Labor of Love

With his deep, buttery voice and heart-breaking twang, Randy Travis could recite golf scores and make it sound soulful, so listeners are in for a treat on this 2007 collection of holiday classics and originals done up country-style. As on his pervious Christmas album from 1989, the new songs are as good as the chestnuts. The standouts here include a poignant "First Noel" and the jolly shuffle "Nothing's Gonna Bring Me Down (At Christmas Time)."

The legendary Original Blues Brothers Band presents The Last Shade of Blue Before Black, their sixteenth release since their unlikely beginnings in the now-infamous Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi Saturday Night Live musical sketch. Taking on a life outside of late-night television, the band's rock and jazz-infused takes on blues standards synthesize NYC horn arrangements with gritty Memphis guitar stylings. The 14 song disc will include new originals well as classics songs with the following special guests: Eddie Floyd, Dr John, Joe Morton, Paul Shaffer, Joe Louis Walker, Tom "Bones" Malone, Matt "Guitar" Murphy. Birch Johnson, Baron Raymonde and David Spinozza.