If you’re agonizing over what to get your loved one for the holidays, there’s one thing that always fits, goes with everything, won’t break the budget and has the best chance of being just what they wanted: music.
As always, there’s no shortage of new holiday-music releases.
- One of the biggest will likely be “Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album.“
- Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas II You.”
- Indigo Girls offer holiday favorites along with new originals on “Holly Happy Days.”
- “Christmas Comes Alive” with the Brian Setzer Orchestra.
- Michael McDonald’s “This Christmas: Live In Chicago” mixes holiday classics with McDonald’s Doobie Brothers hits.
Starting with pop and working outward:
- Susan Boyle has returned with another fan favorite with “The Gift.”
- Miley Cyrus does the same for a younger audience with the “Hannah Montana Forever” soundtrack.
- “Doo Wops & Hooligans” has officially placed Bruno Mars in the spotlight.
- Containing one of the greatest pop songs in recent years (you know, the one that can’t be printed here), “The Lady Killer” is Cee-Lo Green’s new triumph.
- Fans of old-school soul might love Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings’ “I Learned The Hard Way.”
- Rufus Wainwright offers “All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu.”
Looking toward country:
- Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now” will be huge.
- “Hemingway’s Whiskey” returns Kenny Chesney to the charts.
- Zac Brown Band’s latest, “You Get What You Give.”
- Miranda Lambert’s “Revolution.”
- “The Guitar Song,” the breakout release from Jamey Johnson.
Over in hip-hop:
- Celebrating his restored freedom, Lil Wayne hit the charts hard with “I Am Not A Human Being.”
- Kid Cudi’s “Man On The Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager” joins Big Boi’s “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” in the running for Most Bodacious Album Title.
- Those looking beyond the mainstream might consider Think Tank’s “Bad Guys Finish First,” which recalls early Roots and A Tribe Called Quest.
Looking in the direction of folk/Americana and jazz:
- Anais Mitchell, “Hadestown”
- Justin Townes Earle, “Harlem River Blues”
- Crooked Still, “Some Strange Country”
- Tom Harrell, “Roman Nights”
- The 3-disc “Legacy Edition” of Miles Davis‘ classic “Bitches Brew,” in case there’s a home still needing a copy of this.
Fans of mainstream rock have plenty of options:
- Kings of Leon, “Come Around Sundown”
- Kid Rock, “Born Free”
- Drive-By Truckers, “The Big To-Do”
- Rockin’ Jason D. Williams, “Killer Instincts”
- Fistful of Mercy (featuring Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison and Joseph Arthur) “As I Call You Down“
- Richard Thompson, “Dream Attic”
Taking a few steps outside of the mainstream (but not too far, as some of these charted nicely), here’s a quick listing of some releases that may appeal to the indie-rock-minded:
- Sufjan Stevens, “The Age of Adz”
- Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs”
- Deerhunter, “Halcyon Digest”
- Beach House, “Teen Dream”
- The National, “High Violet”
- Versus, “On the Ones and Threes”
- Antony and the Johnsons, “Swanlights”
- Belle & Sebastian,” Write About Love”
- No Age, “Everything In Between”
- Local Natives, “Gorilla Manor”
- Sleigh Bells’ “Treats”
And finally, for those looking for the thrill of the familiar in the classic-rock vein, some of this year’s prime releases came in the form of box sets and DVDs. They include:
- Elvis Presley, “Viva Elvis-The Album,” the companion studio disc to Cirque du Soleil’s vegas show.
- Leonard Cohen, “Songs From The Road”
- Emerson, Lake & Palmer, “A Time And A Place”
- Frank Zappa, “The Torture Never Stops”
- Barclay James Harvest, “Berlin: A Concert For The People”
- Rolling Stones, “Stones In Exile” and “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones”
So, there you go: enough great stuff that Santa would have to make two trips from his sled to haul it all under the tree. Whether you find something here for someone else or use this to beef up your own wish list, it’s just one more reminder that music and the holidays go together like turkey and a nap
Source: RichMond.com
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