Santa's Jukebox: It's a Wicked Cool Christmas!- The Jonas Brothers and more
by Kevin Wierzbicki
Jolly Old St. Nick is a big music fan and he'll be jamming tunes every minute of his long flight around the globe on Christmas Eve. He has wide and varied tastes too, as this peek at a portion of his playlist reveals.
The Jonas Brothers - A Very Jonas Christmas Movie Original Soundtrack- (LP on translucent green vinyl)
This will probably be one of the first albums that Santa plays as he begins his journey as it starts with a holly jolly anthem for the season, a live version of the bouncy "Like It's Christmas." Besides being a great holiday release this soundtrack is a collectible for fans of the trio that's pressed on green colored vinyl. It also contains a total of seven original songs including "Coming Home This Christmas," a light-as-a-snowflake pop gem that features a soaring sax solo from Kenny G. Joe Jonas handles vocals on "Best Night" and "Feel Something" where he's joined by Chloe Bennet; brother Nick takes the mic on the subdued "Home Alone" where he's accompanied by Andrew Barth Feldman. Also included are "Remember When," "Better Off Alone, "Time" and a studio version of "Like It's Christmas" to close the album.
Phineas and Ferb Holiday Favorites - (Various Artists) - (LP on "holiday" green vinyl)
His reindeer are big fans of Phineas and Ferb and the pair have gathered a bunch of their musician friends to perform 16 short and jangly songs; no doubt Santa has this one on the playlist to keep Rudolph and company rocking happily along. Bowling for Soup kicks off the fun with "Winter Vacation" and Side A also contains "What Does He Want?" sung by Candace, "That Christmas Feeling" by Olivia Olsen and the goofy and amusing "I Really Don't Hate Christmas" by Dr. Doofenshmirtz. The side really swings courtesy of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and "Christmas is Starting Now;" the cast of "Phineas and Ferb" checks in with three cuts including "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Side B has lots of well-known holiday favorites including a whimsical take on "Good King Wenceslas" by Baljeet and Buford, a jazzy and lyrically wacky take on "Frosty the Snowman" (recorded as "Perry Saves Christmas") by Major Monogram and Carl the Intern, a fluttering "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" voiced by Isabella and a totally rocking take on "Run Rudolph Run" sung by Phineas. Appropriately enough the album ends with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" sung by the "Phineas and Ferb" cast. This album was originally released in 2010; this is the first time it has appeared on colored vinyl.
Judy Whitmore - Christmas
Whitmore has a voice that's as sweet as a candy cane and this set will put listeners in the mood just like a crackling fire and a cup of hot cocoa. Judy begins the album with the upbeat "Kay Thompson's Jingle Bells" (Thompson is co-writer of the song) before getting into a relaxed mood for the delicate "Christmas Time is Here" with a piano solo from Josh Nelson. Irving Berlin's "Snow" is a fun one to sing along to, what with lyrics like "I want to wash my hands, my hair, my face with snow." Whitmore makes another good choice by dipping into Berlin's catalog again for the joyfully swinging "Happy Holiday"/"The Holiday Season" and also chooses wisely with the David Foster/Linda Thompson "Grown-Up Christmas List," an understated wish for peace and harmony. Always fun is "The Man with the Bag" and Whitmore swings pretty good on the cut that's highlighted by an alto sax solo from Jacob Scesney. It's hard to pick a favorite on this excellent selection that includes takes on "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Home for the Holidays" and the beautiful "We Are Lights" where Whitmore duets with Billy Grubman, but it might just be the harmony vocal filled take on Sammy Cahn's "The Christmas Waltz." The delicate and reflective "The Ghosts of Christmas Past" closes the album. More than 50 players and singers help Whitmore with orchestration and vocal contributions.
It's a Wicked Cool Christmas! - (Various Artists)
Here's a wicked good compilation of holiday tunes from artists on the Wicked Cool Records label. The Empty Hearts present "It's Christmastime," a joyous sleigh ride with lots of jangling jingle bells, Prima Donna rock around the tree with "Gimme Christmas" and longtime favorites The Woggles check their list and find the garage rocking "Santa's Coming (Ho Ho Ho)." Ryan Hamilton voices his disappointment with St. Nick after not receiving any gifts last year in the amusing "To Heck with Ole Santa Claus;" "I'd like to hit him in his ho ho ho with a bunch of big snowballs!" Despite the words, Hamilton's carol is upbeat and fun. Steve Conte and John Conte rock through the Kinks classic "Father Christmas," the Chesterfield Kings put a Nuggets-style spin on the classic "White Christmas" and the album closes with a version of "Auld Lang Syne" by the Dollyrots, which after beginning sedately rocks like crazy to its conclusion. Also contributing are WYLDLYFE, Jessie Wagner and Rocco of the Snow, Kurt Baker and Soraia.
Debbie Wileman as Judy Garland - A Christmas Garland
Here's a cleverly-titled tribute to Judy Garland performed by Garland impersonator Debbie Wileman. And fans of Garland will absolutely love this set as Wileman puts her big voice to work on classics like "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," complete with horn section backing, the reflective "Hard Candy Christmas" from the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and the sedate "Little Drummer Boy" where she's joined by the legendary Pat Boone. Many will know that "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" has always been a favorite of Garland fans and here Wileman does it justice, with a little help from Margaret O'Brien who sang the song with Judy in the film "Meet Me in St. Louis." Wileman also puts a Garland spin on contemporary cuts like Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" and the Wham! hit "Last Christmas" which struts with Big Band style.
Bonnie J. Barbey and John Chisum - "Santa Claus is Melting on the Sand"
Here's a really fun song about a family that decides to skip the traditional Christmas and head to a tropical island instead. The lyrics spell out how Santa finds them there anyway, but Old St. Nick is overwhelmed by the heat and needs a little sunblock and some sunglasses to get through. Amusingly the lyrics also sight the Herman's Hermit Crab and Elfin Band serenading all, and wouldn't you know it in the end Santa decides to switch his home base to the island and away from the North Pole. The cut has the joyous feel of a Disney movie or similar. There's a companion piece to the song too; a lavishly-illustrated book that's also called "Santa Claus is Melting on the Sand." It is available in book or e-book form here.
Alex Miller - "All Wrapped Up in You This Christmas"
Here's a western swing cut from "American Idol" alum Miller that'll have listeners dancing around the Christmas tree, at least until they can get to the dance club. With its roots going back to the Bob Wills sound, "All Wrapped Up in You This Christmas" is fiddle-driven and also recalls the sound of the great George Strait. You'll want to check out the video for the song too in which Miller represents the song title, literally, with wrapping paper covering his whole body except for his face. Watch it below:
