If you've scanned The List, lately (not that there's much there, just yet), you might have noticed that we have an official album title and release date for the upcoming Carole King seasonal effort. It's called "Holiday Carole" and it's tentatively slated for release on October 25. So that's kind of exciting--that actual release dates are coming in. More details as we get them. Oh and, hey, check it out! Via a German music site, we have what purports to be the possible cover art of Scott Weiland's holiday album, postponed from last year to this. Might be real; might not be real. We bring it to you regardless.
My relentless searches have revealed a few more coming Christmas projects. There's nothing else (yet) on the order of a Gaga, but the superstar releases aren't always the highlights of the season.
No sooner was it posted on the band's Facebook page than fellow Christmas music maniac Patrick posted the news on Imwan (and now I'm bringing it here. See how that works? It's our own little cycle of life). And that news is that Country music's Little Big Town is getting in the holiday spirit. To quote the band precisely: "Santa hats are out & about in the studio today. We're getting in the Christmas spirit."
Little Big Town's eponymous debut was released in 2002 but it wasn't until 2005's "The Road To Here" that the band struck Nashville gold. In 2006, as I recall, they released their version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"--originally as a "fan only" download. Around that time, the group was asked in an interview if they'd be interested in doing a full Christmas album. Karen Fairchild said they'd love to do a Christmas album, but that that would come "down the road". 5 years later and perhaps we've traveled far enough down that road, now, although the Facebook posting doesn't tell us for sure whether they're recording a whole album of Christmas music or just a song. We'll take what we can get, though. And fans will tell you that Little Big Town is more than happy to toss gorgeous renditions of "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" into their live performances at Christmas time. So hopefully they're working on the kind of timeless holiday album they've said they'd like to record some day.
No sooner was it posted on the band's Facebook page than fellow Christmas music maniac Patrick posted the news on Imwan (and now I'm bringing it here. See how that works? It's our own little cycle of life). And that news is that Country music's Little Big Town is getting in the holiday spirit. To quote the band precisely: "Santa hats are out & about in the studio today. We're getting in the Christmas spirit."
Little Big Town's eponymous debut was released in 2002 but it wasn't until 2005's "The Road To Here" that the band struck Nashville gold. In 2006, as I recall, they released their version of "Go Tell It On The Mountain"--originally as a "fan only" download. Around that time, the group was asked in an interview if they'd be interested in doing a full Christmas album. Karen Fairchild said they'd love to do a Christmas album, but that that would come "down the road". 5 years later and perhaps we've traveled far enough down that road, now, although the Facebook posting doesn't tell us for sure whether they're recording a whole album of Christmas music or just a song. We'll take what we can get, though. And fans will tell you that Little Big Town is more than happy to toss gorgeous renditions of "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" into their live performances at Christmas time. So hopefully they're working on the kind of timeless holiday album they've said they'd like to record some day.
Mindy Gledhill began recording her Christmas album Monday and discovered what many an artist has learned before her: it's really strange recording Christmas songs in the summer heat. Oh, and did we mention Mindy is 7 months pregnant? She'll charge forward, regardless, and plans are to have the full album pretty much tracked by the end of the week--giving the album, she hopes, the feel of simplicity, spontaneity and fun--and you can follow along at Mindy's blog. Gledhill is an interesting up and coming artist. Her 2005 debut was an award winning Contemporary Christian effort but her work since has been less "devotional" if no less inspirational--highly accessible Indie Pop featuring simple, positive messages. Mindy's most recent album, last year's "Anchor", features the song "Whole Wide World". It's an awesome song of female empowerment--the video for which I thought was really cool--and it should give you an idea of Mindy's sound and style.
The a cappella group Tonic Sol-Fa is no stranger to Christmas music, having turned in several sterling efforts in years past (plus the occasional PBS special and DVD). The new holiday record, "March of the Kings", is expected out in the fall. So far, the group has 5 songs lined up for the album:
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
O Christmas Tree
Carol Of The Bells
Angels We Have Heard On High
And there seems to be some internal dispute over whether to include a holiday parody of "Single Ladies" the group has borrowed from Minnesota's Plastic Santa. In any case, if you like a cappella holiday fun, they don't get much better than Tonic Sol-Fa.
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
O Christmas Tree
Carol Of The Bells
Angels We Have Heard On High
And there seems to be some internal dispute over whether to include a holiday parody of "Single Ladies" the group has borrowed from Minnesota's Plastic Santa. In any case, if you like a cappella holiday fun, they don't get much better than Tonic Sol-Fa.
Keri Noble is no stranger to Christmas music, either. And, from our friends at Santas Working Overtime comes word of Kerri's latest--a Kickstarter funded full-length Christmas album tentatively titled "More Than Santa". The former EMI recording artist (whose music has been featured on Grey's Anatomy) is more or less thought of as an Indie Pop vocalist, but I've always thought she brought more than a hint of Jazz and Blues to the table, and its those textures and colors that distinguish her from a very crowded field. Fans of a folkier Pop (Lucinda Williams, Brandi Carlisle, et. al.) might well be better served elsewhere (but, hey, could be they'd take to her like ducks to water, too). Keri's been working toward a full-length holiday album for some time. In 2004, she issued the single "This Christmas Time". A few years later, in 2008, Keri turned in an excellent Yuletide EP, "Winter Comes Again", featuring the very affecting "Santa, You Owe Me". Now, finding that it's tough to stretch 6 or 7 songs into an entire holiday tour, Noble is back in the studio working on a full set of seasonal magic. The Kickstarter project is already fully funded--no worries--but you can still stop by and read all about it and you may even have a few hours left to drop a coin in the pot and enjoy the ride. Meantime, here's a preview of one of Keri's more recent Christmas compositions, "Kiss Me".
Here's an early Christmas present. Young Rachel Holder (still in her teens), who turned in a wonderful Christmas single last year, is currently working on a full Christmas album. She's also working on a full-length album of the non-holiday variety and she promises that both albums will be released this fall. Rachel seems right at home with the Country genre and Country is happy to have her. You can still pick up "Christmas Eve" at Amazon MP3 and you can head over to Rachel's web site to listen to one of her more popular songs to date, "Chocolate".
A few more odds and sods to toss your way. Savannah Robinson, who turns 13 this year, is recording her first Christmas record. If you're a regular viewer of Ellen, you know Savannah's got a set of pipes on her. Even Jennifer Hudson was blown away.
California's Dixieland Jazz troupe, Dixie Dominus is in the studio working on a Christmas themed album as we speak.
Ditto the Swedish a cappella group Vocal Six (that's them on your left--in the weeds, in the buff, and sporting orange Santa hats--something they've proposed as a potential album cover). We'll keep an eye open for that one for the International page later this year.
And, finally for this entry... Every summer, I seem to stumble upon at least one record label I've never heard of that is working to assemble a holiday compilation for the Christmas season. This year, that label is HillTop Records, who have titled their coming CD "The Great Songs Of Christmas". I'm happy to have the folks at HillTop tell me all about themselves and their label but, from the outside, it looks like a label that caters to songwriters (of all genres) in sort of a variation on the old song poem concept. Not nearly as DIY as TuneCore and not entirely the same concept as song poems, but it seems to be somewhere in that mix. It's something to keep an eye on, though; these obscure projects don't always blow you away, but sometimes they can be pretty good. And I certainly invite HillTop to keep me in the loop; the more information they give me, the more I can pass along to you.
Well, that's all for today, cats and kittens. Class dismissed.
California's Dixieland Jazz troupe, Dixie Dominus is in the studio working on a Christmas themed album as we speak.
Ditto the Swedish a cappella group Vocal Six (that's them on your left--in the weeds, in the buff, and sporting orange Santa hats--something they've proposed as a potential album cover). We'll keep an eye open for that one for the International page later this year.
And, finally for this entry... Every summer, I seem to stumble upon at least one record label I've never heard of that is working to assemble a holiday compilation for the Christmas season. This year, that label is HillTop Records, who have titled their coming CD "The Great Songs Of Christmas". I'm happy to have the folks at HillTop tell me all about themselves and their label but, from the outside, it looks like a label that caters to songwriters (of all genres) in sort of a variation on the old song poem concept. Not nearly as DIY as TuneCore and not entirely the same concept as song poems, but it seems to be somewhere in that mix. It's something to keep an eye on, though; these obscure projects don't always blow you away, but sometimes they can be pretty good. And I certainly invite HillTop to keep me in the loop; the more information they give me, the more I can pass along to you.
Well, that's all for today, cats and kittens. Class dismissed.
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