Yeah, so Darius Rucker gave us all the deets on his upcoming Christmas set a few days back. I love the Hootie man and I'm sure I'll be picking it up, but we were deluged with comments and emails about it.
Here's the thing. Its after Labor Day and this is Stubbys. There is no shortage of post-Labor Day coverage of Darius Rucker and his Christmas album announcement. [Note: the following searches were done several days ago; the number of hits is in constant flux] Do a Google search of "Darius Rucker Christmas album" and you'll get 196,000 results. 196,000! 932 "news" alerts alone. Now do a search for "Jason Manns Christmas album". 49 results, almost all of them from Supernatural fans on Twitter. No "news" results at all. Now try "Gonna Have A Really Soulful Christmas". 150 hits and, once you really boil it down, its really just us giving you any useful information (most of the rest is blog rolls of our post or the listings at on-line retailers). Before Labor Day, sure...any news is vital news. After Labor Day...Hootie will find you. Trust me, he will. I'm here to tell you about the releases you might otherwise miss.
Like who out there is talking about The Connection? (ONE Google result...and its us)
Here's the thing. Its after Labor Day and this is Stubbys. There is no shortage of post-Labor Day coverage of Darius Rucker and his Christmas album announcement. [Note: the following searches were done several days ago; the number of hits is in constant flux] Do a Google search of "Darius Rucker Christmas album" and you'll get 196,000 results. 196,000! 932 "news" alerts alone. Now do a search for "Jason Manns Christmas album". 49 results, almost all of them from Supernatural fans on Twitter. No "news" results at all. Now try "Gonna Have A Really Soulful Christmas". 150 hits and, once you really boil it down, its really just us giving you any useful information (most of the rest is blog rolls of our post or the listings at on-line retailers). Before Labor Day, sure...any news is vital news. After Labor Day...Hootie will find you. Trust me, he will. I'm here to tell you about the releases you might otherwise miss.
Like who out there is talking about The Connection? (ONE Google result...and its us)
If you're a long time visitor to Stubbys (and aren't otherwise from New England), its likely you first met The Connection in 2011 when the group released "Rock N Roll Christmas" which, at the time, was a free download. That was paired with a faithful cover of the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)". Last year, they were back with an even better Christmas tune (IMHO), "Christmas Time Again". This year, they're going all out with an entire "Christmas Collection". Nine songs in all (that we know of, anyway), including their previous holiday tracks and five all new tinsel tunes. And this group just keeps getting better and better. Ain't just me saying that. Little Steven (Springsteen's E-Street Band) loves these guys and the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame hired The Connection to do 90 minute show at their annual Spring Benefit earlier this year.
 | 1. Money Honey Baby 2. I Feel Fine (Its Christmas Time) 3. Christmas Bells Are Ringing 4. West Coast 5. Better Late Than Never 6. Christmas Time Again 7. Rock N Roll Christmas 8. Poor Boy 9. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) |
You could call The Connection a Pop Punk band, or a Power Pop band. They're really a nice natural collision of 60s Garage Rock and Ramones era Punk. I say natural because its a sound that would seem a natural evolution (or, depending on your point of view, devolution) of where Pop Rock music would have naturally gone, post Punk. But there are very few bands out there successfully combining that Garage rawness, Pop sweetness, and Punk aggressiveness as The Connection does. I think "Money Honey Baby" is about as good an example of this as any. That's a hit in any era. "West Coast" layers Ramones styled vocals over a Springsteen-esque riff. And the band digs deep for an early Blues flavored aggressive Rock N Roll sound with "Better Late Than Never". There's a bit of Byrds-like jangly Country Rock on "Christmas Bells Are Ringing". And a bit of Ragtime Folk on "Poor Boy". And, though recorded years back, "Merry Christmas" sounds all the more a poignant tribute given the loss of Tommy Ramone (last of the original Ramones) earlier this year.
A thoroughly enjoyable record from start to finish, "The Connection's Christmas Collection" officially releases November 1 on CD and in digital formats. There's no listing for it yet, but keep your eyes on The Connection's Bandcamp page and their official web site as we get closer to November.
Now isn't that better than another rehash of the Hootie set?
A thoroughly enjoyable record from start to finish, "The Connection's Christmas Collection" officially releases November 1 on CD and in digital formats. There's no listing for it yet, but keep your eyes on The Connection's Bandcamp page and their official web site as we get closer to November.
Now isn't that better than another rehash of the Hootie set?
Another artist with an upcoming Christmas album that I bet you haven't heard about is Gaby Moreno (One google hit...not us). Hopefully you've heard of Gaby but, even if you haven't, you're probably familiar with some of her work. Gaby co-wrote the theme from the NBC show "Parks And Recreation", she sang the song "Smile" for the documentary film "The Cove", and she was also heard in the film "Fred Claus", singing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with Matt Turk. Most recently, she's been touring with Dr. House, Hugh Laurie, another name to add to her collection of touring partners that already includes Ani DiFranco and Tracy Chapman. With a deep knowledge of music ranging from the earliest blues and folk to the latest rock n roll, Gaby's an artists' artist--the kind of singer/songwriter other people can't wait to work with.
We've been given no details on the Christmas album, except that a November release is planned, and that makes it tough to talk about because Gaby does so many things so well. Her earlier Christmas EP, "A Good Old Christmastime", had an old timey Jazz/Blues feel. And you gotta give her mad props for covering the Rev. Clayburn's "The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas Day". But she's been known to do Blues with a sharper edge, contemporary Jazz ballads, and even the occasional straight up Folk Rock track. Plus she sings in both English and Spanish. The possibilities are limitless. I'm guessing, though, we will get a few original songs. Whatever approach she's taken is bound to be winning...just as everything she's done to date has been. In the meantime, make sure you check out "A Good Old Christmastime". If you haven't checked it before, you'll be happy I steered you to it.
We've been given no details on the Christmas album, except that a November release is planned, and that makes it tough to talk about because Gaby does so many things so well. Her earlier Christmas EP, "A Good Old Christmastime", had an old timey Jazz/Blues feel. And you gotta give her mad props for covering the Rev. Clayburn's "The Wrong Way To Celebrate Christmas Day". But she's been known to do Blues with a sharper edge, contemporary Jazz ballads, and even the occasional straight up Folk Rock track. Plus she sings in both English and Spanish. The possibilities are limitless. I'm guessing, though, we will get a few original songs. Whatever approach she's taken is bound to be winning...just as everything she's done to date has been. In the meantime, make sure you check out "A Good Old Christmastime". If you haven't checked it before, you'll be happy I steered you to it.
This next artist I pulled from a fan forum. Fan Forum's are notoriously unreliable sources for Christmas music news. True enough, fans frequently get the early word when a holiday record is in the works and some are close enough to get inside info on what's going on when recording is underway. But, just as often, there's at least one guy just looking to stir up a hornets next with a fake Christmas album rumor. This one's even worse because, whatever these folks are fans of, it doesn't appear to be the guy they're talking about.
Peter Andre is as much a "personality" as he is a singer, and he's about as popular across the pond as Miley Cyrus or Kim Kardashian in this country (which means he has enough fans to have a career, but pretty much everybody else hates him). Now I'd never heard of the guy until I stumbled into that forum. But I immediately hopped over to check the samples for "Big Night", the most recent album from the English/Australian artist. The big thing about "Big Night" was that Andre was working with a Big Band. But, rather than striving to recreate the vintage sound of the Big Band era, Peter was going for a fusion of Contemporary Pop and Big Band Swing. And it worked, I thought, for the most part. "Big Night" doesn't sound like the anything from the New Swing movement, nor like the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It sounds much more like classic Motown...except when it doesn't...only even bigger. Or, um, Spiral Staircase? Or maybe like Count Basie meets George Michael. Overall? Astounding. I really liked it. Sure, its not David Bowie or even Michael Buble, but the sound is fresh.
Recently, Andre signed on to do the fall commercial campaign for Iceland, a British supermarket chain that specializes in frozen foods. And the campaign's generated quite a bit of buzz. Not all of it good ("What's the difference between Peter Andre and an Iceland frozen pizza? One is a cheap, cheesy, over-processed mess... And the other is an Iceland frozen pizza"). But I think I'd really dig a Christmas album with the "Big Night" sound.
So anyway, there's a rumor of a Christmas album...featuring the new Big Band Swing Peter Andre. And I, for one, am intrigued. Sure, it'll be an Import. But maybe it'll be only 89p (ah, you've got to watch the commercials to get that one).
Peter Andre is as much a "personality" as he is a singer, and he's about as popular across the pond as Miley Cyrus or Kim Kardashian in this country (which means he has enough fans to have a career, but pretty much everybody else hates him). Now I'd never heard of the guy until I stumbled into that forum. But I immediately hopped over to check the samples for "Big Night", the most recent album from the English/Australian artist. The big thing about "Big Night" was that Andre was working with a Big Band. But, rather than striving to recreate the vintage sound of the Big Band era, Peter was going for a fusion of Contemporary Pop and Big Band Swing. And it worked, I thought, for the most part. "Big Night" doesn't sound like the anything from the New Swing movement, nor like the Brian Setzer Orchestra. It sounds much more like classic Motown...except when it doesn't...only even bigger. Or, um, Spiral Staircase? Or maybe like Count Basie meets George Michael. Overall? Astounding. I really liked it. Sure, its not David Bowie or even Michael Buble, but the sound is fresh.
Recently, Andre signed on to do the fall commercial campaign for Iceland, a British supermarket chain that specializes in frozen foods. And the campaign's generated quite a bit of buzz. Not all of it good ("What's the difference between Peter Andre and an Iceland frozen pizza? One is a cheap, cheesy, over-processed mess... And the other is an Iceland frozen pizza"). But I think I'd really dig a Christmas album with the "Big Night" sound.
So anyway, there's a rumor of a Christmas album...featuring the new Big Band Swing Peter Andre. And I, for one, am intrigued. Sure, it'll be an Import. But maybe it'll be only 89p (ah, you've got to watch the commercials to get that one).
Here's something else that's completely different. "Christmas On The Farm" from Farmer Jason (111 google hits). Stubby, what are you talking about? Yeah, OK, so it's a kids album. If you have kids, you might know Farmer Jason from the PBS program. But, if not, maybe you know Farmer Jason better as Jason Ringenberg of Jason & The Scorchers? Yes, THAT Jason & The Scorchers, pretty much the inventor of Alt Country and the whole Americana movement. Even his kids music swings and rocks. "Christmas On The Farm" was funded through Indiegogo and is expected to have an October release. Tracks include "The Animals Sang" and "Santa Drove A Big John Deere". I think it might be worth a listen.
Did you know we're getting another volume of "Blues Blues Christmas" from Document Records this year (3 google hits, only two of which are legit and they're both from Allegro Music)? This will be Volume 4. As the first three were awesome, I'm expecting no less with this one. There have been no more comprehensive compilations of vintage Christmas Blues and Gospel. Release date is October 14. Expect it to be delayed, though; they're always delayed.
Even as he raises money for his next album, due in May 2015, Michael Grimm is promising a Christmas record around Thanksgiving time. Grimm was the winner of "America's Got Talent, Season Five". He's got a very soulful voice which he puts to use singing Blues, R&B, Americana, and just plain Rock. And there's apparently going to be a Christmas album featuring the cast of the television show "Nashville" (and friends) this year; just wrapped the recording sessions, by all accounts.
David and Don are David Schelzel of The Ocean Blue and Don Peris of The Innocence Mission. David says the two are working on a Christmas album, now. As he told PopDose "We’ve been doing songs around the holidays for years so this time we are trying to finish a proper full-length holiday album that should come out later this year. Or next."
And here's why we care:
Even as he raises money for his next album, due in May 2015, Michael Grimm is promising a Christmas record around Thanksgiving time. Grimm was the winner of "America's Got Talent, Season Five". He's got a very soulful voice which he puts to use singing Blues, R&B, Americana, and just plain Rock. And there's apparently going to be a Christmas album featuring the cast of the television show "Nashville" (and friends) this year; just wrapped the recording sessions, by all accounts.
David and Don are David Schelzel of The Ocean Blue and Don Peris of The Innocence Mission. David says the two are working on a Christmas album, now. As he told PopDose "We’ve been doing songs around the holidays for years so this time we are trying to finish a proper full-length holiday album that should come out later this year. Or next."
And here's why we care:
| Roots artist Carly Jamison (43 google hits) has been toying with the idea of a Christmas record for a few years, now. In fact, you can still grab her raw demos for "Oh No Santa Claus" (2012) and "It Feels Like Christmas (Every Single Day)" (2013) as free downloads--just click on the song titles. This year, Carly got the Christmas itch and needed to scratch it good. So she called a group of world class musicians and the studio with one message: we need to cut a Christmas EP ASAP. Don't have a release date, yet, but it'll be interesting to hear what Carly comes up with. |  |
There's been no shortage of news about the forthcoming holiday album from The Blind Boys Of Alabama and Taj Mahal. The Blind Boys first Christmas album in 2008, "Go Tell It On The Mountain", remains an annual must listen. Adding in the classic Folk Blues artist Taj Mahal is just icing on a sweet Christmas cake. For when Gospel meets Blues, it is literally the best of both worlds. Taj is only the featured singer on two songs on the new album, "Talkin' Christmas", but eight of the record's twelve tracks are all new compositions. Look for it on October 21.
 | 1. Do You Hear What I Hear? 2. Christ Was Born on Christmas Morn 3. What Can I Do? (feat. Taj Mahal vocals) 4. Talkin' Christmas 5. Merry Christmas to You 6. Silent Night 7. There's a Reason We Call it Christmas (feat. Taj Mahal vocals) 8. The Sun is Rising 9. No Room in the Inn 10. Jesus Was Born 11. Who Will Remember? 12. Merry Christmas! |
Now, I don't mean to overdo the "not really a Christmas album" write-ups. Mentioned Primus before and there's always one or two I put on The List each year. But, as I'm far too fond of saying, its all about the music to me. And when the Rance Allen Group has a new album that sounds as good as the one they're about to release (November 11), well, Sugarpie Honeybunch, I can't help myself.
The Rance Allen Group is a Gospel group of brothers that formed (professionally) in 1970. They were the first act signed to the Stax subsidiary label Gospel Truth. Along the way, they recorded one of the most smooth and soulful renditions of "White Christmas" in the history of the world.
The new album is "Celebrate" and that title raised my hopes for a Christmas record. Well, its not, but it just sounds too good to ignore. Here's the lead single, "A Lil' Louder". Crank that sucker!
The Rance Allen Group is a Gospel group of brothers that formed (professionally) in 1970. They were the first act signed to the Stax subsidiary label Gospel Truth. Along the way, they recorded one of the most smooth and soulful renditions of "White Christmas" in the history of the world.
The new album is "Celebrate" and that title raised my hopes for a Christmas record. Well, its not, but it just sounds too good to ignore. Here's the lead single, "A Lil' Louder". Crank that sucker!
1. A Lil' Louder (Clap Your Hands)
2. Celebrate
3. Champion
4. Sounds Like Rain
5. Step Out
6. U R Not Alone
7. Turn It Around
8. Feel The Spirit
9. He's Real
10. Stay Focused
11. Through The Fire
12. Walking In The Sand
2. Celebrate
3. Champion
4. Sounds Like Rain
5. Step Out
6. U R Not Alone
7. Turn It Around
8. Feel The Spirit
9. He's Real
10. Stay Focused
11. Through The Fire
12. Walking In The Sand
 | And just so the Hootie fans don't hate me, here's the track list for Darius Rucker's "Home For The Holidays"--out October 27. 1. "I’ll Be Home For Christmas" 2. "White Christmas" 3. "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" 4. "Winter Wonderland" 5. "Please Come Home for Christmas" 6. "What God Wants for Christmas" 7. "Baby, It’s Cold Outside" (featuring Sheryl Crow) 8. "O Come, All Ye Faithful" 9. "You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" 10. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" 11. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" 12. "Candy Cane Christmas" |
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