First off, props to my friends at Mistletunes for pointing us in the direction of this one. Might have missed it otherwise. They're back, by the way--Mistletunes, that is--so visit them early and often.
I think it's gotta suck being the brother of someone much more famous than you are, especially if you're both working in the same field. Enter Robert Crenshaw, whose brother Marshall is just this side of being a rock and roll legend. A Michigan boy, Marshall got his first big break playing John Lennon in Beatlemania. A staple of Album Rock stations in the eighties and nineties, Marshall's most memorable song might be "Someday, Some Way", which Robert Gordon charted in 1981 and Crenshaw himself took into the Top 40 in 1982. He also gave us one of the true classics of Power Pop, "Whenever You're On My Mind".
Younger brother Robert Crenshaw's music tends to be hook laden pop music and, while his footprints in the industry are smaller than his big brother's, there's a lot to like. The 2003 album "Dog Dreams", I think, belongs in every pop fan's collection.
Earlier this year (Amazon shows a release date of July 15), Robert released the 4 song EP "Athiest Christmas". Not entirely as hook heavy as some of his other work, the entire set seemed to me a gentle plea to the religious right. Just a yearning question "Can't we all just get along?" That's most apparent on "23 1/2 Degrees", a song that sings the praises of the natural (and celestial) sciences.
The only holiday track, here, though, is the title track. "Athiest Christmas" is as much a longing for the Christmases of old as "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". It's just that Robert remembers those old time Christmases a little different than those who have invested so much religion into the occasion that they now view the secular delights as a personal attack. "There never was much Christ in our Christmas," he sings, "but we shared a moment as a family. We loved the Christmas songs, many written by Jews. We loved the sharing and community." And, you know, what's wrong with that? It's certainly a more accurate reflection of the holidays I grew up with. Is it really a "War on Christmas" if the greeter at Wal-Mart says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"? Just a question and one that's fair to ask, I think.
Musically, the tune lands a bit askew on the first listen. But it definitely sticks with you. And, by the second and third listen, it might just become one of your new favorites of the season. Tracks with summer release dates can get lost in the seasonal shuffle. But now that you know it's out there, you'll find this one at all your on-line spots.
I think it's gotta suck being the brother of someone much more famous than you are, especially if you're both working in the same field. Enter Robert Crenshaw, whose brother Marshall is just this side of being a rock and roll legend. A Michigan boy, Marshall got his first big break playing John Lennon in Beatlemania. A staple of Album Rock stations in the eighties and nineties, Marshall's most memorable song might be "Someday, Some Way", which Robert Gordon charted in 1981 and Crenshaw himself took into the Top 40 in 1982. He also gave us one of the true classics of Power Pop, "Whenever You're On My Mind".
Younger brother Robert Crenshaw's music tends to be hook laden pop music and, while his footprints in the industry are smaller than his big brother's, there's a lot to like. The 2003 album "Dog Dreams", I think, belongs in every pop fan's collection.
Earlier this year (Amazon shows a release date of July 15), Robert released the 4 song EP "Athiest Christmas". Not entirely as hook heavy as some of his other work, the entire set seemed to me a gentle plea to the religious right. Just a yearning question "Can't we all just get along?" That's most apparent on "23 1/2 Degrees", a song that sings the praises of the natural (and celestial) sciences.
The only holiday track, here, though, is the title track. "Athiest Christmas" is as much a longing for the Christmases of old as "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". It's just that Robert remembers those old time Christmases a little different than those who have invested so much religion into the occasion that they now view the secular delights as a personal attack. "There never was much Christ in our Christmas," he sings, "but we shared a moment as a family. We loved the Christmas songs, many written by Jews. We loved the sharing and community." And, you know, what's wrong with that? It's certainly a more accurate reflection of the holidays I grew up with. Is it really a "War on Christmas" if the greeter at Wal-Mart says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas"? Just a question and one that's fair to ask, I think.
Musically, the tune lands a bit askew on the first listen. But it definitely sticks with you. And, by the second and third listen, it might just become one of your new favorites of the season. Tracks with summer release dates can get lost in the seasonal shuffle. But now that you know it's out there, you'll find this one at all your on-line spots.
There's sparse but exciting news from Drag City, the Chicago based Indie record label that specializes in the eclectic and experimental. Alt Country artist Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Neo Folkie Dawn McCarthy (who frequently records as Faun Fables) are teaming up for a 7" vinyl Christmas single--a cover of the Everly Brothers "Christmas Eve Can Kill You". The Christmas single will be followed (at some point) by an entire album of reworked Everly Brothers material. The single is set for release November 20. And I wish I had a link for pre-orders, but one would think it would be available from Drag City at some point, wouldn't one? Our friends overseas can already reserve their copies via Drag City's UK partner Domino (of course, if you don't mind import prices and shipping...). Bonnie's done a number of wintry tunes--I'm guessing he likes the bleak desolation--but this will be his only official Christmas release, unless you count the depressing take on "Jingle Bells" which was a free download from his label site many moons ago.
When I went to Hawaii back around 2000, I'd never been exposed to any contemporary Hawaiian music. Of course it was the first thing I looked into when I got there. I immediately fell in love with two artists--Na Leo Pilimehana and Willie K. We were staying on Maui and everybody spoke of Willie as if they knew him. Because they did. As any native was willing to tell us, Willie is "everyone's uncle". Willie K has released two exceptional Christmas albums--1999's "Willie Kalikimaka" and 2010's "Willie Wonderland". Sometime before either of those, however, in the mid-90s I'm guessing, Willie recorded a much more intimate stripped down version of "O Holy Night" than appeared on "Willie Kalikimaka" and it was sort of lost in the shuffle as Willie's recording career progressed. But it's such a beautiful, heartfelt rendition of my favorite Christmas song that I'm thrilled to be able to tell you that Neos Productions have rescued the track and made "O Holy Night (Po Hemolele)" available once again as a digital download. It's currently available at CD Baby and iTunes, not sure why Amazon seems to be lagging behind. And, as we have mentioned Neos Productions, don't forget their new holiday collection for 2012, "Hawaiian Style Christmas 3". I've said it many times before (and I wasn't the first): Christmas music and Hawaiian music are a perfect match. And if you haven't ever listened to any Hawaiian Christmas music, it's never too late to start. You'll thank me later, brah.
Rob Parissi might not be a household name, but he's trying hard to change that. A little too hard, maybe. Rob Parissi was the man who created Wild Cherry ("Play That Funky Music"). Nobody expected that group and that song to become iconic of the 70's, least of all Rob, and a follow up to something that huge just wasn't in the cards. Wild Cherry split up in 1979 and Rob has become a successful producer of Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz. But I'm guessing he still yearns to prove "Play That Funky Music" wasn't just a fluke. Don't know how else to explain Rob's new Christmas single, "Have A Funky Christmas". The track lies somewhere between Wild Cherry funk and Rob's more recent Jazz work. It isn't bad and it narrowly escapes coming off as a novelty record. Or maybe it doesn't. I can't say. It just isn't the 70s anymore. Worth a listen, certainly. Beyond that, you're on your own.
Always looking for the stuff that's different, so this one was a breath of fresh air in that regard. Chilando is an emerging Dancehall Rap artist from Montego Bay. He's rocked the islands with a few numbers that qualify as Reggae hits, most especially "Swag Tun Up" and "Girl I'm Missing You". An iTunes search turns up a few numbers on compilations. Likewise, you're likely to have more success on Amazon searching for Chilando by his record label--currently Show Di Vybz out of Jamaica. Chilando's entry into the holiday market is the digital single "Dark Christmas". As the title suggests, Chilando paints a darker picture of Christmas than Norman Rockwell did. The track opens with a reminder of the forgotten children and graduates, somehow, to murder. Coolest thing about "Dark Christmas"? Show Di Vybz is making it available as a free download through the label's Facebook page. Jah, mon! Dat be the tru spirit of Christymas.
Speaking of the Islands, over in Great Britain, there's a young lad named A.J. Brown who is emulating his musical heroes from Frank Sinatra to Michael Buble. He's not there yet, from what I've heard, but then he only released his debut record "On Song" last year.
The Jazz/Pop vocalist has a treat in store this year, for lovers of Christmas music everywhere. The single "Wrapped Up" is due to be released November 1. It's a charity single with proceeds going to Polio Plus as part of the "End Polio Now" campaign. Polio is one of those diseases that we here in a relatively rich country think of as something of the past. But there are places in the world where the disease rages on. The organization's goal is to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe once and for all.
The Jazz/Pop vocalist has a treat in store this year, for lovers of Christmas music everywhere. The single "Wrapped Up" is due to be released November 1. It's a charity single with proceeds going to Polio Plus as part of the "End Polio Now" campaign. Polio is one of those diseases that we here in a relatively rich country think of as something of the past. But there are places in the world where the disease rages on. The organization's goal is to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe once and for all.
This looks interesting (I'd say "sounds", but I ain't got no "sounds" as yet). A group of "Jersey Boys" alums got together and formed a 60s nostalgia band, The Midtown Men. They're very popular live and the sales of their debut album, "Sixties Hits", were respectable enough. Well, it's interesting, of itself, that The Midtown Men are planning a Christmas single. But this won't be some warmed over holiday cover. No, no. This is going to be a new song written especially for them by Little Steven Van Zandt of Brice Springsteen's E Street Band (and, we should definitely mention, Little Steven's Underground Garage). Now that's something I can definitely look forward to.
Now here's a Christmas single after my heart. Let's close with this one.
The Leonard Brothers, led by Garry and Gerry Leonard oddly enough, are a popular Jazz group working the Kansas City beat. They've had a number of releases marketed nationally, including their Christmas album, "A Simpler Christmas Time". That one featured mostly melodic Jazz--not exactly Smooth Jazz, but comfortable in that environment. Well, for 2012, they've turned it up to 11 with an energetic Jump Blues tune worthy of the Blues Brothers at least, if not Jay McShann. You can call it just "Christmas Blues", but what fun is that? "I Got The Christmas Blues (Cause At Christmastime, Baby, You're Just Real Bad News)" is almost as good as it's title (cause nothing's that good)--a solid effort that's sure to find a home in my collection. You can buy it now via CD Baby, and it'll turn up on iTunes and Amazon MP3 in the near future. This isn't the greatest music video in the world, but it does give you the chance to preview the song in full. Dig it.
The Leonard Brothers, led by Garry and Gerry Leonard oddly enough, are a popular Jazz group working the Kansas City beat. They've had a number of releases marketed nationally, including their Christmas album, "A Simpler Christmas Time". That one featured mostly melodic Jazz--not exactly Smooth Jazz, but comfortable in that environment. Well, for 2012, they've turned it up to 11 with an energetic Jump Blues tune worthy of the Blues Brothers at least, if not Jay McShann. You can call it just "Christmas Blues", but what fun is that? "I Got The Christmas Blues (Cause At Christmastime, Baby, You're Just Real Bad News)" is almost as good as it's title (cause nothing's that good)--a solid effort that's sure to find a home in my collection. You can buy it now via CD Baby, and it'll turn up on iTunes and Amazon MP3 in the near future. This isn't the greatest music video in the world, but it does give you the chance to preview the song in full. Dig it.
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