A BLANK List of Holiday Albums

One that just might entice you year round

By Lee Zimmerman

Holiday albums come in all varieties. In fact, quite a few artists – famous or otherwise – have tried their hand at it at least once over the course of their careers. Admittedly, most are enjoyed only once during the year. After all, hearing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in the midst of a hot, sticky July hardly seems appropriate. And joining in a chorus of “Let it Snow!” at such a time simply seems like wishful thinking.

Still, let’s not think like Scrooge. We humbly offer the following list of holiday releases that may well resonate throughout the entire year because they come across as so cool and quirky upon each and every listen.

Compilation albums produced as fundraisers for the Special Olympics are always welcome, and “A Very Special Christmas” is one of the very best. With a diverse and timeless lineup that includes Madonna, Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, U2 and Sting among others, this one raises the bar for holiday offerings, and it expanded the excellent precedent set by “Do They Know it’s Christmas,” the all-star charity single featuring the cream of mid-‘80s British and Irish rockers. Not surprisingly, “A Very Special Christmas” remains a seasonal staple, prompting a vinyl reissue just last year.

Sarah McLachlan is no stranger to the warm, lush sounds of the season, but it’s been more than 10 years since her first Christmas effort, the aptly named “Wintersong,” first appeared. That makes the more recent “Wonderland” such a welcome return. The Canadian chanteuse could sing the phonebook, and it would sound inspired. So it’s little wonder that when the song selection includes such gems as “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “White Christmas,” “Away in a Manger” and “Silver Bells,” it leads to a lump in the throat and a dampening of the eyes in even the most hardened of listeners.

Count on that playful pair known as She & Him to add some irreverence to the general reverence of the Christmas season. The appropriately named “Christmas Party” is the duo’s second album of holiday happenstance, their first being “A Very She & Him Christmas.” But like their efforts in general, it provides a carefree listen year round. Even producer and one-half of the pair M. Ward, a man generally known for his downturned disposition, seems to have gotten in the spirit, making for a festive occasion, indeed.

What would the holidays be without Jimmy Buffet bedecked as Santa in shorts, shoeless, wearing a goofy grin and paddling a wading board? No need to guess, fortunately, as the performer’s second seasonal offering “‘Tis the SeaSon,” a follow-up to “Christmas Island,” makes this time of year sound as wacky as it is wonderful. The setlist says it all: “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth (originally popularized by the Three Stooges),“Santa Stole Thanksgiving,” “What I Didn’t Get for Christmas,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and a surprisingly straightforward take on Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.”

Loretta Lynn, a contender for the title of queen of country music, plays it straight on “White Christmas Blue,” a collection of folksy carols that includes the usual suspects, as well as a handful of originals. Both rollicking and reverent, it underscores her recent revival and makes for a credible country collection.

Okay, we admit it: We find it hard to resist the Monkees at any time of year, but their first holiday album, “Christmas Party,” had us hooked from the get-go. Many songs in the collection are individual efforts from the group’s four members, but no matter. Fifty years on, we’d hop on the last train to Clarksville were we able to secure a ticket.

Those that would like to raise the hipness factor have plenty of alternative efforts from which to choose. “A Christmas to Remember,” “Holidays Rule,” the various editions of “Maybe This Christmas,”  “Just Say Noel,” “Yuletunes,” “A Lump of Coal,” “You Sleigh Me!,” “Christmas Time Again” and “Christmas on the Lam” all feature the coolest alternative artists one might imagine, from power-pop harbingers of hipness like the Smithereens, Big Star and the dBs to Tori Amos, Henry Rollins, Beck and Aimee Mann. Those who long for a bit more solemnity might consider the excellent “A Winter’s Solstice” series from the Windham Hill label or the excellent “An Appalachian Christmas” featuring several distinctive names well-known and highly regarded in these parts.

That leads us to consider some distinctly rootsy offerings: “An Americana Christmas” (natch) from the good folks at New West Records; “13 Days of Xmas,” courtesy of Bloodshot Records; “Yuletide from the Other Side,” a Red Beet Records compilation of East Nashville artists; and “Acoustic Christmas,” from Columbia, which features a host of well-known names like Harry Connick Jr., Shawn Colvin, Rosanne Cash and Judy Collins, among others. Also worth mentioning are the recently released single “I Don’t Need Anything for Christmas” by David Colon and the Mavericks’ Raul Malo; the oddly titled “Socks” by JD McPherson; and yacht rocker Michael McDonald’s new offering “Season of Peace.”

Given the recent developments around the nation and the world, it would be nice if the fleeting holiday season and its inherent warmth and grace could, in fact, be extended. Here’s to hoping that these titles provide you with those feelings longer than the intended expiration date.

About The Author

Related posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *