Staff Media Lead
Like it or not, PopWrappers, Christmas is coming!
I know, I know – we’ve barely finished celebrating Halloween, and we still have Thanksgiving to look forward to, so why are we already talking about Christmas!? Well, I say, why not?! It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year!
…And because some of our favorite artists are preparing to serenade us this season with classic holiday carols, mixed with some fresh holiday cheer all their own. Let’s face it: Christmas albums will never go out of style, and for good reason!
There’s quite a list of new music to be had this season, including delightful offerings served up from Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Celtic Thunder, II Volo, Jewel, country star Gretchen Wilson, and more. Let’s take a look at the top five albums I think are worthy of your listening pleasures this year:
Image courtesy of The Examiner5.
Straight No Chaser
The professional a cappella group, founded in 1996 at Indiana University, released their third holiday collection on October 29th, titled Under The Influence: Holiday Edition. The 8-song EP features guest stars Paul McCartney, Cee Lo Green, Colbie Caillat and Otis Redding. The group rose to fame in 1998 with their rendition of “12 Days of Christmas,” which also led to a five-album record deal with Atlantic Records.
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Image courtesy of BroadwayWorld.com4.
Mary J. Blige
Though she has 10 previous albums and nine Grammy’s under her belt, A Mary Christmas is the first Christmas album from singer-songwriter, Mary J. Blige. The collection features some of the music industry’s leading artists including; Barbara Streisand, Chris Botti, Jessie J, Marc Anthony, and the Clark Sisters. From “The First Noel” to “Silent Night,” the album is complete with all the holiday classics and duets with some of our favorite stars. Mary will be performing some of her Christmas songs on the Home Shopping Network on November 17th.
Image courtesy of MannheimSteamroller.com3.
Mannheim Steamroller
The American music phenomenon are widely known for their modern renditions of holiday classics that are heavy on the use of synthesized instruments and have been dazzling listeners since the 1980’s. Christmas Symphony II is the follow-up to their 2011 chart topping collection and features members from the Czech Symphony Orchestra. The group’s music has also been used by Christmas decorating fanatics as the backdrop for holiday displays that always impress.
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Image courtesy of weknowthedj.com2.
Duck Dynasty
People just can’t get enough of the backwoods brood of Duck Dynasty, I saw more than one Uncle Si walking around on October 31. The Robertson family has taken the country by storm and are cashing in on everything from apparel, greeting cards and now a Christmas album. Duck The Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas brings in special guests Luke Bryan, George Strait, Alison Krauss and Josh Turner for a very unconventional but entertaining Christmas collection. I mean with tracks like “Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Christmas,” how can you possibly go wrong?!
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Image courtesy of Billboard.com1.
Kelly Clarkson
The original American Idol has finally released a Christmas album. It is Wrapped in Red and worth the wait, too. Joined by Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire, Kelly brings her big voice to some of our favorite holiday carols and treats us to some brand new music, too. According to Billboard, Kelly (and the crew of Duck Dynasty) could be heading into the top ten this week in album sales.
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Just because I have my tree set up already, doesn’t mean you have to, PopWrappers, but get into the holiday spirit and check out these albums! After all, Halloween is over, which mean’s it’s Thanksgiving, which basically means it’s Christmas!
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