Favorite Holiday Music?

[Botafogo]

We have a 100 CD changer in the store and, beginning the day after Thanksgiving, I put one more Holiday CD in it each day and set it on random play. The WINE EXPO Hit Parade includes:

World Christmas (Metro Blue CDP7243-8-36928-2-8)
Afro-Pop diva Angelique Kidjo singing "O Holy Night" in French with a percussion ensemble? Diane Reeves and Mino Cinelu doing an almost sexy jazz-blues throwdown on "The 12 Days of Christmas"?? John Scofield and Mardi Gras Indians The Wild Magnolias raving through "Go Tell it on the Mountain"????? You MUST buy this!

Etta James “12 Songs of Christmas” (Private Music 01005-82166-2)
The Queen of the Blues wails on the standards: you can boogie, your Grandma can pray, it's a family thing.

Festival of Light (Six Degrees Records 657036-1001-2) or Volume 2 (657036-1018-2)
Absolutely transcendental odes to Hanukkah from talents as diverse as the Klezmatics to Jane Siberry, Marc Cohn to Peter Himmelman. Classics and originals (Himmelman's original "Lighting up the World" deserves to be a classic). The only thing missing is some comic relief from Adam Sandler.

Blue Yule (Rhino R2-70568)
Yo! Santa! Who's making Mrs. Claus while you're out dropping toys? Uproarious celebrations of the party side of Christmas from Charles Brown, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, Johnny and Edgar Winter as teenagers and the wonderful Sonny Boy Williamson ranting about Santa getting all up in his baby's drawers (in her dresser!).

El Vez "Merry MeX-mas!" (Sympathy for the Record Industry 350)
YES! From "Santa Claus is Sometimes Brown" to "Feliz Navidad" to "Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus?", this not only rocks out severely, it is funny and reminds you that we live in Azatlan Norte so why not stuff your turkey with Menudo, make eggnog with Mezcal de Oaxoca and put a piñata on top of the tree?

and

The Holiday CD of the Year: Christmas as Rave!
A Six Degrees Collection: Christmas Remixed (Six Degrees 657036 1095-2)
The CLASSIC Holiday songs get put through an Acid Jazz filter: aside from being just plain groovy, imagine watching your great aunt Floozy disorient a bit when the Mulato Break Beat Mix of Louis Armstrong singing Baby its Cold Outside or maybe the Brazilia Beach Mix of Johnny Mercer doing Winter Wonderland plays!


I have over a hundred such CDs and am always looking for new (or old) ones with really GOOD music that we can stand listening to repeatedly in the store.

Roberto

[Bucko]

Louis Farrakhan sings "I'm NOT dreaming of a White Christmas."

[Drew]

I'm looking for a Carribean based, steel drums et all, Christmas album...any suggestions?

Drew

[hotwine]

Can't help Drew, but Mannheim Steamroller gets my vote for casual and Handl for classical.

[Kcwhippet]

Oh yeah, we like the Steamroller. Got a few other faves, too.

[Bucko]

What? No one likes Boxcar Willie?

We like M.S. as well. I'm an old ham though and enjoy the Bing Crosby Classics CD and Gene Autry's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Other Christmas Classics. Hey, I have some country boy in me.......

[winedope1]

Mannheim and Handel, definitely, and Charlotte Church- oh and lets not forget Vince Guaraldi (Charlie Brown Christmas) WD