I wanna get through this because its late already and I need some sleep, but there's a whole bunch of stuff to tell you about. Not a lot of sound for them. So let's start with some singles because, dang, I haven't done a singles post all year. Click on artwork, if you're interested in purchasing, although many of these haven't been released yet. Oh, and before I forget, The Empty Hearts release we mentioned a while back will be a single, not an album. Sad emoji.
I don't know about you, but I remember Tierra from their 80s hit making days. Tierra was formed from the remnants of one of my favorite bands El Chicano. I mean I wore the grooves out on "Tell Her She's Lovely"--just an amazing tune that should have risen higher than it did. El Chicano was a soulful Chicano Rock band. But, for their hits at least, Tierra was pretty much just the Soul (Brown-Eyed Soul it was called). Their two big hits were both covers--The Intruders "Together" and the Delphonics "La La Means I Love You".
Tierra has finally recorded a Christmas song, "Merry Christmas My Love", and it very much sounds like the old Tierra--smooth and soulful. Good stuff, but I'd still like to hear an El Chicano Christmas tune. Just sayin'.
I don't know about you, but I remember Tierra from their 80s hit making days. Tierra was formed from the remnants of one of my favorite bands El Chicano. I mean I wore the grooves out on "Tell Her She's Lovely"--just an amazing tune that should have risen higher than it did. El Chicano was a soulful Chicano Rock band. But, for their hits at least, Tierra was pretty much just the Soul (Brown-Eyed Soul it was called). Their two big hits were both covers--The Intruders "Together" and the Delphonics "La La Means I Love You".
Tierra has finally recorded a Christmas song, "Merry Christmas My Love", and it very much sounds like the old Tierra--smooth and soulful. Good stuff, but I'd still like to hear an El Chicano Christmas tune. Just sayin'.
Leigh Nash has done enough on her own now that she's probably earned the right to not always be referred to as the former lead vocalist of Sixpence None The Richer. But we still do it anyway. I love that Leigh loves Christmas. And I assume she does because, every so often, you turn around and there she is. No hype, no nothing--just a Christmas song waiting under the tree (now if only Leigh was waiting under the mistletoe). Leigh's new Christmas tune for this year is "Christmas Falling". And, when Leigh sings Christmas songs, it's pretty much an automatic "must buy". (Wish I had some sound for you). That one's due November 18.
This is an odd one. But, hey, vinyl. I'm always intrigued by interesting cover art and this forthcoming single from John "Elvis" Schroder certainly has that. Near as I can tell, John "Elvis" Schroder (not always spelled the same) is Portland's Punk Rock Elvis impersonator. Not that that's all he does, necessarily, but its where he gets the middle name for sure. The label informs us that these two tracks--"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause" and "Gonna Be Your Santa"--were recorded in the 90s and originally released on a small run full "Elvis" Christmas album. The Dandy Warhols are providing backing and support on "Gonna Be Your Santa". You can get this vinyl single at the usual spots or direct from Voodoo Doughnut Recordings. By the way, this single is just the warm up for a coming 2017 album release, "57 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: John Elvis Schroder's Greatest Hits". Hey, I'm not making this stuff up.
Anybody but me remember Benny Mardones? Benny was an 80s one-hit wonder, but what a hit. And that's not just me sayin' it. "Into The Night" hit the Top 40 in 1980 and then hit it again in 1989. That's a hit. And in Syracuse, I think its still a hit. I know it's still in heavy rotation up there. Benny was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2000, but it doesn't seem to have slowed him down any. Benny's new Christmas single is a love letter to his adopted home town, "Christmas In Syracuse".
Maggie McClure & Shane Henry are becoming seasonal regulars. I can't help but feel I mentioned them last year when they released an expanded version of their 2012 Holiday EP, but I can't find it. Anyway, the pair are back with a new Christmas Indie Pop tune for 2016. "Christmastime Again" got a nice feel to it. I like good Pop Christmas songs and this is definitely that.
Gotta wrap things up. Man, I never get any sleep anymore.
Beyond the singles, there are a few forthcoming releases that need to be mentioned. David Cassidy (of Partridge Family fame) will be releasing his "Christmas EP" that he's been working on for a while, now. It's digital only and should be out about a week from now. If you're a big David Cassidy or Partridge Family fan, pick it up. But, honestly, David's voice isn't what it used to be. As a Bubblegum Child, it breaks my heart to say that. As always, your mileage may vary.
Beyond the singles, there are a few forthcoming releases that need to be mentioned. David Cassidy (of Partridge Family fame) will be releasing his "Christmas EP" that he's been working on for a while, now. It's digital only and should be out about a week from now. If you're a big David Cassidy or Partridge Family fan, pick it up. But, honestly, David's voice isn't what it used to be. As a Bubblegum Child, it breaks my heart to say that. As always, your mileage may vary.
A couple of albums I want to call your attention to without saying too much. Came across a listing on Amazon for Lionsclub, "X-Mas and Holiday Greetings". Lionsclub turns out to be a German Ska band and the samples sound pretty cool. Might end up being an Import--can't say at the moment--and its scheduled to drop this Friday. And the genre defying Jon Batiste (of the Louisiana Batistes) has a Christmas album coming November 18. It looks like it might be an Amazon exclusive and, if you want hard copy, that's going to be a CD-R (though they do those pretty good these days). When I said genre defying, I wasn't kidding. Anyone familiar with Jon knows he ranges from Classical to Hip Hop. I tend to think of him as a Jazz artist, but he's also very much a Soul artist. So far, the only preview we have is a 30 second clip of "Endless Love" (no, not the Lionel Ritchie tune). And I will tell you what. That is the most amazing 30 second preview clip I've ever heard. Just 30 seconds and I'm all in on "Christmas With Jon Batiste". Go on, give that 30 second clip a spin. You know you want to.
We've got the release date for "Home For Christmas", the Christmas album from Helen Welch I've been waiting for. November 20 is the release date. So far Amazon just has a listing for the digital version, but I'm expecting CDs will be available from Helen's web store at some point
And, finally, an old friend is back with some new Christmas music. One of the earliest reviews I wrote here was of Jessie Kol's 2010 EP, "Little Emmanuel". I know she's continued to perform and record and, although we had those very nice Christmas videos a few years back, I'm thrilled to have her record a new holiday EP. There's a certain symetry to that which will make more sense to you a little further down the road (Cryptic? Moi?). Release of "Christmas Time Is Here" to the usual suspects is set for November 11, but it looks like you can already grab it from Bandcamp. I'm sure we'll have more to say about it in the not too distant future.
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