Christmas Music: New to My Collection

Last year I picked up several Christmas CDs half price in the Tower Records online sale after Christmas, and I added a couple more to the collection this month.

LeAnn Rimes' WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD (linked above) may be my favorite in the bunch. I really enjoyed her belting '50s style on songs like "All I Want For Christmas" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," and I particularly liked the rather unique-for-Christmas inclusion of the title song, which is a perfect match for the mood of the season.

Patty Loveless's BLUEGRASS AND WHITE SNOW runs a close second. Love the very country harmonies, particularly on "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" (a favorite song on the old Judds Christmas album) and "Christmas Day at My House." If you like your Christmas music with a bluegrass twang, this is the album for you.

CHRISTMAS WITH JOHNNY CASH is pure Cash style -- not always the most tuneful of singers, but heartfelt emotion and a distinctive low voice that makes you sit up and listen. I was happy to discover "The Gifts They Gave" was a favorite otherwise known to me as "The Animal Carol" (a great alternative version can be heard here). There's also a particularly good cover of "Blue Christmas."

THE 25TH DAY OF DECEMBER by Bobby Darin is really two albums in one, including both spirituals and more traditional Christmas carols. The arrangements for the spirituals didn't always work that well for me, but tunes like "Christmas Auld Lang Syne" and a reverent, powerful "Holy Holy Holy" -- another unusual choice for a Christmas album -- make the CD worth its price.

EN LA FETE DE NOEL is a quiet album of French carols sung by a Montreal choir, perfect for late-night listening while addressing cards or wrapping gifts.

Finally, A MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH BING CROSBY AND THE ANDREWS SISTERS contains many familiar tracks heard on other Crosby Christmas albums, but is of interest as it also contains several songs the Andrews Sisters recorded on their own. "Christmas Candles" and "Christmas Island," recorded with Guy Lombardo, were particularly enjoyable.

Blogging may possibly be light over Christmas weekend. I wish you all a very merry Christmas!