New Christmas Music from Alexis Ffrench, Voctive, Jon Pardi, Chris Issak, Maddie and Tae, Forest Blakk, and Lola Kirke

 

Alexis Ffrench - Christmas Piano with Alexis

Lovely contemplative solo piano takes on two dozen , mostly, holiday standards. Ffrench is described as a "Classical Soul superstar' but this album leans more on the classical/jazz/easy listening side of things, a la George Winston. An excellent album.

Voctive - It Feels Like Christmas

I was all in on the acapella boom of a number of years ago that birthed the monster that is Pentatonix but after awhile I fell off the bandwagon, and out side of classic acts like The King’s Singers and Chanticleer, I don’t have a lot of it in my seasonal listening rotation. Voctive’s new album of Christmas tunes might change that slightly. Its good old fashioned vocal harmonies, nothing genre shattering and sometimes that can be a good thing.

Chris Issak - Everybody Knows It’s Christmas (Deluxe)

One of my faves from last year adds four “new” tracks.

Maddie and Tae - We Need Christmas

This one isn’t Deluxe, but Extended (does that mean we might still get a deluxe! Oh Joy!)I thought it was okay back in 2020 and the new additions are as decent and workmanlike as the rest.

Forest Blakk - Wake Up (It’s Christmas Time)

Solid 4 track mini-album (maxi-single?)

Jon Pardi - Merry Christmas From Jon Pardi

My favorite country Christmas album of the season so far, if only because it actually wants to be a country album. Plus he does a cover of All I Want for Christmas is You that doesn’t make e feel like raming candy canes in my ears.

Lola Kirke - Hard Candy Christmas

Hard Candy Christmas is becoming a tough one to cover, there are already a few really good ones and of course the original is a classic. Kirke does a nice job here but doesn’t really make the song her own. If you don’t already have a handful of go-to covers of HCC you could do worse.

New Christmas Music from Christian Sands, David Foster and Katherine McPhee, Julie Benko & Mykal Kilgore, Tyler Shaw and more...

 

Christian Sands - Christmas Stories

Excellent jazz Christmas album from pianist Sands. Absolutely going into this year's rotation. 

David Foster & Katherine McPhee - Christmas Songs

Expanded from last years mini-album. Excellent tracks crafted by an expert producer and a remarkable singer.

Julie Benko & Mykal Kilgore -  (I Never Had a ) Christmas with You

Nice soul tinged duet. I liked this one quite a bit.

Tyler Shaw - Christmas All Over Again

Perfectly good cover of Tom Petty’s holiday hit.

Lisa Biales - At Christmas

Solid Blues rock number.

Dami Im - Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Decent jazzy take. Part of the genre I think of as Hallmark Movie opening credit songs.

Jess Moskaluke - Counting Down Christmas

Okay pop/country track.

Justine Blazer -  Joy

Uneven album veering between teenybopper girl pop, and various shades of country. The closer the songs lean towards country the better. There’s only one song here that I  thought was half decent, and judging by the name I would have assumed I’d hate it, and that’s “Kitty Kat Christmas”

The Tenors - Christmas With the Tenors

Dull, generic, elevator music for wine aunts.

Alex Sampson - This Christmas (Feels Like Love)

Forgettable, generic pop.

New Christmas Music from The Bongos, Phil Wickham, Michael Bolton and Mickey Guyton, Caitlyn Smith, Colton Dixon, A Winter Union and Chloe Flower

 

Christmas Isn’t Christmas - Michael Bolton + Mickey Guyton

I’m a fan, to some extent of both Bolton and Guyton but this generic bit of fluff, while inoffensive, won’t be finding its way into my rotation this year.

Manger Throne - Phil Wickham

Fairly standard Worship anthem. If you’re into it , you’re into it.

Rock the Christmas Cheer! - The Bongos

Generic tunes from artists who’ve done better work in the past seems to be the theme today. This time it’s generic indie/powerpop from critical darlings of a certain age, The Bongos.

 I wanted this to be so much better.

Snow Day - Caitlyn Smith

Nice gently swinging, holiday romantic number, b/w a solid, mostly,  sparsely acoustic, take on O Holy Night. 

Worth revisiting.

Home For Christmas - Colton Dixon

So, Colton decided to release a song with a title that will remind people of another song and then covers that more famous version of the similarly titled song. Interesting choice.

The cover’s better than the original and the originals OK, for a modern pop tune. 

There’s also a contemplative cover of Let it Snow.

Minstrels - A Winter Union

Right up my alley, this slice of festive folk sits comfortably alongside holiday tracks from the likes of Blackmore’s Night, Loreena McKennitt, Kate Rusby and Jethro Tull.

River - Chloe Flower

When I heard the first overly familiar piano tinkles my heart sank. Oh, no, I thought, yet another cover of River like almost every other cover of River. Fortunately it opened up into a more expansive Classical Crossover thing. I’m not adding it to any playlists but it’s fine.

New Christmas Music from Johnny Mathis, Cher, Seth MacFarlane, Gavin DeGraw, Blessing Offor, One Republic and more...

It's that time of year again so here's the first of this years round-ups of new Christmassy releases...

Christmas - Cher 

This one was never going to rate high with me, I haven’t really been a fan of Cher’s output  since the early 80’s. Guests include the Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder and Michael Bublé.

A Cher Christmas album from 30 to 50 years ago would have been awesome, but this does nothing for me. That said, if you’re a fan you’ll probably love it.

The Greatest Christmas Hits - Pentatonix

If Pentatonix had the restraint to keep their Christmas releases down to one every six or seven years or so, I’d probably feel a lot less disdain for them. 

This release combines 23 of their “Holiday Classics” with 8 more new tunes. Which is which? Don’t know, don’t care. I can take the odd Pentatonix track on the radio or playing in a store while I Christmas shop but I can’t imagine putting myself through 31 straight songs.

As always I’ll add the disclaimer that this is just my personal opinion and if you like this stuff then that’s awesome and I’m honestly happy for you, I'm just not a fan.

Dear Santa - One Republic

Decent pop tune, nothing groundbreaking. Honestly, if I hadn’t known this was from a massively popular and well established group I might have thought it was a better than average Hallmark Movie title track by some relatively unknown performer. There’s also a piano version of the song that’s pretty good.

Not bad and definitely the best thing I’ve heard today.

Like a Child - Blessing Offor

Well that didn’t last long. Sorry One Republic, this three track single from Blessing Offor , especially "Like a Child", has risen to the top of today’s chart. The only blemish is the egregious use of autotune in Little Drummer Boy, it’s time producers let that affectation go. Offor even manages to make a decent job of covering "Wonderful Christmastime”

Everything You Want - Matt Rogers + Muna

Not a Christmas song, just a mediocre pop song that references Christmas.

A Classic Christmas - Gavin DeGraw

Decent collection of a half dozen holiday standards. You won’t want to throw out your old LPs but as neo-crooners go this is pretty good.

Let it Snow - Various Bocellis

Single from forthcoming Deluxe version of last years' family affair. Meh.

We Wish You the Merriest - Seth MacFarlane + Liz Gilles

Brian from Family Guy releases a solid holiday track. Nice arrangement , nice vocals, can’t complain (and I do love to complain!).

Christmas Time is Here - Johnny Mathis

I’ve saved the best for last. An expanded version of the E.P. the legend released last year. Sure he’s not the singer was , umm, 50+ years ago but ⅔ Johnny Mathis is twice as good as the vast majority of releases you’ll listen to this year. Kristin Chenoweth guests on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

New Christmas Releases (Cliff Richard, Neil Diamond, Cassie and Maggie, Snow Blossoms, La chorale de Y'a du monde à messe, Aled and Russell and more...)

 

A Neil Diamond Christmas

I'm generally a fan of Neil's Christmas stuff, and everything here is previously released, but I was fairly meh about this compilation. Maybe it's just not programmed to my taste, so don't let that stop you from checking it out.

 A Very Very Cassie and Maggie Christmas 

A fine collection of original festive tunes and engaging arrangements of old favorites from popular Canadian folk duo.

Christmas with Cliff

Cliff Richard

Another legendary artist defies the ravages of time, though not quite as extraordinarily as Johnny Mathis. Cliff's voice and delivery aren't what they once were but he's still produced a holiday album well above the standard set by many contemporary acts.  I'm absolutely grading on a curve cause I've always been a fan so listen accordingly.

 

Snow Blossoms: Lost Country Christmas Classics 

Terrific collection of lesser known holiday tunes

Home For Christmas

Con Funk Shun

Started slow, but after a couple of iffy tracks, the songs really start to work - Christmas Kind of Day, My Favorite Things, Do You Hear What I Hear, and Christmas for Two are prime cuts

 Second Edition: A Very South Bay Xmas 

I didn't really find anything worth hearing again apart from  Mack Ogden's My Holiday Angel. YMMV, and it's for charity, so check it out at Bandcamp

Juste après novembre

La chorale de Y'a du monde à messe

I know nothing about this group from Quebec but their Christmas album is emerging as one of my favorites this season.

Holly Jolly Christmas / On Christmas Eve - John Owen-Jones

Christmas with Aled and Russell

Solid Classical Crossover Christmas Collection

.

White Winter Hymnal - Jade Bird 

Not the best cover of of this tune I have but not at all poor.

Santa Train - Paige King Johnson

Lit Up Like a Christmas Tree - Aidan & the Wild

New Christmas Releases from Elton John, David Foster & Katherine McPhee, Loreena McKennitt, Sissel, Ellie Holcomb, Hush Kids, A Very Yinzer Christmas and more...

 

Christmas Songs

David Foster & Katherine McPhee

Nice enough mini album with highlights being the energetic take on Santa Claus is Coming to Town and a terrific big band-ified Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (the arrangement is such fun ill forgive McPhee's cringe shout out to Rudolph at the very end.)

Under a Winters Moon (Live at Knox Church,Stratford,Ontario/ 2021)
Loreena McKennitt

McKennitt's voice is as transcendent as ever on this live recording which combines traditional hymns and carols with relevant readings including Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales.  A lovely performance best listened to rather than relegated to background duty.

Recommend 

Winter Morning 
Sissel

Another ephemeral voice is heard from on this 7 track offering from Sissel joined by The Tabernacle Choir. 

Recommended

Ellie Holcomb
Sing : Christmas Songs

Nice mix of both praise and Christmas songs (sacred and secular).

Recommend 

Miracle in a Manger. 
Jason Crabb

Fine collection if mostly familiar tracks from Christian artist Crabb

Recommend 

A Very Yinzer Christmas

Pittsburgh area regional compilation. sporting a generous 26 tracks. Not too many familiar names for those of us not immersed in the Pittsburgh scene, I'm only familiar with a few; Donnie Iris, Norman Nardini and Joe Grushecky.

Compilations of this sort are often seriously hit and miss but, A Very Yinzer Christmas maintains  a steady level of average to above average songs, As I was listening and starting to formulate my review in my mind i wanted to note the rare accomplishment of not having a bad track in the bunch. That thought persisted right up until I hit the last few tracks. At least whoever programmed the album had similar taste to mine and hid the significantly less successful cuts at the back

 

 Step Into Christmas
Elton John

5 track digital ep collecting the solid title single, the fun to hear once or twice a year novelty track Ho! Ho! Ho! (Who'd Be a Turkey at Christmas?) , the earlier, inessential, Joss Stone duet Calling it Christmas and two other songs I don't consider Christmas.  

 

 Christmas from Ireland

Anuna

Lovely Celtic choral crossover .

Singles

  All I Want for Christmas is You / It's Christmas -  Hush Kids

A decent subdued take on "All I Want" does as much as it can with the source material. The flip, the Hush Kids original It’s Christmas is far more affecting and a lovely Christmas song.

 

Wrapped up in a Bow - Jamie Fine

The vocal styling here are nit for me and the song isn't strong enough to transcend them

 

 Last Christmas / Winter Wonderland - Remi Wolf

I honestly have no context for contemporary artists like this, many millions of listens but I've never come across them before. Is this single terrible, no, especially the go at Last Christmas but I don't imagine I'll ever want to hear it again.

Driving Home for Christmas - Tom Grennan

Overwrought take on Chris Rea's classic. Not bad but a bit much.

Because It’s Christmas - Peter Cincotti

Solid, catchy pop jazz original.

 

New Christmas Releases from A Girl Named Tom, The Tabernacle Choir, PG Roxette, Kalani Pe’a, Blane Howard and more...

 One More Christmas

A Girl Named Tom

I haven’t watched The Voice in ages so I was unfamiliar with A Girl Named Tom but based on their holiday release, One More Christmas, I’m going to have to check them out. This is a charming and fun collection and about as poppy as I can take. The originals hold up really well among the more familiar fare.

Recommended

O Holy Night: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square

Wish You the Best for Xmas

Per Gessle / PG Roxette

Swedish pop legend Per Gessle (Gyllene Tider, Roxette) offers this four track holiday Single/EP (it’s really two songs plus two instrumental versions of those songs).Catchy europop,

Recommended

Purple Hawaiian Christmas

Kalani Pe’a

Perfectly pleasant, if fairly generic holiday offering elevated by a warm layer of Polynesian flavor. If you like that sort of thing, you’ll like this sort of thing.

Happy Xmas

Michela Anne

Four track EP limited by its choice of four massively over-covered songs that should IMHO, just be left alone if you don't have something exceptional to add to them. Outside of a slightly  better than average take on Last Christmas nothing here really stands out. Most of the tracks are fine but do nothing to justify listening to them as opposed to the existing iconic versions. It doesn't help that they include one of my least favorite Xmas songs, and a song so generic that only its original version is worth listening to. Plus, I already have a handful of amazing versions of River to choose from. Michela Anne’s take on the one song that can survive incessant cloning, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, is…fine.

Fans of the artist will enjoy this, no doubt.

A Living Room Christmas

Lunar Vacation

Three track single/EP that at least tries to salvage their uninspired choice of covering Last Christmas by making it fairly unique, fairly. I’m guessing whoever wrote the Spotify Christmas algorithm was a big Wham fan, what else would explain the glut of these covers?) The other two tracks include a a slightly left field take on Skating and a surprisingly recent cover choice Norah Jones’ Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones).

Christmas in the Car

Blane Howard

Solid country release with a nice mix of familiar tunes with fresh arrangement plus an excellent new song. There are a couple of tracks that aren’t all they might have been, a tepid take on The Christmas Song, for example., but a generally enjoyable effort.

Recommended

Christmas Night with You

Straight No Chaser

One great thing, or maybe not so great, depending,, about the Christmas music scene is that it turns would be one hit wonders into perennial chart hitters. If Straight, No Chasers’ claim to fame had been a clever cover of almost anything other than a Christmas song they would be novelty, with a small n, act. Luckily for them it led to a seasonal windfall, (not to the same extent of say Pentatonix, but still…) sadly it leads to abysmal tracks like this one being forced upon us at holiday time. Unlistenable.

We’re Home for Christmas

Our distant worlds

Minimal solo piano arrangements that barely register even as background music. 

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Diego de Galdeano

Another low effort solo piano EP tailor made for Spotify “Relax” “Peaceful” “Calm” playlists.

Christmas Time (Is Here Again)

Spoon

Faithful cover of the Beatles Christmas tune, so barely listenable

Ordeal by Hallmark (Part 2) My Grown Up Christmas List, A Maple Valley Christmas, Well Suited for Christmas, All Saints Christmas and more...

 

I feel slightly guilty that I'm not including my recent viewing of the Lindsey Lohan rom-com Falling For Christmas here. Not because it was a Netflix Original, Netflix is more than capable of turning out junky Christmas flicks, but because it was a pretty good movie. And, I mean :movie" as opposed to Hallmarkesque inspired holiday product consume repeat consume repeat. So, if you want to accuse me of putting my thumb on the scale by omitting a much better than average film from my ordeal - fair enough.

My Grown Up Christmas List

Inoffensive but dull trifle that a few years ago would have been considered a weak effort but nowadays it’s solidly middle of the road. It tries to do something a bit more interesting with time jumps but I've already forgotten most of what happens in the film.

A Maple Valley Christmas 

Epic drama set in the rough and tumble world of a family Montana Maple Syrup Barons, it's basically Yellowstone with pancakes. Well, not really, I wish it was though. Instead we get a pedestrian real estate McGuffin driven romcomdram.

Though Hallmark are the ne plus ultra of these types of festive fodder they're clearly not the only ones peddling quickie Christmas pix this time of year so, let's move on with a couple of offerings from Lifetime - Television for Women...

Well Suited for Christmas 

My first Lifetime flick of the season combines my favorite time of year with the world of high fashion, something I literally care nothing about. Despite my antipathy towards the films McGuffin, a bachelor tuxedo design contest, the film wasn’t terrible. It was certainly a step up from My Grown Up Christmas List, if only a small step, though it felt as if the Christmas aspect was merely an afterthought.

Merry Swissmas

Another Lifetime movie, this one starring Jodie Sweetin as an architect whose Mom owns a Swiss inn , in the Swiss quarter of British Columbia apparently, and nothing interesting or charming happens. It’s too bad because it had a promising premise. This one was a definite step down even from MGUCL. In last place so far.

Back to Hallmark 

All Saints Christmas

Not a holiday musical starring 90's girl group All Saints (which is probably a good thing ?), but it is set in some fictional music industry where huge stars can browse Christmas markets on their own and their albums go "double gold".

Pretty good New Orleans set rom-com, definitely above average thanks to a snappy script and some solid performances from the leads. I sort of enjoyed it.

Christmas on Mistletoe Lake

While All Saints Christmas buffeted my sails a bit but Christmas on Mistletoe Lake was like hitting a dead calm.

Meh but not terrible holiday filler. I've already forgotten it, which is becoming a bit of a theme here. FWIW, I can still recall loads of scenes, snippets of dialogue and major plot points and superior performances from a bunch of Christmas movies from the last few years that I've only seen once and yet the vast majority of these films slide of my brain like it's been coated in Teflon .

In Merry Measure 

In which a group of seemingly sentient mannequins act out a dull and predictable story about a a high school singing competition. The “actors” are surprisingly lifelike, with little of the uncanny valley effect you usually see with this technology, though the supporting characters are still stock royalty free NPCs . Sadly the AI scriptwriting app has produced a weaker than usual story and In Merry Measure doesn’t measure up to much at all in the end.

 

Before we get to the current standings I want to stress that, while I have a general disdain for these films, it's absolutely not the actors or the crews that I dislike, it's the cynical assembly line corporate product churn that grinds my gears. Just as I think the fans of these films are lovely people who just want to settle into some cozy comfort viewing, I'm sure the bulk of the people on the screen and behind the scenes are doing the best they can with what they've been given and what little seems to be expected of them.

I don't hate the players, only the way the game is being played.

So, this time most of the films fell into the "Meh" category with only one Watchable, meaning if I had to rewatch it I could, if I had to. The good news is only one fell to the newly renamed Unrewatchable ranking. I've switched to a softer definition of "I would walk out of the room, and maybe the building, if the alternative was having to watch t again". 

I've also added a new ranking, the Worth Rewatching. So far only Netflix's Falling For Christmas would have qualified, but since I reviewed it in my Yule Blogged series instead I'm not sure I should include it.

 

The Watchables

• All Saints Christmas
• Ghost of Christmas Always
• A Kismet Christmas

The Mehs

• Christmas on Mistletoe Lake
• Jolly Good Christmas
• Merry Swissmas
• My Grown Up Christmas List
• Well suited for Christmas 

The Unrewatchables

• Catering Christmas
• Christmas Bedtime Stories
• Destined at Christmas
• In Merry Measure 
• Noel Next Door
• We Wish You a Married Christmas

New Christmas Music Releases from Louis Armstrong, Laurie Berkner, A Very Indie Christmas, Dan+Shay, Hailey Whitters and more...

Albums

 Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule

Louis Armstrong

Superb compilation of holiday-themed tracks from the legendary Satchmo! ‘Nuff said.

Highly Recommended 

Another Laurie Berkner Christmas

 The Laurie Berkner Band

I remember back in my old job as a parent to little kids that Berkner was one of the “cool” children’s music artists that parents could listen to, along with the kiddos, without going totally insane. My little ones weren’t huge fans so I don’t have a lot of nostalgia for this stuff but, as kid’s Christmas albums go, this is first-rate. If this was on in the background somewhere I wouldn’t walk out on account of it, so there’s that. If you have kid’s this is a great alternative to the disastrous pop garbage they’re likely bombarded by daily..

A Very Indie Christmas Vol 1, + Vol2

Here’s a stonking bargain for you -  Over 100 Christmas tunes from loads of fab artists across many genres all yours for less than $20! And on top of that it’s all for a good cause!

I can vouch for most of the artists, and many of the songs included here, there are some awesome tunes on board, and while it’s not likely every song will float your festive boat the odds are pretty high that you’ll get way more than your money’s worth. Plus, did I mention the whole charity thing?

Volume 2

December

 Quando Nuevo

A stellar collection of instrumental tracks, some New Agey /World-ish, others decidedly jazzy. I’ve actually paired this in a playlist with George Winston’s solo piano December, and it melds nicely.

Recommended

Appalachian Christmas

Chosen Road 

Bluegrass flavored, gospel-infused country Christmas record, and a good one too. Recommended if this sort of thing is up your chimney.

Christmas Ballads 25th Anniversary Collection

Dave Koz and Friends

Home For the Holidays with DCapella 

DCapella & Disney

Not in my home. This was dreadful.

Christmas Morning

Megan Nicole

Generic pop wouldn’t sound out of place under the opening credits of some middling Hallmark Xmas flick.

Singles

Christmas Anyway - Stars

Weak-ish effort from the generally terrific Canadian duo Stars. It’s for charity though so at least your dollar will go to a good cause even if you are likely to shelve and forget the tune pretty quickly.

New Baby for Christmas - Hailey Whitters

Solid country single.

Holiday Party - Dan+Shay

A pedestrian country pop number that sounds as generic and un-Christmassy as its title. Not bad just nothing special.

dear santa - emlyn

Bombastic alt-pop single. Not for me, so I can’t really judge its quality tbh. Give it a spin and see if it’s your thing.