Entertainment blogging from The Oklahoman’s Brandy McDonnell
10 favorite Christmas albums
As promised, here’s the next in the BAM’s Blog lists of favorite Christmas things. I’ll be continuing the list all week, yes, even the day after Christmas.
Today’s list covers 10 of my favorite Christmas albums, expanding on Monday’s list of 10 favorite Christmas songs.
Again, if you still have people left to buy gifts or stocking stuffers for, you might consider grabbing one of these CDs. And feel free to share your own essential holiday listening if it’s not listed here:
1. Various artists, “The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas”: This classic top-selling CD has everything, from Gene Autry’s “Frosty the Snowman” to Judy Garland’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” (Incidentally, you probably won’t be able to get this one in time for this Christmas, since it’s backordered over a www.timelife.com. But it’s definitely worth it if you want to order for next year. )
2. The Vince Guaraldi Trio, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”: The jazzy piano-driven music is one of the many factors that has made this animated Christmas special the enduring favorite it remains to this day. Highlights include “Linus and Lucy,” “Skating” and of course, “Christmas Time Is Here.”
3. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, “Joy to the World”: If a grand choir beautifully belting out carols such as “Carol of the Bells,” “O Holy Night” and ”O Come All Ye Faithful” puts you in the Christmas spirit, this is the disc for you.
4. Windsong Chamber Choir, “Glory to the Newborn King”: This excellent Oklahoma City choir performs sacred songs such as “O Come Emmanuel,” “The Lamb” and ”Love Came Down at Christmas.” This is a great CD to relax to on Christmas Eve and then drift off for that long winter’s nap to awaken to the joy of Christmas Day.
5. Anuna, “Christmas Songs”: It’s easy to imagine a crystal-cold snowy Christmas night when you hear the lilting voices of this Irish choir crooning “Away in a Manager,” “Wexford Carol” and “Winter, Fire and Snow.” Since we typically have to imagine our white Christmases in Oklahoma, this CD can help set a seasonal tone.
6. Jim Nabors, “Jim Nabors Christmas”: The man who played Gomer Pyle shows off his impressive baritone on ”O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” ”O Little Town of Bethlehem” and more. (My husband particularly loves this CD and would be annoyed if I left it off.)
7. Toby Keith, “A Classic Christmas”: If you can get past the cheesily horrific cover art - and that takes a bit of doing - this two-disc set offers the best of both worlds. The Oklahoma country music star employs his warm baritone to both religious carols (”The First Noel,” “Silent Night,” “Away in a Manger”) and secular favorites (”Silver Bells,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”)
8. Mason Williams, “A Gift of Song”: The Oklahoma-raised guitarist, best known for his Grammy-winning composition “Classical Gas,” offers a great instrumental album including such varied fare as “Hawaiian Sleigh Ride,” “Coventry Carol” and “Guitar Carol.”
I’ve reserved the last two spots for two of the new Christmas albums I’ve really been enjoying. There were certainly more than two released this season that were worth adding to a holiday music collection, but these are tops with me, at least for the moment:
9. Los Lonely Boys, “Christmas Spirit”: Tex-Mex rockers Los Lonely Boys give the holidays a bluesy groove on songs such as “I’ve Longed for Christmas,” “Run Run Rudolph” and ”Feliz Navidad.”
10. Bela Fleck and the Fleck Tones, “Jingle All the Way”: If you’re looking for variety this Christmas season, you probably won’t find more of it than what banjo master Fleck and his band provide. This quirky offering runs the gamut from Tchaikovsky to Tuvan throat singing. It includes such standards as “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night” and ”The Christmas Song,” but you probably haven’t heard them quite like this before.
-BAM
Friday Featured Track
The song that has been on my brain the most this week:
- “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” Barenaked Ladies featuring Sarah McLachlan, from the 2004 CD “Barenaked for the Holidays.”
This Canadian combo produced one of the best and most unique modern twists on a classic carol in recent years. The song can be rather heavy and ponderous, but in typical BNL fashion, the alt-pop band, with McLachlan’s help, turns into something dance-worthy but still very lovely and and profound.
Christmas is nearly here! I’m starting to really get into the spirit, and I hope all of you are, too.
If you aren’t already, maybe the above video will help. It’s footage from BNL’s 2007 performance with the Boston Pops; the band plays a terrific medley of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “We Three Kings.” Very quirky-Christmasy.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: The All-American Rejects
The All-American Rejects perform at the sixth annual Video Game Awards at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, Calif., on Sunday. (Associated Press photo)
Since Stillwater’s own The All-American Rejects released their third album this week, let’s dedicate this week’s Video Spotlight to their music videos, shall we?
I say we shall. And we’ll start with the video to their latest hit, “Gives You Hell,” off the aforementioned new album “When the World Comes Down,” courtesy YouTube. And we’ll see where it goes from there.
“Gives You Hell”:
“Dirty Little Secret”:
“Move Along”:
“It Ends Tonight”:
-BAM
New releases
The All-American Rejects play Nov. 28 at Oklahoma City’s Diamond Ballroom. (Photo by Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman)
Stillwater’s own pop-rock stars The All-American Rejects are releasing their third album, “When the World Comes Down,” today. The CD already has a hit single, “Gives You Hell.” I’ve given the first few songs a listen and already have a favorite in the bouncy second track, “Fallin’ Apart.”
In the DVD area, the Don Cheadle-Guy Pearce terrorism thriller “Traitor” is out today. I’ll have an interview with Pearce in the coming days, so keep an eye out for that.
We’ve come to that time of year when the selection of new books, CDs and DVDs start tapering off, since studios and publishers began flooding us with new releases before we could get our Christmas shopping done. So, don’t be surprised if this weekly list looks shorter for a few weeks.
Here is a list of the new CDs and DVDs for the week, from Amazon.com and VideoETA.com:
CDs
The All-American Rejects, “When the World Comes Down.”
Fall Out Boy, “Folie A Deux.”
Keyshia Cole, “A Different Me.”
Jamie Foxx, “Intuition.”
Saliva, “Cinco Diablo.”
DVDs
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 6
The Cheetah Girls: One World
Generation Kill
The House Bunny
The Little Mermaid Trilogy
Mamma Mia! The Movie
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Traitor
The Women
-BAM
Friday Featured Track
Hayley Williams and Paramore perform at summer’s Diversafest 2008 in Tulsa. (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
The song that has been stuck in my head the most this week:
- “Decode,” Paramore, from the soundtrack to the movie “Twilight.”
Well, it was bound to happen: All that posting about “Twilight” finally went to my head in a very real way.
This is one of two original songs the emo-pop/rock band contributed to the soundtrack, and the angsty, urgent rock anthem became a top 40 hit for Paramore.
Hayley Williams’ crystal-clear vocals really set this band - and this particular song - apart.
-BAM
Toby Keith’s latest album gets rave reviews
Toby Keith’s publicist has issued a release drawing attention to the great reviews for the Oklahoma country music star’s latest album, including the praise I gave it in The Oklahoman.
Here’s what the release says:
One of music’s most successful artists has done it again.
Show Dog Nashville singer, songwriter and entertainer Toby Keith opened at
No. 1 on the Country Albums chart with his latest album “That Don’t Make Me A
Bad Guy,” on Oct. 28.
And while music fans putting up hard earned money in tough economic times is
the best endorsement of all, the accolades don’t stop at the cash register. “Bad Guy” has drawn some of the most glowing reviews Keith has received in his
15-year career. They include:
“Keith’s melodies have such a compelling pop streak that Paul Franklin’s fantastic pedal-steel work is easily overlooked, so pay attention. And if you don’t think Keith’s a great singer, listen to ‘Lost You Anyway,’ which builds from the Orbison foundation he almost never talks about.”
USA Today
“…one of the strongest albums of Keith’s career.”
People
“Toby Keith’s 14th studio album maintains a purity of country form many of his pop-leaning peers lack.”
Entertainment Weekly
“In a world of copycats, Toby Keith stands alone.”
Billboard
“Keith knows how to structure a hook better than most other contemporary songwriters in Nashville and he’s actually one of the finest male vocalists of his generation.”
Slant
“Even when he’s a ‘bad guy,’ Toby Keith finishes first.”
Washington Post
“The disc includes two of the best heartbreakers. His rich baritone resonates with bitterness on the No. 1 hit ‘She Never Cried In Front Of Me’ and with knowing pain on ‘Lost You Anyway.’”
The Oklahoman
“Keith produced ‘Bad Guy’ … his touch is effective. It’s the rare moment on a Top 40 modern-country album that goes deeply and genuinely into country’s roots: blues and soul.”
Kansas City Star
“… his gift for melody is intact.”
New York Times
Toby Keith’s Biggest & Baddest Tour has been extended with new dates beginning Jan. 22 in Albany, N.Y. His current “God Love Her” is racing up the singles charts following the No. 1 ascension of “That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy”’s first single, “She Never Cried In Front Of Me.” One of the most acclaimed and respected music makers of his time, Toby Keith has sold more than 25 million albums in this decade alone.
-BAM