I guess I'm a pretty jaded fellow when it comes to Xmas music. My preference is for 50's and 60's recordings. Albums by June Christy, Doris Day, Nat "King" Cole, and Don Ho fall into my idea of what a Xmas recording should be. Modern Xmas albums seem to be either parroting these recordings, trying unsuccessfully to drag naive songs into a cynical world, or creating new melody impaired carols filled with cliche lyrics. (It didn't help that a small group of people have been trying to shove Xmas down our throats during the last few years. I'm reminded of that line from the Simpsons, "Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.")
Surprisingly, there are a couple of modern Xmas CD's I love. The first is Chris Isaak's "Christmas". This is Chris at his crooning best, with a touch of country and rockabilly thrown in. This is the first time I've enjoyed the song "Rudolph" since I was a kid. I especially love the new songs written for this album.
The second CD is Petty Booka's "Christmas Everywhere". How can you not smile while listening to two Japanese girls sing Xmas music, while accompanying themselves with ukuleles? I love their version of "Christmas Island" and John Prine's "Christmas in Prison".
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