Every fall brings a big ol’ bagful of Christmas albums. This year seems to have a slightly lower number of holiday releases, but with more than a fair share of worthy and unique music. Here are some albums Christmas music fans will want to put on their “nice” list.
Sleigher—Pianist-singer Ben Folds brings his considerable talents to one of this year’s most refreshing and best holiday outings. Sleigher features seven original songs—the jazzy, mirthful and nostalgic “Christmas Time Rhyme” and the wistful “Me and Maurice” are highlights. And unearthing the Mills Brothers’ “You Don’t Have To Be a Santa Claus”—which is given a Jordanaires vocal touch—was a really smart move.
Around the Power Pop Tree—David Woodard successfully merges timeless Christmas styles with his hooky power pop sound here. “The First Noel” and “O Holy Night” get successfully juiced with faster tempos and catchy guitar riffs. And several catchy originals (“Waiting for Christmas,” “Around the Power Pop Tree” and “Peace & Love, Merry Christmas”) highlight this most welcome holiday entry for fans of rocking pop.
It’s Officially Christmas: The Double Album—Disc one of this set by Dan + Shay is a rather vanilla collection of oft-covered holiday standards. But things get interesting on the second disc. Made up of 11 original holiday/winter tunes, these songs come with perky pop hooks aplenty and often-playful lyrics, while a few ballads (such as “Christmas Isn’t Christmas” and “The Cozy Song”) give the disc welcome balance. This outing is officially a winner.
Judith Owen Swings Christmas—Judith Owen has long proven she can sing virtually any style, including jazz, pop, classical and blues. Here she nails a vintage big band sound by turning her 2023 EP Winter Wonderland into this entertaining full-length effort.
Merry Christmas (Welcome to the Family)—Brett Eldredge’s third holiday album contains eight songs co-written by the country singer. More pop than country, Eldredge goes for the warm and fuzzies here and that tone works well on these highly melodic tunes.
The Christmas Record—The popular group Little Big Town leans toward more contemporary material on their first holiday album. Along with some fresh takes on covers (“Someday at Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Back on Town”), the album features four originals (the sprightly “Glow” and the Philly soul-ish “Holiday” are highlights). And of course, the quartet’s lush harmonies shine throughout these 11 selections.
I Think I’m Spending Christmas With You—Taking a break from her busy acting career, Alicia Witt shows she wasn’t about to do a rote collection of holiday covers. The highlights include the bouncy rocker “Weird Time of Year,” which humorously highlights oddities of the holidays, and the graceful pop tune “Soap Sud Snow,” while a trio of piano (that’s Witt’s instrument) ballads—“December 26th,” “Christmas Will Never End” and “Lonely Holy Christmas”—give the album some emotional weight.
A Philly Special Christmas Party—Philadelphia Eagles offensive linemen Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and the now-retired Jason Kelce return with a third holiday album whose proceeds go to several charities. The footballers once again prove to be credible singers and get notable vocal contributions from Stevie Nicks and Boyz II Men. And let’s just say any act that thinks to collaborate with Mt. Joy to transform their song “Jesus Drives An Astrovan” into “Santa Drives An Astrovan” is doing something right.
It’s Christmas—The long-running horn-forward group Tower of Power puts enough of their soulful and funky spin on “Silver Bells,” “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and “O Holy Night,” to name a few, to elevate It’s Christmas above many of this year’s other releases.
Holiday Seasoning—Late-night TV host/comedian Jimmy Fallon is joined by an all-star cast of guests (Justin Timberlake, the Jonas Brothers, the Roots and Dolly Parton, to name a few) to perform a set of good natured, frequently humorous pop originals. It’s a holiday confection if ever there was one.
’Tis the Season—Rapper Tedashii sets aside his usual stylings for singing on this eight-song EP. ’Tis the Season” is highlighted by four originals, including “Back Home For Christmas,” a poppy gem in a Stevie Wonder vein, and the sweet ballad “Christmas Call,” where he trades vocals with V. Rose.
Light of Joy—Hootie & the Blowfish drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld delivers a consistently enjoyable EP that celebrates both the religious and family joys of the season. At five songs, it’s fairly short, but plenty sweet.
Finally, those who prefer Christmas albums to be like musical comfort food may favor these over the more adventurous albums listed above: Jennifer Hudson’s The Gift of Love; Lea Salonga’s Sounding Joy—The Holiday Album, Chapel Hart’s Hartfelt Family Christmas, Rick Braun’s It’s Christmas, Mickey Thomas’s A Classic Christmas, Home Free’s Any Kind of Christmas, Ruben Studdard’s My Favorite Holiday EP, and Clay Aiken’s Christmas Bells Are Ringing.
