otoh

I usually buy some Christmas CDs every year so I’ve amassed quite a collection. And to keep it interesting (because you can only listen to the same dozen or so traditional songs so many times before you get either suicidal or homicidal) I buy everything from The Chipmunks to Benedictine Monks, from the Rat Pack to Squirrel Nut Zippers, from Manhattan Transfer to The London Symphony. Here are some of my favorites:

Favorite New Song This Year: Whatever Happened to Christmas by Aimee Mann on One More Drifter in the Snow. This is my favorite new CD of the year too, but Sarah McLachlin’s Wintersong is a close second.

Favorite Silly Song: Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen. I used the lyrics to this one in a post last year. If I write my White Trash Christmas post, it may crop up again.

Favorite Two-Timer: When My Heart Finds Christmas by Harry Connick Jr on When My Heart Finds Christmas. Some artists have more than one Christmas album. Connick has this one and Harry for the Holidays and both are good. Runner-up status goes to Amy Grant with three — A Christmas to Remember, Home for Christmas, and A Christmas Album. I really like Tennessee Christmas on the latter.

Favorite Duet: Baby, It’s Cold Outside by Lou Rawls and Dianne Reeves on Jazz to the World. Rawls’ trademark deep voice indelibly marked every song he recorded. He’s as smooth as ever on this one.

Favorite Special: Blue Christmas by Ann & Nancy Wilson on A Very Special Christmas Volume 2. The series of Very Special Christmas includes an interesting mix of styles and varying quality. I’ll always love the Elvis version of this song best, but Ann really wails on this one.

Favorite Christmas Sucks Song: Christmas Eve Can Kill You by The Everly Brothers on Bummed Out Christmas! Depression during the holidays is nothing new. Why don’t we celebrate it in song more often? Also on this disk are Christmas in Jail by The Youngsters, Christmas in Prison by Doug Legacy, Santa Came Home Drunk by Cadillac Baby Specials, and Santa got a DWI by Sherwin Linton.

Favorite Traditional Album: Christmas Portrait by The Carpenters. This one has been around for a long time and it’s packed with goodies.

Favorite Nontraditional Album: This one is a tie between Christmas Island by Jimmy Buffett and Christmas Island by Leon Redbone. (I swear I didn’t plan that.) Buffett and Redbone each have a distinctive style, but if you don’t like their regular stuff you probably won’t like these either. If you dig the off-beat though both of these are great.

Favorite Christmas Song that’s not a Christmas Song (and Not on a Christmas Album) - The Christians and the Pagans by Dar Williams on Mortal City. I included the lyrics to this song in a post last year too. Let’s all celebrate solstice! Plus, we can laugh at The Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis Of A Co-Ed and cry through February.

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