As always, thanks to the legends at Falalala.com’s New Releases board for doing all the legwork tracking down the more obscure entries in the list.
Adds and skips refer to my 2020 Christmas listening library
Dolly Parton - Holly Dolly Christmas
How did Dolly get this far into her career without using Holly Dolly Christmas for an earlier holiday effort?
I haven’t really been on board the current Dolly revival train, partly because I’ve always been a fan and never jumped off the bandwagon and partly because it seems the most calculated and least organic yet.
Anyway, this collection seems pretty disposable. Not bad, just not necessary The celebrity guests range from the sublime (Willie Nelson) to the ridiculous (Jimmy Fallon) And did we really need duets with both Cyrus’s? None would have been plenty. (Yeah, I know they’re like family but still…)
Highlights, for me, are the Nelson duet on “Pretty Paper”, her duet with little brother Randy “You Are my Christmas”, “Comin’ Home For Christmas”, “Circle of Love” and, “Mary Did You Know”.
Partial add.
Matt Nathanson - (I don't even remember)
In the interest of road safety please don’t listen to this soulless, somnambulistic collection of holiday tunes while driving. Even the cover of the Kinks “Father Christmas’ seems like a throwback to Pat Boone’s Heavy Metal album. The microwaved avocado toast of Christmas albums. So forgettable I started to listen to other Christmas music while it was still playing.
I assume this will do very well.
Skipped and already forgotten.
Maddie & Tae - We Need Christmas
Pleasant enough mini-album from the country duo whose only work I’m familiar with was their sort of novelty hit “Girl in a Country Song”. I actually enjoyed it more than Dolly’s album.
A possible add. I’ll revisit it a little later.
For King & Country - A Drummer Boy Christmas
Solid effort. I don’t listen to a lot of For King & Country during the year so this is probably a bit less impactful for me than for fans. Nevertheless, I like it.
Add
Andrew Bird - Hark
Wow. a thoughtfully written. arranged, produced, and performed Christmas album. Like hen’s teeth these things. Hens Teeth.
Andrew Bird may be a bit of an acquired taste but this is a terrific album, the best I’ve heard so far, by far.
Added and looking forward to multiple listens.
Colton Fenner - Magi
Honestly, the last thing I want to see next to the name of the Christmas album I’m about to sample is [Explicit]. Especially one called Magi. WTF? (What the fruitcake?)
What part of the lovely solo piano arrangements here could deserve such a warning? Are they too explicitly pretty? Your guess is as good as mine.
Might revisit but I have loads of similar stuff already so...
The Hummingbirds - Jingle All the Way
Rambunctious vocal trio whose energetic, occasionally unfocused, take on holiday favorites really grew on me the more I listened. Went from probable skip to a possible add.
Hatcho Gustavsson Och Winter Wonder Band - Min Bästa Julskiva
Decent collection of tunes from a talented vocal quartet ruined (?) by a chipmunked ventriloquist act. The dialogue between Hatcho and the band is all in Swedish so I can’t speak to the entertainment value of it but the dummy’s contributions to the actual songs pretty much wreck them.
The Winter Wonder Band seem like they’d be a really good theme park band.
Skipped.
