Gala Germany Christmas Winter 2016

Musicality and variety is awesome! I gave this only 3 stars because the first 5 songs are the only new ones. All remaining songs are on his recording "The Heart of Christmas" – which I also have. They're not even new versions of the (same) songs – sound identical to the other recording. It's very frustrating to buy a recording and think you're getting all new songs, only to learn that they filled it with songs already released. If you like Matthew West and don't have any of his Christmas music, I highly recommend this. If you already have some, just be cautious that you're not buying what you already have..

An unique compilation of Christmas songs from the wide range of Rhythm & Blues, Doo-Wop, Pop Crooners, and Rockabilly!

The voice of Spandau Ballet’s first solo holiday offering! As front man for Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley led the acclaimed band through the 1980s with 15 Top 10 singles (including the #1 smash “True.”) The band took a 20 year hiatus before reforming in 2009, again hitting the U.K. Top 10 with their reunion album, Once More. Following an acclaimed documentary (directed by Julien Temple) and a successful tour, Hadley stepped out with The Christmas Album, his first holiday offering, showing the same adventurous spirit, while doing what he does best—making every song his own. Including standards like “White Christmas,” “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” The Christmas Album moves effortlessly into the ’50s with Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph,” the ’70s with “I Believe In Father Christmas” (Greg Lake of Emerson Lake & Palmer), The Pogues’ “Fairytale Of New York” from the ’80s, and into the current century with Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” as well as originals.

Awesome, 22 song discs containing rockin' holiday tunes from the Western Star stable of rockabilly artists. All of the songs were recorded in the Western Star recording studio, based in the town of Bristol in the UK. This is the case with ALL of this labels release - every song for every release is recorded in their studio. Amazingly, all 22 songs are originals, without a dud in the bunch - if you're tired of the same old holiday tunes, this disc is definitely for you!

Oceans of Slumber is a progressive metal band from Texas that surprised me. Winter, an album ironically named after something not experienced in Texas, is an album of strange character coming from one of metal’s premier labels. Rather than fitting into any of the expected “surefire” categories produced by most labels these days, Oceans of Slumber walks its own path. Their sound is best described as a combination of melodic death, doom and black metal influenced by the Century Black roster circa 1998. Winter blends that with a sadboy metal and an alternative rock base making the album beautiful, mysterious, and oddly chaotic. It’s also really good.