Like Eddie Floyd before him, Percy Sledge has run out of season to finish his Christmas album projects in 2011, though he reportedly laid down most of the tracks for both (a Gospel album and a Christmas album) in May. So the "When A Man Loves A Woman" man has released two songs for this year with the promise of more on the way next. Sledge recorded his Christmas material in Muscle Shoals, where he recorded "When A Man Loves A Woman" in 1966. Sledge can't help but be a Soul Santa, though the digital singles show a Country influence as well. "Christmas In Dixie" is the old Alabama Christmas song, and Percy got Alabama's Randy Owen to join him on the track. "My Christmas Wish For You" is a rerecording of Sledge's only previous Christmas single, one that was only released in the Netherlands in 1969 (later appearing on a Rhino digital collection). You can find Percy's Christmas singles on Amazon here and here and on iTunes here and here. They should soon be available on CD Baby as well.
What will Santa Claus say when he finds everybody swingin'? I heard about this one over at Christmas A Go Go. The Tiny Little Bigband is an 8-piece Dutch jazz outfit and "You Put The X In X-mas" is a neo-swing classic in the making. On their digital single, The Tiny Little Bigband also give a fairly traditional reading of "The Christmas Song" and turn up the heat again for "Sleigh Ride". But, let's face it, it's "You Put The X In X-mas" you're looking for. And you can find it at Amazon MP3 and iTunes. "The Christmas Song" and "Sleigh Ride", by the way, are taken from the group's 2008 album "Tiny Little BIG Christmas" which can be ordered through Bandcamp and is digitally available through iTunes.
Once you go Christmas, you never go back. Or....something like that. Not long ago, we filled you in on a couple of Christmas songs recorded and released by Canadian folkie Connie Kaldor. Well, Connie wasn't quite finished with the holiday season and now she's released a third slab of holiday hotness. "Stuff My Stocking, Baby" is a tongue-in-cheek uke driven depression era sounding number that plays lightly on the double entendre to great effect. Connie credits this one to her alter ego Boom Boom La Tour. Not sure who the male vocalist is, but credits on the song include Gilles Tessier, Michelle Campagne, Davy Gallant, and Alexsi Campagne. To my mind, this is the best of the three Kaldor Christmas tunes and offers a nice change of pace to folks who are tired of "Baby It's Cold Outside" and "Santa Baby"; this song basically gives you a cross of the two with a for festive tempo to boot. You can listen to "Stuff My Stocking, Baby" all the way through on Connie's web site, and you can buy it from Amazon and iTunes.
One of the most beautiful new winter songs in recent years, in my opinion, was "Men Of Snow" from Ingrid Michaelson's album "Everybody", released in 2009. The New York Indie Pop Folk artist has been laying low in recent years, but she has a new album due out in January. In the run up to the album's release, Ingrid has released a brand new Christmas single, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". You may have spotted that one on Amazon and iTunes. But you may not be aware that there's actually a 4-song EP of winter themed tracks Ingrid is selling through her web store. In addition to the widely available single, Ingrid's "Snowfall" EP contains it's title track, which was an iTunes exclusive in 2008, "When The Leaves" (an Amazon exclusive in 2008), and another newly recorded track, "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm". To get the full "Snowfall" EP, head to Ingrid's web store. Digital only. Sorry.
Canada's Indie Folk outfit, Wilderness of Manitoba, have released a 3 song digital single to Amazon MP3, "Three Carols". iTunes has the original two song pairing of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" and "We Three Kings" that was released in November. But the band recorded a third Christmas song, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing", and, as yet, that one doesn't seem to be up on iTunes. All 3 tracks are pretty nice, but "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is easily the best of the three, if you ask me (which, of course, no one did). You can stream all three carols at the Wilderness of Manitoba web site. And don't forget about "Winterlude" from the band's "When You Left The Fire" album.
Our old friend Roy Holliday has released another Christmas single. A lot of people go south for the winter, but leave it to Roy to head north. This year's entry is called "Christmas In New England" and it has a country shuffle beat to it. Roy's looking forward to seeing all that New England snow. His faithful dog, judging from the cover art, maybe not so much. You can get "Christmas In New England" at all the usual spots, including Amazon and iTunes.
Americana Punk artist Chris Skel has released his Christmas single. Skel fronts New Jersey's longest running Pub Band, The Skels. It's an excellent single that sounds kinda like some big rowdy guy who is totally drunk grabbing the mic from the bar band and turning out to be actually quite good. I don't know how else to describe it. Besides how much Americana Punk Christmas music do you own? "You Ruined Christmas" is available through CD Baby and Amazon MP3.
The Malibooz had one of the great off-the-beaten-path Christmas albums back in 1992, before everybody and their brothers and sisters and pets was making Christmas music. "A Malibu Kind of Christmas" got a re-release this year. To celebrate, the band recorded an all new holiday single that you can download FREE. You can find the free download of "Christmas Everyday" at CD Baby or on the band's Facebook page. It's a sunny California dream of a single, just like you'd expect it to be.
Canadian rocker Sean Quigley has released a sweet Pop Punk version of "Little Drummer Boy". The video's done very well on YouTube, with roughly one million hits so far. The digital single is available through CD Baby. Sean, btw, played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, arranged and produced the record himself. But his sister did help him shoot some of the video footage.
One of the things that, frankly, sucks about doing a Christmas music blog is that there are no surprises on my annual mixtapes. If I find it, I tell y'all about it. I don't have a special horde of stuff I keep to myself. I tell you everything I know. I'd love to be able to not spotlight this one. But that wouldn't be fair to you. Damn it.
This one caught my eye because it had "Hawaiian" in the title. But then it caught my ear for being totally unexpected. And unexpected in a good way. Primal Sky is a California group fronted by Tim Smith. What they do--and, judging from this Christmas track, do very well--is merge Lounge music with Surf music. "Riding Christmas Waves (Hawaiian Mix)" is an instrumental track and, but for some sleigh bells and "Ho Ho Ho"s, might not strike everyone as immediately Christmasy. And yet it is. Primal Sky released the original version of "Riding Christmas Waves" in 2008, but that was more of a Smooth Jazz outing. The new Hawaiian mix is 100% better. Maybe 2 or 300% better. Ok, this is 1000% better. And I'm sticking to that.
This would've fit in nicely on John Zorn's Christmas album. It's light and airy and, in the final analysis, quite Christmasy after all. And right now it's near the top of the Christmas music I'm considering for next year's mixtape. And now everybody knows that. Damn it.
Get it from Amazon or CD Baby or iTunes.
This one caught my eye because it had "Hawaiian" in the title. But then it caught my ear for being totally unexpected. And unexpected in a good way. Primal Sky is a California group fronted by Tim Smith. What they do--and, judging from this Christmas track, do very well--is merge Lounge music with Surf music. "Riding Christmas Waves (Hawaiian Mix)" is an instrumental track and, but for some sleigh bells and "Ho Ho Ho"s, might not strike everyone as immediately Christmasy. And yet it is. Primal Sky released the original version of "Riding Christmas Waves" in 2008, but that was more of a Smooth Jazz outing. The new Hawaiian mix is 100% better. Maybe 2 or 300% better. Ok, this is 1000% better. And I'm sticking to that.
This would've fit in nicely on John Zorn's Christmas album. It's light and airy and, in the final analysis, quite Christmasy after all. And right now it's near the top of the Christmas music I'm considering for next year's mixtape. And now everybody knows that. Damn it.
Get it from Amazon or CD Baby or iTunes.
Alright, one more before it's lights out. I suppose I decided to check this one out because, at first, I thought it was Ketchy Stubby. It doesn't matter how you find em, right, just so long as you do. Once staring at the two track single, I was again fortuitous in listening to the second song (which, by placement, is the "B" side) first. And let me tell you why. The sample for the "A" side, "Checkin' It" is OK, but it does sort of make the group sound like bar band wannabe Springsteens. Oh, but that glorious "B" side! "Santa Betta Not Wake My Girl Up (Shhh)" is raw, low down, dirty, sand in your teeth gritty, hot buttered soulful Rock N Roll, dipped in butter again and then deep fried and then buttered again and then deep fried again and rolled in walnuts and confectioners sugar. And butter. Oh, my God, I'm in heaven!
Another one that everybody knows about now. Damn it.
Not that it matters, but Ketchy Shuby hails from Miami and soul infused rock is their thing. If you're ever in town, catch em live; it's gotta be a gas of a show. And, in the meantime, get on down with your bad self and pick up "A Ketchy Shuby Christmas". You'll find it on Amazon and iTunes.
Another one that everybody knows about now. Damn it.
Not that it matters, but Ketchy Shuby hails from Miami and soul infused rock is their thing. If you're ever in town, catch em live; it's gotta be a gas of a show. And, in the meantime, get on down with your bad self and pick up "A Ketchy Shuby Christmas". You'll find it on Amazon and iTunes.
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