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This year's holiday music offerings make Santa's list
Associated Press

Sarah McLachlan,“Wintersong” (Arista/Nettwerk)

There’s something about the holidays that brings singers, good and bad, out of the woodwork to share their favorite Christmas tunes.

Most should keep quiet, but Sarah McLachlan’s offering is a winner. “Wintersong,” her first studio LP since 2003's “Afterglow,” is suited for listening to while the snow falls outside and the hot chocolate is still warm. That it happens to have some Christmas‑oriented songs such as “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Silent Night” is like finding extra marshmallows in the cupboard for that cup of cocoa.

McLachlan has a soothing voice and hearing her sing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “What Child Is This? (Greensleeves)” is a welcome change from the more commercially oriented fare sung by pop stars from the past and present.

Her covers of John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” and Joni Mitchell’s “River” are treats as is her single, the title track “Wintersong.”

by Matt Moore

George Strait, “Fresh Cut Christmas,” (Hallmark/MCA)

Like perennial Christmas favorites Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole, Texas music veteran George Strait possesses a vocal style as mellow and smooth as hot‑buttered rum. His lived‑in style is perfect for those who like their yuletide classics as if delivered in a wool sweater while sitting in front of a crackling fire.

On his third holiday album, “Fresh Cut Christmas,” Strait concentrates on sing‑along standards like “We Three Kings,” “Deck the Halls” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” giving them all just a hint of Lone Star twang.

The famous balladeer gives well‑known solemn songs like “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree” a candle‑lit glow, with steel guitar and mandolin adding sweet country accents. But Strait seems to particularly enjoy the more playful tunes, like “Up on the Housetop” and “Jingle Bells,” which he and producer Tony Brown energize with western‑swing rhythms.

The album is being released in a marketing agreement with Hallmark Cards Inc. and will only be sold at Hallmark Gold Crown stores.

by Michael McCall

James Taylor, “At Christmas” (Columbia)

James Taylor’s sweet voice proves well suited to lighthearted holiday fare with his collection, “At Christmas.”

With the accompaniment of pianist and arranger Dave Grusin adding a delightful touch of jazz, Taylor offers lively takes on some standards like “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” and “Winter Wonderland,” while serving up a unique and surprising interpretation of “Jingle Bells.”

He lends his top‑notch folk to the spiritual “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and a stirring version of Joni Mitchell’s “River,” and avoids the pitfall of sounding corny on “Auld Lang Syne.”

But the highlight is easily the romantic duet, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” featuring a wonderfully playful turn by Natalie Cole.

The song’s theme of curling up by the fire with a loved one may be cliche, but that’s exactly what “At Christmas” makes you want to do.

by John Kosik

Twisted Sister “A Twisted Christmas” (Razor And Tie)

This is, quite simply, the best hard rock Christmas album ever made, and one of the best rock ‘n’ roll Christmas albums–period– since Elvis made his. It’s that good.

The words “clever,” “intelligent” and “groundbreaking” have seldom appeared in critics’ assessments of Twisted Sister, but that’s exactly what this 11‑song collection is. The Long Island quintet melds classic Christmas tunes with their favorite heavy metal songs to create a disc like no other.

For instance, singer Dee Snider realized that the chorus to the band’s biggest hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It” is almost note‑for‑note the same as the melody to “O Come All Ye Faithful.” So the band played the backing music for the Twisted song, while Snider sung the traditional hymn lyrics, and the result is an instant holiday classic.

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” a duet with Lita Ford, is set to the music of Twisted’s “The Price,” and the band’s “Rock And Roll Saviors” morphs into “Let It Snow.” Other bands also get the treatment: AC/DC’s “Problem Child” becomes “Silver Bells,” Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Things Coming” becomes “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” and Black Sabbath’s “Never Say Die” and “War Pigs” are blended into “Deck The Halls” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

The one original track, “Heavy Metal Christmas,” is a Twisted interpretation of “The Twelve Days Of Christmas” (“Four quarts of Jack, three studded belts, two pairs of spandex pants, and a tattoo of Ozzy.”) It also has ferocious bass riffing by Mark “The Animal” Mendoza that alone is worth the price of the disc.

This is the band’s final album before calling it quits next year, and they saved the best of a 30‑year career for last.

by Wayne Parry

Aimee Mann, “One More Drifter in the Snow” (Super Ego Records)

Aimee Mann’s plaintive voice seems better suited to songs of sorrow and loss than yuletide spirit. But she manages to deliver Christmas classics that are quietly festive–though still poignant–on “One More Drifter in the Snow.”

The collection of standards and lesser‑known holiday songs borrows from popular Christmas albums of decades past, with shimmering keyboards and orchestral arrangements that recall the work of Johnny Mathis and other crooners.

But Mann’s renditions are distinctly eerie and off‑kilter. Her singing, often accompanied by tremolo guitars, is ghostly on tracks such as “Christmastime,” a lament by her husband, Michael Penn. And she taunts listeners in a jazzy version of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” narrated by fellow singer‑songwriter Grant Lee Phillips.

Among the album’s chestnuts are “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” and a version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” that features quirky horn and guitar parts worthy of Tom Waits.

The CD closes with its only original, “Calling on Mary,” a typically pain‑tinged song Mann co‑wrote with her producer, Paul Bryan.

If most Christmas albums seem relentlessly upbeat, Mann’s latest release offers an alternative. Though it may not inspire celebration, “One More Drifter in the Snow” shows there’s more to Christmas than holiday cheer.

by Daniel Lovering

Rachel Ray, “How Cool Is That Christmas” (Epic Records)

Rachel Ray, the ever perky talk show host and chef, gets into music with a holiday collection that is the latest in a long line of products with her name.

“How Cool Is That Christmas” includes a nice mix of classics and lesser‑known songs featuring Frank Sinatra crooning “White Christmas,” Willie Nelson singing “Blue Christmas” and Hall & Oates with “Jingle Bell Rock.”

Jazzy non‑standards such as Buster Poindexter’s swinging “Zat You, Santa Claus?” keep the album interesting while the classics provide nostalgia. I dare you not to sing along with Aretha Franklin on “Winter Wonderland.”

The collection would have been no more, no less without Ray’s toothy smile on the cover, but then would the liner notes include a recipe for Christmas Pasta? The album itself is a simple crowd‑pleaser, not unlike Ray’s 30‑ minute meals.

by Olivia Munoz

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