Xmas Carols

The Cincinnati Pops announced the release of its newest recording, JOY!, led by Cincinnati Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. JOY! will feature recordings of live performances from the Orchestra’s popular Holiday Pops programs, including a diverse and eclectic collection of favorite holiday classics in new arrangements. The latest release will include a new recording of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Christmas Overture,” which is complemented with creative new takes on traditional melodies like “Silent Night” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” folk tunes like “Mis zeh Hidlik” and “The Ukrainian Bell Carol,” as well as contemporary songs like “Blue Christmas” featuring singer and trombonist Aubrey Logan.

“Dark Christmas” is the highly anticipated second volume of Tarja’s 2017 album "From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)" – a surprise hit and on-going strong seller. This time, Tarja has added a haunting twist to classic Christmas hits and carols with the addition of a children's choir. For those who want to embrace the holiday spirit while exploring a more mysterious side of the season, Dark Christmas is the perfect album.

A remastered release based on the legendary 1998 Christmas album by the famous "American rock band with horns", with some great new recordings added, including soulful versions of "Winter wonderland", "Bethlehem", "This Christmas", "Sleigh ride" and "Roudolph, the red nosed reindeer". As trumpetist Lee Loughnane explains: "We're very good at doing arrangements of material that you've already heard, so you would never recognize the song until you hear the melody". Christmas carols are no exception. You will find a wonderful booklet included with lots of information and comments about the album. Enjoy.

When Kurt Elling embraced the meaning, the spirit and the word Christmas in creating his new album The Beautiful Day (OKeh), he also wanted to make a holiday album that celebrated the promise and magic of the season that touches people of all beliefs. Inventive and fresh, The Beautiful Day reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats.

Maybe This Christmas, Too is the second installment in Nettwerk's Christmas album series and again collects some of indie rock's best and modern rock chart-toppers for an enjoyable holiday listen. Artists like Rilo Kiley, Guster, and the Be Good Tanyas go against tradition to deliver their own Christmas carols.

When Kurt Elling embraced the meaning, the spirit and the word Christmas in creating his new album The Beautiful Day (OKeh), he also wanted to make a holiday album that celebrated the promise and magic of the season that touches people of all beliefs. Inventive and fresh, The Beautiful Day reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats.

For Wonderland, her 2016 seasonal set, Sarah McLachlan takes the opposite tactic than she did for Wintersong, the idiosyncratic holiday album she delivered ten years earlier. That record found the Canadian singer/songwriter exploring songs that were tangentially related to the holiday season, joining Joni Mitchell's "River," Gordon Lightfoot's "Song for a Winter's Night," and Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts theme "Christmas Time Is Here" with a few standards, plus her original title song. Wonderland, in contrast, is nothing but holiday favorites, split evenly between traditional carols and secular tunes.

Jingle Bell Swing is a refreshing idea in a Christmas collection, assembling a host of top-notch jazz musicians to breathe new life into the old holiday standbys. Big names abound here, including Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Louis Prima, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, Benny Goodman, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, and Carmen McRae, plus several others. The selections mix standards and enjoyable lesser-known material, striking a nice balance between the two. The collection may not work well for listeners who simply enjoying singing along to straightforward readings of their favorite carols, but those looking for something different during the holidays may find this well worth their time.

When Kurt Elling embraced the meaning, the spirit and the word Christmas in creating his new album The Beautiful Day (OKeh), he also wanted to make a holiday album that celebrated the promise and magic of the season that touches people of all beliefs. Inventive and fresh, The Beautiful Day reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats.