As much as I love my old favorite Christmas albums (The Kingston Trio's "Last Month of the Year", , Amy Grant's "A Christmas Album," John Denver's "Rocky Mountain Christmas" and "A Christmas Together", Ray Conniff's "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"), as well as some I've discovered over the past decade or so (Seth MacFarlane and Liz Gillies' "We Wish You the Merriest", Voctave's "The Spirit of the Season", Carrie Underwood's "My Gift", Pentatonix's "That's Christmas to Me"), I love checking out every year's new releases. Here are my reviews for some of the Christmas albums that have come out in the year or two.
Ben Folds, "Sleigher" (2024)
This album by jazz pianist and singer Ben Folds consists of original songs, including some jazzy vocal tracks such as the upbeat "
The Bell That Couldn't Jingle", which incorporates a tightly harmonized, Manhattan Transfer-style
a cappella chorus with Folds' vocals; "
Christmas Time Rhyme", a laid-back Vince Guaraldi-like reminiscence on childhood holidays featuring Folds' vocals and a charming harmonica break; and the sweet "
We Could Have This", a duet with vocalist Lindsey Kraft; as well as several instrumental numbers, such as "
Waiting for Snow" a short but haunting piece featuring piano and hammered dulcimer; and "
Little Drummer Bolero", a piano solo that begins quiet and soothing, then soars into a more intense section before dropping down again. It's a bit of an eclectic mix, but if you like Folds' style, you'll enjoy this collection.
My favorite track: "We Could Have This"
Jimmy Fallon, "Holiday Seasoning" (2024)
You will not find any old favorites on this album, but instead, in typical Fallon fashion, you will find duets with other celebrities (some trained singers and some clearly not), including "
Hallmark Movie" with Cara Delevingne, a spoof of cheesy Christmas movies; "
One Glove" with Will Ferrell, about searching for a lost glove; "
Wrap Me Up" with Meghan Trainor, a cute song (probably my favorite track on the album) about gifts that benefits from Fallon taking more of a background role to Trainor's superior vocals; plus a few Fallon-only songs like "
Chipmunks and Chestnuts", with sly references to many overplayed Christmas songs; and "
Weird Cousin", about that one disconcerting relative we all have. Fallon has a nice voice, but he's not a trained singer, so don't listen to this album for the music, listen to it in small doses for the funny. Probably more enjoyable after a significant amount of egg nog. I recommend sticking to "
Wrap Me Up" and skipping the rest of the album.
My favorite track: "Wrap Me Up"
Cher, "Christmas" (2023)
This album is a quirky mix of covers of Christmas pop classics like "
Santa Baby", "
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" with Darlene Love, and "
Please Come Home for Christmas", as well as songs I didn't recognize, like "
Angels in the Snow", "
Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart" (with Cyndi Lauper), and "
I Like Christmas". Cher's voice is as dark and rich as ever, giving her music a different sound than a lot of holiday pop, and her voice blends surprisingly well with her duet partners, even those who, like Love and Lauper, have a vastly different timbre. If you're looking for some new pop-style holiday music, "
Angels in the Snow" and "
I Like Christmas" are your tracks, and if you want new renditions of old favorites, go for "
Santa Baby", "
What Christmas Means to Me" (with Stevie Wonder), and "
Please Come Home for Christmas".
My favorite track: "What Christmas Means to Me"
Hauser, "Christmas" (2023)
An entire album of solo cello with orchestra may not be for everyone, but if you love soft, classical background music at Christmas, this album is worth checking out. It includes arrangements of many holiday standards like "
The First Noel", "
Carol of the Bells", and "
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", plus a few slightly more highbrow numbers like "
Adeste Fidelis" and Mozart's "
Laudate Dominum". The arrangements have a traditional sound but frequently include some variations on the original settings that make them more interesting than just another recording of an old chestnut. The whole album is a lovely addition to a classical holiday playlist.
My favorite track: "The First Noel"
Amy Grant and Vince Gill, "When I Think of Christmas" (2024)
Little Big Town, "The Christmas Record" (2024)This collection includes a few classics, like a relatively traditional but nicely harmonized setting of "
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and a tightly-harmonized, slower but jazzy rendition of "
Christmas Time is Here" (yes, the Charlie Brown one), but consists mainly of original numbers such as "
Glow", a peppy song about the warmth of the holidays; "
Christmas Night with You", a sweet story of falling in love during the holidays; and "
Evergreen", a fully country reminiscence of childhood family Christmases. Overall, this is great mellow background music with a few more upbeat numbers to keep it from getting too bland.
My favorite track: "
Christmas Time is Here"
Jennifer Hudson, "The Gift of Love" (2024)
Hudson's powerful vocals shine throughout this album, but they are particularly highlighted in a gospel arrangement of Leonard Cohen's "
Hallelujah", the classic belty spiritual "
Go Tell It on the Mountain" (complete with organ and full gospel choir), and the rafter-shaking "
O Holy Night". She also brings intensity (a little too much intensity in my opinion, but your mileage may vary) to "
Carol of the Bells", featuring the South African vocal ensemble "The Joy", and an arrangement of "
Little Drummer Boy" that she sweetly attributes to her grandmother and her siblings' singing group. I love Hudson's voice, but although I thoroughly enjoy a song here and there from this collection, it will not be one I listen to in its entirety at a single sitting.
My favorite track: "Go Tell It on the Mountain"
Clay Aiken, "Christmas Bells are Ringing" (2024)
This eclectic album includes everything from classical pieces like "
Ave Maria" (the lyrics of which are, with the inexplicable exception of the words "Ave Maria," entirely in English) to old classics like "
Most Wonderful Time of the Year" to pop hits like "
Merry Christmas, Darling" and "
Wonderful Christmastime" to not-really Christmas songs like "
Pure Imagination", and when you throw in a cover of a nearly-forgotten Perry Como Christmas song, "
Magic Moments", you would think there must be something in this collection for everyone. But Aiken's slightly overwrought style doesn't really seem to mesh with any of the songs, with the exceptions of "
Magic Moments," which is cheesily charming; and "
Wonderful Christmastime", a terrible song that is somewhat improved by Aiken's brisk tempo and more contemporary arrangement. But the album as a whole is a pass for me.
My favorite (well, least not favorite) track: "Magic Moments"
Coco Jones, "Coco by the Fireplace" (2024)
This little album includes four songs written by Jones (one with several co-writers): "
Call on Christmas", a plaintive breakup song about wanting to get back with your ex (along the lines of Taylor Swift's "Back to December"); "
Santa is Me", a song about being self-sufficient (along the lines of Miley Cyrus' "Flowers"); "
My Presence is a Present", which tells a story of an on-and-off affair, full of sly sexual innuendo like "You wanna play in my snow, you want to sip hot Coco" (along the lines of the Eagles' "Please Come Home for Christmas"); and "
String of Lights", about wanting a lover instead of presents under the tree (along the lines of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas"). All four numbers are in Jones' usual R&B style, with her signature smoky, throaty vocals, which I like, but as you can see from my comments, the songs themselves are relatively trite and derivative. If you like Jones' sound, you'll probably like this collection, but if you're looking for something fresh and different, this isn't it.
My favorite track: "Santa is Me"
Jonathan McReynolds, "Red and Green" (2024)
Young Christian artist McReynolds' collection includes six original songs: "
White Christmas", not the traditional song we all know but a lovely ballad about about making "some beauty out of coal" and ousting the Grinch from your heart at Christmas time, accompanied with acoustic guitar and percussion, with a little electric guitar and synth added in; "
Red and Green", a sweet song whose message can be summed up in the lyrics, "'Tis the season to be jolly. We got a reason...We put on for the newborn King"; "
Sent Me a King", a powerful duet featuring the delightfully named Smokie Norful and beautiful, moving lyrics like "God sent us a king, One born to change everything. He sent us a light, A love that makes wrong men right In a way that only he can,"; "
Forever Mistletoe", a gentle love song about being in love at Christmas; and two additional tracks. McReynolds has a clear, pure voice and a lovely singing style that I really enjoy, and that is well suited to his own compositions. This is a young artist to keep an eye on - and to enjoy his albums.
My favorite track: "
Sent Me a King"
So those are 10 holiday albums for you to consider for additions to your playlist! What collections have you enjoyed from the past few years?
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