Listen Up: The Christmas Music Part One

Like most people who have an Ipod, I have various playlists; I’m not sure how many people have a Christmas playlist in their Ipod but I sure do. I don’t have a lot of actual Christmas cds… that would take up too much space (I have so many, so, so many) but a couple of playlists featuring my favourite Christmas music… that’s totally reasonable.

There are, I discovered today, one or two complete Christmas albums in my Ipod. For instance:

NancyLaMott Just In Time For Christmas. This is, for me, the greatest Christmas album of all time. It really brings the season to life for me. I am so pleased that it means as much to the other members of my family as it does to me – because last night, when it came time to decorate the tree, Brady and Pat both wanted to hear this cd. It is, for our family, the definitive Christmas cd. I always listen, year round even, to her recordings of A Child is Born, Stay With Me, Just in Time for Chistmas, I Saw Three Ships/Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella and I’ll Be Home For Christmas. That’s a lot of favourites for one cd. That should speak volumes.

Michael Buble Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! I admit it. I love Michael Buble. I am one of the masses. And this cd delivers, for me, as much as his regular cds. The only problem is that it is so very brief.

The Carpenters Christmas Portrait. My friend, Paul J. Williams, and I agree on a FEW things. We disagree on a few things, too. One of my proudest moments was when we bonded together over the perfection of the Carpenters Christmas records, on the perfection of HER vocal affluence and how it just isn’t Christmas without Christmas tunes by this group. Two of the best Christmas songs of all time are Merry Christmas Darling and Little Altar Boy.

Maureen McGovern: Christmas With Maureen McGovern is actually one of my favourite entire Christmas cds. It’s in my Ipod, start to finish, because every track is lovely and Christmas-y (leave us not mention her perfect vocals). It is an album without gimmick, even though there is an extremely clever Santa Claus is C.omin’ to Town. My favourites: Caroling, Caroling and The Holy and the Ivey/Bright Bright the Holly Berries. Wonderful!

Barbra Streisand The Christmas Album. You may love her, you may hate her but you cannot deny that this is one of the best, one of the most original, one of the most beautiful Christmas recordings ever done. Every cut, every note, every intake of breath to release those beautiful notes: absolute perfection. My favourite track: The Best Gift.

Bette Midler Cool Yule. This is a fun little album. It’s not the most heartwarming, like LaMott’s and it doesn’t have the consistency of the McGovern one; but it does have the incomparable Miss M running the gamut from bouncy to ballady. I am particularly fond of her Christmas version of From a Distance; and what Bette Midler Christmas cd would be complete without the Hawaii native’s version of Mele Kalikimaka? To make it absolutely perfect, there is a duet with Mr Johnny Mathis…

Nat King Cole Christmas and Kids is a record I grew up with. I have an emotional attachment to every song on it but I especially love the ones that are unique to Mr Cole – Mrs Santa Claus, Buon Natale and The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot (sad but lovely). This is essential Christmas listening.

Sarah Brightman A Winter Symphony is actually a cd you can listen to all year. She mixes in a blend of songs you know with songs you don’t and then has them orchestrated to be so lovely and universal that you don’t realize it’s Christmas music until you hear the word Christmas in the song! Not a big fan of soprano singing (other than Julie Andrews and Rebecca Luker), I can always listen to Sarah. There are some really gorgeous ballads on here like In the Bleak Midwinter and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring – and then there are fun offerings like I wish it could be Christmas Every Day. It’s a REALLY good cd!

The next time I sit down to write about Christmas music, I’ll touch on some of the cds I don’t like and some of the cds I am getting to know.. as well as my ultimate Christmas playlist.

But, for now, go out and pick up one of the cds I’ve mentioned about. May I suggest the Nancy LaMott one?