach American shores.
There will also be a Christmas album from Blue Rodeo this year. "A Merrie Christmas To You" is scheduled for release November 4 and features a couple of holiday standards, a couple of originals, and a selection of more recent (and more folky) additions to the holiday canon, like Joni Mitchell's "River", Big Star's "Jesus Christ", and Gordon Lightfoot's "Song For A Winter's Night". The Canadian Country Rockers have been around since 1987, but the only Christmas track of theirs that I'm aware of is "Blue Christmas" from 1988 (and I'm not even positive that wasn't "promotional only"). This release, too, figures to be only available as an import this year, but at least it only has to come from Canada.
There will also be a Christmas album from Blue Rodeo this year. "A Merrie Christmas To You" is scheduled for release November 4 and features a couple of holiday standards, a couple of originals, and a selection of more recent (and more folky) additions to the holiday canon, like Joni Mitchell's "River", Big Star's "Jesus Christ", and Gordon Lightfoot's "Song For A Winter's Night". The Canadian Country Rockers have been around since 1987, but the only Christmas track of theirs that I'm aware of is "Blue Christmas" from 1988 (and I'm not even positive that wasn't "promotional only"). This release, too, figures to be only available as an import this year, but at least it only has to come from Canada.
We've added a couple of new Southern Soul titles to The List. "Southern Soul" is, itself, a fairly broad term. In general, though, its a more classic soul sound with a bit of blues influence and definitely some sexual themes. These days, lots of Southern Soul is released on small independent labels and the artists play a fairly regional circuit. So many of the artists have been big stars in their smaller universe for some time, even if you haven't run across their music before. And, pardon me for saying so, they work their asses off. If you've never experienced an authentic Southern Soul show, you need to add it to your bucket list. But, anyway, if you dug Tyrone Davis and Willie Hutch and Clarence Carter, Stax and Atco back in the day, you'll probably like Southern Soul a whole lot. Sir Jonathan Burton, whose "Southern Soul Christmas" arrives November 4, has been around for a while so this set is probably overdue. He's currently based out of North Carolina and you'll find plenty of his music on Amazon. Burton writes lots of his own music, but he'll also be covering such R&B standards as "Please Come Home For Christmas". "Yes! Now This Is What I Call Southern Soul Xmas"--also due November 4--features 14 tracks of Christmas, deep fried Southern Soul style. Artists include J-Wonn, TK Soul, Big Cynthia, Hollywood Hayes and more. And the titles you'll want to hear include "I Got Your Cookies And Milk" and "Santa Was A Freak Like Me".
And we've gotten word this week of a few new holiday releases in Scandinavia. Figure on paying import prices if you want these this year (eventually, they'll wind their way to Amazon MP3). The big news for our Swedish friends is a new winter-themed album from Sarah Dawn Finer. Sarah's first Christmas album, "Winterland", was released in 2010 and, as it happens, we managed a small write-up on out International Page (poor page hasn't seen much action in a few years). The new one, "Vinterland", has a November 7 release date and, unlike "Winterland", is sung entirely in Swedish. The album will include some Swedish material (covers of the ever popular "Jul Jul" and the much more recent "Valborg"), interpretations of more interesting fare (Tori Amos' "Winter") and some originals co-written with some top notch Swedish songwriters. Also coming in November is a Christmas album from Sonja Alden, "Jul I andlighetens Rum" (roughly "Christmas in the room of spirituality"). Given that Sonja's upcoming October release is "I andlighetens Rum", I'm thinking the Christmas record might be an expanded version of the earlier release featuring bonus Christmas tracks. But, hey, I don't speak Swedish and google translate isn't as helpful as you might think.
None of which has anything to do with the title of this post, does it? Don't you hate when bloggers do that?
So what is "Metal Kalikimaka" anyway? It's the title of a forthcoming Christmas album from Tin Idols, a collective of Hawaii's best metal and hard rock artists. And technically, the album title is "Metal Kalikimaka--Volume 1". Hey, look, all that stuff above is great--I'm greatly looking forward to all of it--but I go out there looking for the absolutely new and different and the stuff that gets precious little publicity (if any) anywhere else. Last post, we had an exciting New Age project from David Lanz and Kristin Amarie and, this post, we're going all the way to the other end of the rainbow hoping to find another pot of gold (oh, wait...wrong holiday).
Tin Idols is the brainchild of producer/musician Gerald K. Gonsalves. Most Hawaiian music tends to be laid back and breezy, but Gerald is on a mission to expose the Islands and the rest of the world to Hawaii's fine Metal scene. To that end, he gathered up some of best musicians and vocalists of the genre playing the Islands and, last year, released an ambitious Metal reworking of "Jesus Christ Superstar" that they called "Jesus Christ Supernova". And it was well received, critically and commercially. So Gerald's "getting the band back together again" to take a run at the songs of the season. Hopefully, he'll have Cathy Malia Lowenberg back for this holiday outing; she did an awesome Mary Magdalene. Tin Idols are promising 17 tracks, including one original.
"Metal Kalikimaka" is crowd funded through Indiegogo. Unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo lets the artist use whatever money they raise even if the campaign fails to reach its goal. But their target--which is mostly to cover the cost of licensing fees--is not at all unrealistic and they've got a couple of months to reach it. Who knows how this thing will turn out in the end? But its so crazy, it just might work. I'll drop a dime in the pot and hope the Tin Idols give us at least one track that's a Metal rendering of the Brothers Cazimero or Na Leo. That would be so totally worth it. That would be awesome. Judging from the taste we gave you up top (featuring Sandy Essman on vocals and Byron Moline on guitar), it's gonna be pretty awesome regardless. Visit the Tin Idols on Facebook and, if the spirit moves you, drop over to Indiegogo and let's get this record flying. Or...surfing. Or...canoe paddling. Or...whatever it is Metal Christmas records in Hawaii do.
So what is "Metal Kalikimaka" anyway? It's the title of a forthcoming Christmas album from Tin Idols, a collective of Hawaii's best metal and hard rock artists. And technically, the album title is "Metal Kalikimaka--Volume 1". Hey, look, all that stuff above is great--I'm greatly looking forward to all of it--but I go out there looking for the absolutely new and different and the stuff that gets precious little publicity (if any) anywhere else. Last post, we had an exciting New Age project from David Lanz and Kristin Amarie and, this post, we're going all the way to the other end of the rainbow hoping to find another pot of gold (oh, wait...wrong holiday).
Tin Idols is the brainchild of producer/musician Gerald K. Gonsalves. Most Hawaiian music tends to be laid back and breezy, but Gerald is on a mission to expose the Islands and the rest of the world to Hawaii's fine Metal scene. To that end, he gathered up some of best musicians and vocalists of the genre playing the Islands and, last year, released an ambitious Metal reworking of "Jesus Christ Superstar" that they called "Jesus Christ Supernova". And it was well received, critically and commercially. So Gerald's "getting the band back together again" to take a run at the songs of the season. Hopefully, he'll have Cathy Malia Lowenberg back for this holiday outing; she did an awesome Mary Magdalene. Tin Idols are promising 17 tracks, including one original.
"Metal Kalikimaka" is crowd funded through Indiegogo. Unlike Kickstarter, Indiegogo lets the artist use whatever money they raise even if the campaign fails to reach its goal. But their target--which is mostly to cover the cost of licensing fees--is not at all unrealistic and they've got a couple of months to reach it. Who knows how this thing will turn out in the end? But its so crazy, it just might work. I'll drop a dime in the pot and hope the Tin Idols give us at least one track that's a Metal rendering of the Brothers Cazimero or Na Leo. That would be so totally worth it. That would be awesome. Judging from the taste we gave you up top (featuring Sandy Essman on vocals and Byron Moline on guitar), it's gonna be pretty awesome regardless. Visit the Tin Idols on Facebook and, if the spirit moves you, drop over to Indiegogo and let's get this record flying. Or...surfing. Or...canoe paddling. Or...whatever it is Metal Christmas records in Hawaii do.
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