2024 Picks!
It's that time once again when jolly old St. Nick will be flying around the globe delivering presents to kids of all ages. The sleigh is packed and the reindeer are ready to go and Santa was kind enough to give us a peek at his playlist for the voyage; here's some of the music he'll be listening to as he makes his rounds. We start with two titles available on vinyl.
Mariah Carey - Merry Christmas - (Mobile Fidelity Original Master Recording, 2-LPs, 180-gram vinyl, 45 RPM)
It's a little bit hard to fathom that Mariah Carey first sang "All I Want for Christmas is You" to her adoring fans 30-years ago. Over the ensuing decades the song has become one of the most endearing Christmas songs ever and it is ubiquitous on holiday playlists to this day. Now, thanks to the folks at audiophile label Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, listeners can hear the song and every other cut from Mariah's 1994 album
Merry Christmas exactly as it was meant to be heard. This 30th anniversary reissue of
Merry Christmas plays, as the label states, with "insightful depth, definition and transparency." What the listener will notice first off is that the album presents Carey's already jaw-dropping upper-register vocals in stunning clarity. In fact, when she sings "All I Want for Christmas is You" it kind of seems like she's right in the room with you (wow!) and singing directly to you. The hit, a Carey co-write, is the second song on the album, appearing right after her soulful cover of "Silent Night" and her equally soulful take on traditional cut "O Holy Night." Other notable cuts include an interpretation of Phil Spector's jingle bell-filled and sax-enhanced "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and Hoyt Axton's "Joy to the World," a cut that here is cleverly mashed-up with the traditional song of the same name. Other Carey co-writes include the tender "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)" and the worshipful "Jesus Born on This Day" which features a great backing chorale. Also included are favorites "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"/"Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)," "Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." For those who would rather get in the holiday mood with a CD, Mobile Fidelity also offers the album on Super Audio CD.
The Carpenters - Christmas Once More - (Black vinyl or limited edition Gold vinyl)
It has been 40-years since the much-beloved Karen Carpenter, singer for the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, passed away. While having tremendous success on the pop charts with cuts like "We've Only Just Begun," "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Yesterday Once More" the pair also recorded two Christmas albums and that's where the material for this compilation album comes from. A brief acapella version of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" opens the record, quickly giving way to a jolly "Happy Holidays" and a take on "The Christmas Waltz" where Richard's orchestral arrangements glisten like new fallen snow. Everything else on Side One is a chestnut; featured are "Sleigh Ride," "It's Christmas Time"/"Sleep Well, Little Children," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Christ is Born" and the ever popular "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." In a nice touch the songs on this side segue together so there's no dead air between the joyful presentations. Side Two begins with a Richard Carpenter co-write, "Merry Christmas, Darling," a 2018 mix performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. More standards and favorites round out the side including "White Christmas," "Ave Maria," "My Favorite Things," "Little Altar Boy" and the Mel Torme golden oldie "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)."
Tower of Power - It's Christmas
Have yourself a soulful little Christmas with this 11-song collection of holiday tunes from the revered Tower of Power. The big 10-piece band begins the set with a brief and sublime instrumental take on "The Christmas Song" before moving on to smooth vocal takes from lead singer Emilio Castillo on "This Christmas" and "A Very Special Christmas;" the entire band puts a joyous R&B spin on the classic "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." As you would expect from Tower of Power there's plenty of sax, trumpet, trombone and flugelhorn lighting up the arrangements and the guitar work from Jerry Cortez shines bright as does keyboard work from Roger Smith on organ and Joe Vanellion on electric piano and synthesizer. Other classic holiday songs included are "Silver Bells," "O Holy Night," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and a reading of the Hannukah song "Maoz Tzur."
Christopher Cross - A Christopher Cross Christmas
While Cross is best known for his huge pop hits "Ride Like the Wind," "Sailing" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" and for his turn as a background singer on David Lee Roth's version of "California Girls," here he presents a selection of well-known holiday songs along with a couple of originals that he co-wrote. The originals are the hopeful and delicate "A Dream of Peace at Christmastime" and the tender "Does it Feel Like Christmas" while featured standards include "Silent Night," Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time is Here," "The Christmas Song," "Little Drummer Boy," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and album closer "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Cross does not take liberties with any of the traditional arrangements of these well-known songs and this presentation is meant for quiet reflection. But of course there are moments when you'll want to sing along.
Amanda McBroom - Wintersong
You may know Amanda McBroom as the writer of "The Rose" which was a massive pop hit for Bette Midler. Here she presents her take on standards like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" but for most of the album she performs self-penned material. The jazzy "All About Love" kicks off the fun; the song seeks to get at the real reason for Christmas and begins with the line "They're hauling out the reindeer in September..." Highlights include the gentle "My Christmas Angel;" cuts that will be very relatable to many are "A Christmas Memory" and "A Happy New Year" which incorporates a few notes of "Auld Lang Syne." Speaking of which McBroom performs a nice cover of Dan Fogelberg's "Same Auld Lang Syne" too. Also notable is McBroom's stellar reading of Ron Sexsmith's hopeful "Maybe This Christmas."
Mickey Thomas - A Classic Christmas
As the lead singer for Starship and the man who sang "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" when he was with Elvin Bishop, Mickey Thomas is one of the great voices of rock who's music is a constant on classic rock radio. Here, with his first-ever Christmas album, Thomas presents a swinging version of "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," a jazzy take on "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and a sublime reading of the beloved "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Orchestration highlights "An Old Fashioned Christmas" while piano provides the music bed for "The Christmas Song;" the effort ends with the delightful trio of "Silver Bells," "My Favorite Things" done as jazz with a bit of a rock leaning and the delicate "White Christmas." It's great to hear a different, mellower side of Thomas here where the music is provided by Nashville session players.
Ben Levin - A Holiday Blues Revue
Here's a different and refreshing holiday offering from blues pianist and singer Ben Levin as he forgoes Christmas standards in favor of a set of mostly original songs. The album opens with "Candy Cane" featuring Lil Ed on lead vocals and guitar; the song boogies pretty good but Levin tones it down for one of the album's few covers, the sublime "It's Christmas Time." The self-penned "Elf Boogie" totally lives up to its title as Levin sets a scene where Santa's elves, after a long year of making toys, cut loose for some fun. Guest Sonny Hill takes the microphone for the understated "Next Christmas" while Candice Owen duets with Ben on "Christmas Mood" and there's some humor in the somewhat bawdy "Forgot Mrs. Claus." The slow blues of "Regifted" is a sad one where Levin portrays a man whose baby is AWOL; "Lump of Coal," with guest Lil' Jimmy Reed is also kind of bleak but "SantaCon" rocks the album to a close. Also included is a nice take on Vince Guaraldi's "Skating" where Levin plays organ.
Tori Martin - "Warm for December"
This one is just a single but it certainly, as the title suggests, leaves the listener with a warm feeling and wanting more. The "American Idol" alum offers up a message to a lover that everything is perfect for a holiday cuddle, even the weather, which is "warm for December." Set to a mellow and jazzy groove with steel pedal guitar adding country overtones, "Warm for December" is easy to cozy up to.
