Word: albums
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...previous two decades (no spirituals here) and supplements the tambourine-and-drum pulse of the Spector sound with chimes, sleigh bells and a million maracas. The Crystals' propulsive version of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" might be my favorite Christmas song ever. This is a meticulous Christmas album: you'll hear rarely used intros and second choruses to go along with the excellent sax solos and samplings of faux Mozart. Like his singers, Spector was still a kid in 1963; he turned 23 the day after Christmas. And he still had sensational work ahead ("River Deep Mountain High...
...Instead of sitting the children down for a reading of The Little Engine That Could, some gramps will tell them, "Once, kids, there was a thing called harmony." There's no richer reminder of how lovely three voices singing as one can sound than this album by the New Jersey sibs: soprano Terre, contralto Maggie and alto Suzzy. The sisters' neo-traditional sound works wonders on a range of Christmas songs. A third of the 24 cuts are of secular songs, including a Caribbean-flavored "Deck the Halls," a "Sleigh Ride" whose percussion is horse-clop tongue clicks...
...Reissued this year as Christmas With Peggy Lee, this innovative album contains many less familiar songs, including three of the singer-songwriter's own compositions ("Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer," "Christmas Carousel" and "The Tree"). Lee could bring as much sex to singing as Elvis; but whereas he was singing from the gut and the gutter, she was the voice of mature eroticism. She sexualizes a neutral song like "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (undermelody: "Big fat Santa's on his way"), turning Saint Nick into a sugar daddy. Mostly, though, the mood is one of longing...
...know people (I'm married to one) who cherish Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas as the finest holiday jazz album. But I'll take this one, from Montreal's gift to coolness. In 1993, the pianist suffered a stroke that severely restricted his left side. But, as this buoyant set shows, he could still outplay the competition with one hand tied behind his back. "Christmas Waltz" is the one you'll be hitting the replay button...
...tolerate) only one Christmas album, this is it. Among the 17 tracks are Bing's "White Christmas," Elvis' "Blue Christmas," Nat's "The Christmas Song," Johnny's "Sleigh Ride," Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby," Sarah MacLachlan's "Song for a Winter's Night" and, to go out on a note of heartbreak, Judy Garland's original of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." We'll be playing this one forever, if the fates allow...