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Christmas Music... I started early this year.
I can't help myself. I want diverge from my usual topics of comics and sci-fi to write about Christmas music.
Most people assume that my favourite Christmas album is "A Charlie Brown Christmas" by the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Some of you know that I am a dedicated Peanuts and Charles Monroe Schulz fan. However, that album is only my second favourite for this time of year. I want to tell you about the third and first on my list for the season.
At number three we have "Count Your Blessings". This was an amazing live concert with Jane Siberry, Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins, Mary Margaret O'Hara and Victoria Williams (I'll let you google them). I was already a fan of Jane Siberry and Holly Cole when CBC announced this concert in 1994. I was pleasantly introduced to the voices of the remaining three. As you can tell by the Amazon.ca listing I've linked for the CD it is now rare and in high demand. I had a tape copy of the original broadcast from CBC. The banter between these ladies between the songs was hilarious. You don't get that on the CD release.
My number one Christmas album might come as a surprise, Clint Black's "Looking for Christmas"! Certainly not as rare and sought after as the previous album. My wife introduced me to this album. And it has become something that has to be played ever Christmas along with "It's a Wonderful Life". This is a very strong album. Nowadays (here comes my inner codger) it seems that singers spend more time on singles and forget about the album as a whole. I can't help but feel like a happy kid at Christmas when this album plays. You don't have to be a country music fan to enjoy it. In fact, Clint's country twang gives a lot of playfulness and joy to the songs. Oh, by the way, don't let the album cover put you off.
Other Christmas albums I enjoy:
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Once Upon a Christmas"
- A Christmas time classic
Los Straightjackets - "Tis the Season for Los Straightjackets"
- Instrumental versions of Christmas songs with a surfer rock twist. Thanks to my brother-in-law Mark for introducing me to this one.
The Rankins - "Do You Hear... : Christmas with Heather, Cookie and Raylene Rankin"
- Good East Coast Canadians girls singing really nicely.
PS: I am not an employee of Amazon.ca. I'm not trying to boost their sales. I just put in the links so you can read what others thought of the albums in the reviews. After a quick search I found most of these albums are available on itunes.ca if not itunes.com. Surprisingly, I could not find Clint's though.
Have a great day.
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