COVER FEATURE

Holiday albums

Jane Neal reviews new Christmas albums to get you in the Christmas spirit; and some to avoid

I have a theory that eventually, everyone who has

ever received a modicum of airplay will make a Christmas album. Th is includes artists you thought (and maybe wished) were long-gone, like Cheap Trick and Chicago; newer artists like Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor, classic Christmas crooners like Bing Crosby and Tony Bennett and every country music act ever. Not to mention bands like Manheim Steamroller and Pentatonix who seem to release or recycle new ones almost every year. Here’s a look at some holiday releases – some new, some missed from last year (when reviews were on hiatus due to COVID-19) and a few recycled ones.

Dolly Parton: A Holly Dolly Christmas

Dolly Parton is no stranger to Christmas music

– she released a collaborative Christmas album with Kenny Rogers in 1984. Her fi rst solo Christmas album, “Home for the Holidays,” came out in 1990. “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” was released last year and a Deluxe Bonus Edition with three additional tracks followed this year.

It’s hard not to like Dolly. Even if you’re not a fan of her music, the petite and sassy country star has done some amazing things. After a fi re in 2016 devastated Gatlinburg, Tenn., Dolly Parton’s My People Fund gave more than $8 million to people who lost their homes in the fi res. When the pandemic hit, she donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help fund Moderna vaccine eff orts. In March 2021, she got a dose of the vaccine and even modifi ed her hit, “Jolene,” with lyrics encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Although it’s her fi rst Christmas album in 30 years, the song, “Coming Home for Christmas” was originally released in 2009. “Christmas on the Square,” is from Parton’s 2020 Netfl ix Christmas movie. Th e album also includes several duets, including “Christmas Is” with her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, “Christmas Where We Are” with Cyrus’ dad, Billy Ray, “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas” with Michael Bublé, “Pretty Paper” with Willie Nelson and “You Are My Christmas” with her late brother Randy Parton. And if, like lots of us, you’re tired of hearing Mariah Carey sing “All I want for Christmas,” you can listen to Dolly’s version with Jimmy Fallon.

Dolly’s 75 years old, so her voice might not be as strong as it was the last time she recorded a Christmas album, but what she lacks in strength, she makes up for enthusiasm. Always a prolifi c songwriter, she penned or co-wrote nine of the tracks.

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Steve Perry The Season

(for die-hard Journey fans only)

Steve Perry rose to fame as the front man for the

rock band, Journey, with hits including “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin,” “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Any Way You Want It” in the 1970s and ’80s and had a fairly successful run as a solo act (“Oh Sherrie,” 1984) until a hip injury forced him into retirement in 1998. Th ere are some things that should never happen, and there are some things that perhaps should have happened 20 years ago. If Perry was meant to release a holiday album, I’d say he waited a few decades too long. Some rock stars can rock into their 70s and with slight alterations to arrangements, still wow crowds (hello, Paul McCartney), others can still command the stage and rock as well if not better than they did 30 years ago (I’m looking at you, Mick Jagger). Unfortunately, Perry is not of their caliber. At 72, his voice sounds weak and shaky. It’s almost impossible to believe that this is the same artist that Rolling Stone ranked as one of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Th e album is hard to listen to. On several of the songs, the arrangements are off – on others, Perry’s voice is fl at – sometimes there’s a combination of both things – making the songs almost unrecognizable. I’d like to say that this album might be cause for at least hard-core Journey fans to rejoice, but that would be like putting a lump of coal in their stockings.

Norah Jones: I Dream of Christmas

Don’t know why I didn’t … like this album more

than I did. Although it did sort of grow on me after a couple of listens. Still, I somehow expected more from Jones – daughter of famed sitarist Ravi Shankar and winner of several dozen music awards. A self-avowed Ella Fitzgerald fan, she covers several songs from “Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas” including “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” and “What are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”

She’s an unmistakably talented jazz artist. Yet, while I remember enjoying her 2002 hit, “Don’t Know Why,” this Christmas release just fails to ignite my enthusiasm. And maybe that’s on Jones. Th e release opens with “Christmas Calling (Jolly Jones)” which includes lines like “I’m looking all around for glee” – and she’s clearly struggling to fi nd it. Most of the songs have a distinct melancholy feel. She wrote or co-wrote six out of the 13 tracks, including “You’re Not Alone,” a bluesy hymn. Th e original “It’s Only Christmas Once a Year” defi nitely references COVID-19 with lines like, “Last year was so hard with all the friends I couldn’t see.” Maybe that’s the problem, perhaps putting together a holiday album amid a global pandemic makes it too hard to be a “Jolly Jones.” Still, this collection is OK for low-volume mood music by the fi re, just not for your holiday party.

Billy Idol: Happy Holidays

Yes, you read that right. Billy Idol. That Billy Idol.

He of the punk rock, glam rock and dance punk that was the soundtrack of late 1970s and 1980s. Two things must be noted. First, this is not a “new” release. Idol released an album with the same title back in 2006. Th is version has a new cover, a diff erent track list and one new song, “On Christmas Day.” Th e other notable thing is that the album is actually pretty good. For the most part, Idol’s delivery is straight and true with nary a “Rebel Yell” in sight. And he’s got a darn good voice that he puts to good use on some standard holiday fare, like “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and a very nice rendition of “Silver Bells.” His stripped-down version of “Silent Night” was particularly surprising. He does rock out a bit on “Santa Claus is Back in Town,” and “Run, Run Rudolph.” “Happy Holiday,” the other original tune of this remix, may be the weakest link.

Th rough the years, several artists have taken one of their mainstream hits and revamped it to make them Christmas songs (Th ink Billy Mack crucifying a Christmas version of Th e Troggs’ “Love Is All Around” in “Love, Actually.”) Cheap Trick did it by changing, “I Want You to Want Me,” to “I Want you For Christmas.” Earth, Wind and Fire changed their hit, “September” to “December.” So can you blame me for expecting to hear Idol sing, “It’s a nice day for a … White Christmas?” Well, he doesn’t. And all I can say is, “Missed opportunity there, Bill.”

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Andrew Bird: Hark

Bird’s 2020 holiday release is an expansion of

his six-track EP from 2019. It’s pretty much the eclectic mix that you’d expect from the multi-instrumentalist and consummate whistler. Th e album opens with a cover of John Cale’s “Andalucia,” which is hard to argue is a Christmas song, although it does mention “snow.” Th ere are three songs penned by Bird, “Alabaster,” “Night’s Falling” and “Christmas in April.” Th at last timely tune, which opens with some of Bird’s signature whistling, was written during the pandemic and speaks to the uncertainty many of us were feeling in 2020: “Oh my love, when will you know? If we can meet under the mistletoe?” Th ere are not one, but two, covers of Vince Guaraldi songs (he of the “Charlie Brown Christmas” soundtrack), “Christmas is Coming,” and “Skating.” Bird takes the traditional tune “Greensleeves” (aka “What Child is Th is?”) and adds the words from the Handsome Family’s “Too Much Wine,” making for a dark and depressing tale. Th e album includes a few more traditional Christmas tunes, including “White Christmas” and an instrumental version of “O Holy Night” featuring Bird’s virtuoso violin and … more whistling. Th e closing tune, “Auld Lange Syne” originally appeared on the 2012 compilation, “Holidays Rule.” (Worth checking out if you haven’t yet.)

Rob Thomas: Something About Christmas Time

Thomas has had a string of successful hits as a

member of Matchbox 20 (“Push”), as a solo artist (“Ever the Same”) and as a collaborator with Carlos Santana (“Smooth”) in addition to penning songs for Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger and Travis Tritt. His voice is strong and mellow, and the album has just the right folk-pop sound. It also includes enough interesting new songs to keep it from feeling like just another pop holiday release. Th omas off ers a little bit of something for everyone on this one. Looking for a taste of country? Check out Th omas singing Dolly Parton’s “I Believe in Santa Claus” with country singer Abby Anderson. Up for a little gospel? Th omas brings in Bebe Winans on a cover of Ray Charles’ “Th e Spirit of Christmas.” You get some rockabilly and twang with “Santa Don’t Come Here Anymore,” along with a heaping helping of Brad Paisley. I was a bit disappointed in the title track, “Christmas Time,” – a cover of Bryan Adams’ 1985 holiday anthem. Presented as a duet with Ingrid Michaelson, the song just seems to miss the mark. (But check out Michaelson’s 2018 “Songs for the Season” for a real holiday treat). Th omas also updated his 2002, “New York City Christmas.” Th e album closes with a well-arranged version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” probably the most traditional track in the bunch.

Blackmore’s Night: Winter Carols (Deluxe Edition)

Even if you’re a fan of pioneer heavy rock band

Deep Purple, you might not have heard of Blackmore’s Night. Th e traditional folk-rock band is made up of founding Deep Purple member/guitarist Richie Blackmore and his wife, singer Candice Night.

Blackmore is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most infl uential guitarists (and by many, I mean Rolling Stone and Guitar World, among them). For Blackmore’s Night (you caught the play on their last names, right?), he takes on more traditional and unusual instruments, including mandolas, mandolins and even a hurdy-gurdy to achieve an almost medieval sound. Of course, he also plays acoustic and electric guitar on various cuts. Night handles the vocals and plays fl ute.

Th e band formed in 1997 and has released 11 albums. “Winter Carols” was fi rst released in 2006 and has been rereleased with diff erent covers a few times since then. Th is 2021 version is the “Deluxe Edition,” and it has a whopping 27 songs on it. However, six of those are live versions of existing tunes, which frankly don’t sound diff erent enough to be included twice. Th e duo is supported by a large group of musicians, and a few of the songs have a big sound, a bit like a Celtic Mannheim Steamroller. Most of the songs are traditional, including everything from “Deck the Halls” to “Hark, the Herald Angels” to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Th ere are a couple of original tunes thrown in – “Winter (Basse),” a lovely instrumental by Blackmore and an upbeat “Christmas Eve,” penned by the pair. Th is release might not suit everyone, but anyone who enjoys Celtic Christmas music or the occasional Renaissance Faire will fi nd something to appreciate here, maybe with a warm mulled wine.