monitorTHIS! - December 2008/January 2009 - (Page 42)

music hot holiday music Snow JobS Now That’s What I Call Christmas 3 Various Artists S t r at e g i c M r k t n g Nine must-have holiday albums, past and present Josh Groban Noël Wea/repriSe Mariah Carey Merry Christmas Sony An anthology series that can truly boast of offering something for the whole family, Now presents two discs of standards performed by pop icons, starting with Nat King Cole and Sinatra, and ending with Rihanna and Pussycat Dolls. Disc 1 lulls grandma to sleep so the party can rage during Disc 2, we guess? (2006) For the few of you who actually sat through the Emmys this year, Groban provided a rare treat with his otherworldly, so-bad-it’s-awesome medley of TV theme songs. (South Park was a particular highlight.) No such lunacy here, as the crooner ably tackles staples “Silent Night” and “The First Noel.” (2007) This is an oldie, but we can’t resist reprinting the cover. Long before she started rocking bikinis in every video, Carey was just the right blend of naughty and nice on this reinedin comp. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is the most famous number, but she handles “Joy to the World” and others gracefully as well. (1994) Harry Connick Jr. What a Night! A Christmas Album Sony Amy Grant The Christmas Collection S pa r r o W James Taylor James Taylor at Christmas coluMbia Even though this sort of thing is his bread and butter, it’s hard to picture Connick belting carols after his tour de force turn as a girlfriend-battering S.O.B. in the underseen Ashley Judd indie Bug. This is strictly G-rated material, though, featuring “We Three Kings,” “Christmas Day” and more. (Nov 2008) It’s been a long time since the best-selling Christian artist of all time dabbled with the mainstream (1991’s carnivalesque pop hit “Baby Baby,” to be exact), but everyone’s invited to this holiday celebration. Mrs. Vince Gill handles the usual suspects, from “Winter Wonderland” to “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” (Sept 2008) It’s the second-most romantic time of the year, so why not entrust your stereo to that old softie Taylor? This 2006 collection is a slightly expanded reissue of the 2004 limited edition release James Taylor: A Christmas Album. He duets with Chris Botti on “Winter Wonderland” and Natalie Cole on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” (2006) Sarah McLachlan Wintersong a r i S ta The title track is the Lilith Fair founder’s original contribution to the holiday canon, and there are plenty more unique covers to satiate the curious. McLachlan opens with the bittersweet Lennon classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” then offers luxuriant takes on the likes of “The First Noel” and “What Child Is This?” (2006) Aimee Mann One More Drifter in the Snow Superego Faith Hill Joy to the World Wa r n e r b r o S What a rollercoaster career, from early ubiquity in Til Tuesday to a rejected album winding up being her biggest hit, thanks to Paul Thomas Anderson. One original here, “Calling on Mary,” and the usual spate of dignified carols. We love that she followed this up with a record called @#%&*! Smilers. (2006) Faith has never graced us with her renditions of the classics before, but we’re most eager to hear Joy’s one original track, the intriguingly titled “A Baby Changes Everything.” Otherwise, expect delightful and traditional arrangements on “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Away in a Manger,” “Little Drummer Boy” and other staples. (Sept 2008) [ 42 + monitorthis! + dec 08 / jan 09 ]

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of monitorTHIS! - December 2008/January 2009

monitorTHIS! - December 2008/January 2009 Movies Games Music

monitorTHIS! - December 2008/January 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.