A Holiday I Do

Hirsh Gardner releases his sophomore solo effort entitled "My Brain Needs a Holiday". This 10 song disc is the long awaited follow up to Gardner's acclaimed solo album "Wasteland for Broken Hearts": which is included in this package as a bonus disc. They are both full of AOR anthems and thunderous ballads.

The Hep series of Teddy Wilson recordings has been largely superseded by the more complete Classics program. This release has 16 titles from Wilson's first four recording sessions as a leader of all-star bands (skipping his solo piano records). Since Billie Holiday has vocals on 14 of the 16 songs (every one except "Sweet Lorraine" and "Sugar Plum"); this material has been reissued numerous times, but the performances do contain their fair share of classics.

Teresa Bright is a Hawaiian singer who regularly records traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. She studied jazz vocals when she was younger, and occasionally used it on a few of her recordings. This CD, on her own label, allowed her to sing in a manner that is different from her more well known work. The closest person I could compare her to would be Lani Hall (Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66, and wife of Herb Alpert).

Teresa Bright is a Hawaiian singer who regularly records traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music. She studied jazz vocals when she was younger, and occasionally used it on a few of her recordings. This CD, on her own label, allowed her to sing in a manner that is different from her more well known work. The closest person I could compare her to would be Lani Hall (Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66, and wife of Herb Alpert). I had heard one of these songs on the radio and had to make a purchase. The Japanese version has a bonus track, but I was not able to find it at a reasonable price, so the 10-song Hawaiian CD will have to do. The CD includes Jerry Martini, a long-time member of Sly & The Family Stone.

Heavy metal and the holiday season might not seem like the most obvious pairing. But there’s nothing wrong with loving both, as Rob Halford is here to prove. The legendary Judas Priest frontman and solo artist loves Christmas more than you could know. And for his second Christmas-themed album—coming a decade after his first, Winter Songs—he’s given traditional carols a metal makeover, alongside four new original songs. Chances are you already know the centuries-old melodies of “Joy to the World,” “Deck the Halls,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” But you’ve never heard them quite like this, all speedy, chunky riffs and wild guitar solos. Still, it’s feel-good, sweetly melodic, and (mostly) family-friendly, especially during gentler moments such as the organ-driven “The First Noel” and the epic original closing hymn “Protected by the Light.” Written and recorded by a group that includes Halford’s brother and sister, Nigel and Sue, his nephew Alex (whose father is Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill), and guitarists Robert Jones and Jon Blakey, it’s truly a festive family affair.