It’s that time of year again! Doesn’t it seem like Christmas is coming earlier and earlier every year? It seems to start the day after Halloween now…I’m not sure if that is good or bad…it just seems to be the way of things.
Here are some older and newer albums that are sure to get you through the Holidays – and maybe you’ll even enjoy them!
When I think of Christmas, I think of New York: ice skating and the tree at Rockefeller Center, the beautiful holiday windows in Bergdorfs and Barneys, chestnuts roasting in the street carts and of course, the fabulous shopping! My first pick is the soundtrack to the movie ELF. Jon Favreau compiled a great collection of songs and some originals to accompany this classic holiday movie set in New York. From “Pennies From Heaven” by Louis Prima to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel, this album is a staple to any holiday collection.
My second pick is Pink Martini’s new album entitled JOY TO THE WORLD. It is always an event when Pink Martini releases an album and this one does not disappoint. It ‘s truly a multicultural holiday listening event. “White Christmas” is beautifully sung in Japanese and “Auld Lang Syne” is given a Brazilian overhaul. This is the freshest holiday album to come along in years!
Speaking of fresh, Annie Lennox has a new album: A CHRSTMAS CORNUCOPIA. Her beautiful voice was made for singing traditional Christmas songs and she does so in a very non-traditional way. She takes African, Celtic and Middle Eastern styles and weaves them beautifully in this compilation.
What is guilty pop Christmas music without Mariah Carey? Her 1994 album MERRY CHRISTMAS is a classic, containing the massive hits “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. You can’t escape her voice during the holidays in stores, restaurants and on the radio. Her new album MERRY CHRISTMAS II YOU is right up there in the guilty pop pleasure list.
To round out the New York-inspired Christmas, take a listen to Kristin Chenoweth’s A LOVELY WAY TO SPEND CHRISTMAS (2008). As the reigning queen of Broadway (Wicked, Promises, Promises) she brings those crisp vocals to classics like “Do you Hear What I Hear” and “The Christmas Waltz”.
And a new album that is NOT a Christmas album but one I must highly recommend for when you need a break from all the other stuff is Cee Lo’s THE LADY KILLER. Every track. Best album of the year. ENJOY!!
