2008 Woodie Awards
New holiday sounds ring in the season
Artists release new albums giving music lovers many choices
Cecily Kennemore
Issue date: 11/20/08 Section: Entertainment
Just as supermarkets and department stores alike have already put up their Christmas displays, music record companies have released a steady stream of new Christmas recordings.
This year there are no less than 20 Christmas album releases heavily advertised in stores and on iTunes, etc.
This music ranges from anything like traditional Christmas carols to jazz-tinted Christmas tunes to original rock-and-roll songs with Christmas-themed lyrics.
Even though it is sometimes painfully obvious companies are trying to get every cent they can out of Christmas merchandise, some of this new Christmas music might be worth your time.
Of course it isn't always immediately obvious which albums are worth listening to and which ones are very expensive coasters.
To help you navigate through the bundle of new Christmas CDs, here is a brief guide to some of the major releases this year.
Kristin Chenoweth's "A Lovely Way to Spend the Holidays"
is mainly filled with familiar Christmas songs, such as "I'll be Home for Christmas," "Silver Bells" and "What Child is This?"
For those who don't know, Chenoweth was the original Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway musical "Wicked."
She currently plays Olive on the television show "Pushing Daisies."
Much of the charm Chenoweth had in the cast recording of "Wicked" is transferred to her Christmas album.
A standout track is "Sleigh Ride/Marshmallow World," a duet with John Pizzarelli, where he and Chenoweth exchange comedic lines about how cold it is.
Another standout track is "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Chenoweth's clear soprano voice is the main attraction on this song.
Enya's "And Winter Came" :
is pretty much what one would expect of a Christmas album from Enya, but that's definitely not a bad thing.
Enya's lush soundscapes and fragile vocals transfer beautifully to a Christmas album. The album is the perfect lullaby for a wintery night.
This year there are no less than 20 Christmas album releases heavily advertised in stores and on iTunes, etc.
This music ranges from anything like traditional Christmas carols to jazz-tinted Christmas tunes to original rock-and-roll songs with Christmas-themed lyrics.
Even though it is sometimes painfully obvious companies are trying to get every cent they can out of Christmas merchandise, some of this new Christmas music might be worth your time.
Of course it isn't always immediately obvious which albums are worth listening to and which ones are very expensive coasters.
To help you navigate through the bundle of new Christmas CDs, here is a brief guide to some of the major releases this year.
Kristin Chenoweth's "A Lovely Way to Spend the Holidays"
is mainly filled with familiar Christmas songs, such as "I'll be Home for Christmas," "Silver Bells" and "What Child is This?"
For those who don't know, Chenoweth was the original Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway musical "Wicked."
She currently plays Olive on the television show "Pushing Daisies."
Much of the charm Chenoweth had in the cast recording of "Wicked" is transferred to her Christmas album.
A standout track is "Sleigh Ride/Marshmallow World," a duet with John Pizzarelli, where he and Chenoweth exchange comedic lines about how cold it is.
Another standout track is "Do You Hear What I Hear?"
Chenoweth's clear soprano voice is the main attraction on this song.
Enya's "And Winter Came" :
is pretty much what one would expect of a Christmas album from Enya, but that's definitely not a bad thing.
Enya's lush soundscapes and fragile vocals transfer beautifully to a Christmas album. The album is the perfect lullaby for a wintery night.
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