Christmas

Enjoy 30 selections of Appalachian, Shape-Note, Shaker, Gospel, bluegrass, and other traditional folk music from 1930's America, recorded LIVE at the 2019 Christmas Revels in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “2019’s Christmas Revels isn’t just set in the American heartland, it comes from the American heart.

RCA's wildly successful Living Stereo series spawned a number of ensembles with Living in their titles; the two that folks remember these days are The Living Strings and The Living Voices. Here's two holiday albums featured on this twofer that she released with The Living Voices remain treasured among Christmas music aficionados for their ornate orchestration, innovative arrangements, and, most of all, sweeping stereo sound. The first, 1962's "Sing Christmas Music", had actually come out on the Living Stereo imprint in 1959 as "Christmas Surprises" from The Ralph Hunter. The second album, 1965's "The Little Drummer Boy", featured the legendary Anita Kerr Singers and production by Anita Kerr herself.

This JUNO-nominated album is a delightful mixture of carefully selected chestnuts, obscure gems and new originals. It was released as part of the Sound of Jazz Concert Series and broadcast live by JAZZ.FM 91. "Christmas Kiss" has been recommended on numerous "Best of" Christmas lists, including those of Frank-John Hadley's 2017 Yuletide Roundup (DownBeat Magazine). This album is well on its way to becoming a seasonal favourite!

Released for the 1963 Christmas season, this collection from the Miracles includes soulful interpretations of several traditional classics and a song written by Smokey Robinson, Christmas Everyday, one of the 20 best soul Christmas songs according to The Telegraph.

Over the years Johnny Mathis has recorded a number of Christmas albums and this is a very good example the best of them. Recorded in Hollywood in 1986,a good 27 years after recording his first festive album in New York City with Percy Faith,this album does not contain any traditional Christmas carols but rather an excellent selection of modern pop oriented Christmas songs.This is a lovely album with an excellent choice of songs and the talents of such great arrangers as Henry Mancini,Jeremy Lubbock and Ray Ellis are used here to great effect. All the orchestrations are gorgeous and well balanced and the sound is wonderful.

"Holiday Wishes", also titled "Christmas Wishes", is a Christmas holiday album by American singer-songwriter and actress Idina Menzel. The album was produced by Grammy Award-winner Walter Afanasieff (Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and features such classic favorites as "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". It is Menzel's fourth studio album to date, as well as her first in six years, and features a duet with Michael Bublé.

Neil came up with a stocking full of unique arrangements of holiday perennials for this 1994 album. See what he does with The Hallelujah Chorus; Sleigh Ride; Away in a Manger; Winter Wonderland; The First Noel; Joy to the World , and more!

It may seem weird to call a seasonal album 'essential,' but along with Phil Spector's Christmas Gift for You, this is arguably the finest rock & roll Christmas album of all time. Recorded in 1957 at the height of his artistry when he truly could be called the King of Rock & Roll this album demonstrates Presley having a lot of vocal fun with a variety of styles, whether it's a carol ('Silent Night') or pop standard (Gene Autry's 'Here Comes Santa Claus'). He does one of the greatest versions of 'White Christmas' ever recorded, basically using the Drifters' version as a blueprint and then singing all the parts himself.

While Neil Diamond's The Christmas Album is designed almost exclusively for his adult contemporary constituency, the vocalist still manages to light up most of the obviousness of these standards with his trademark gritty soul and flair for inflection. Opening with the grandeur of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel/We Three Kings of Orient Are" and "Silent Night," the album is awash in rich reds and golds almost immediately. But Diamond has fun with "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," loosening up with a harmonica solo and a busy, up-tempo arrangement, and "Jingle Bell Rock" does just that with a 1950s doo wop vibe.

Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra brings together Elvis Presley's best-loved yuletide performances from Elvis' Christmas Album (1957) and Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.