Snoopy's Christmas

Another installment in Collectables' The Ultimate Christmas Album series, volume 3 gathers a mix of well-known and offbeat holiday tunes, including Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song", The Singing Dogs' "Jingle Bells", The Supremes' "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me", The Ventures' "Sleigh Ride", Johnny Mathis' "Winter Wonderland", Perry Como's "Home For The Holidays", Burt Bacharach' "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle", Paul Anka's "It's Christmas Everywhere", Percy Faith's "We Need A Little Christmas", Andy Williams' "Happy Holidays", Ray Charles' "Christmas Time", Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby".

The crazy holiday season is upon us, and us blues lovers might be a little reluctant to have the soundtrack at our holiday party be the same old songs that everybody hears on the radio. There is a cool bluesy solution to this conundrum: Boogie Woogie Santa Claus, an R&B Christmas from Richard Weize Archives. This CD provides well over an hour of Christmas-themed entertainment that includes 29 vintage songs in a format that both you and your guests will appreciate!

The follow-up to our very successful 2017 Christmas CD with country music, honky tonk and hillbilly boogie: 'Christmas On The Countryside' (BCD17508).26 songs selected by Nico Feuerbach and commented with great expertise and profound humour by Roland Heinrich.

The most beautiful Christmas country & western songs by Bluegrass Christmas Jamboree, Don Holiman & Group, Jesse Lee Campbell and many more on one compilation!

This seasonal offering from The Choir of Westminster Abbey presents a delightful and unusual selection of music for Christmas. It encompasses many of the diverse themes of Christmas which have inspired composers across the ages: light shining in darkness; the tenderness of mother and child; the fulfilment of promise; and the warm merriment of corporate celebration. An excellent selection of contemporary carols features the composers Jonathan Dove and Bob Chilcott among others. The richness of twentieth-century church music is illustrated in works by Poulenc, Walton, Mathias and Leighton, and by the heartbreakingly lovely piece The little road to Bethlehem by Michael Head. Skilful arrangements of the traditional carols Silent night, In dulci jubilo and I saw three ships, complete this attractive seasonal release.

American soprano Renee Fleming's first-ever holiday album celebrates the beloved and iconic Christmas season in New York City. From the holiday windows lining 5th Avenue to the red and green-lit spire of the Empire State Building, the essence of the city at the most wonderful time of year is captured on Christmas in New York. Pop, Broadway and jazz greats Chris Botti, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Brad Mehldau, Kelli O Hara, Gregory Porter and Rufus Wainwright join Renée as she lends her sublime voice to hits like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Silver Bells" and other gems, including "Central Park Serenade" a brand new duet by songwriting legend Diane Warren. In total, Renee Fleming and her guests have won 16 Grammy awards across multiple categories.

Chris Isaak distinguishes his second holiday album – the first, the plainly titled Christmas, arrived back in 2004 – by designing Everybody Knows It's Christmas as a throwback to the pre-Beatles days of rock & roll. Not for nothing is this released on Sun Records; the album consciously evokes the simple, spare rockabilly pioneered at the landmark Memphis studio in the 1950s. That doesn't mean this is a greasy, Dixie-fried affair, though. Working with producer Dave Cobb, Isaak achieves a clever blend of the Sun aesthetic and the form of early Elvis RCA Records. It's lighthearted and playful – it's a Christmas record, after all – but it's not drenched in extraneous studio sweetening; whenever there are supporting vocal harmonies, they're not pushed into the forefront, they're used as subtle coloring. Isaak and Cobb get the vibe just right, and the singer/songwriter also contributes a number of snappy originals, like the clever "Almost Christmas" that bops like vintage Ricky Nelson. All of it adds up to a minor Christmas miracle: a deliberate throwback that feels fresh and fun.

When it comes to holiday records emitted from the shadows of the mighty Motown hit factory on West Grand Boulevard, few could match the quality and quantity from one of their key artists.