Anyone who knows me knows that I adore Idina Menzel. I’ve been a fan for 20 years now, and I’ve seen her grace the Broadway stage and dazzle audiences with stories and reenactments of her days as a wedding singer. I love her album of holiday tunes, and just picked up a copy on vinyl this weekend. All the covers are fantastic, but I really love this original song written by Idina and Charlie Midnight.
December 11: Idina Menzel, “December Prayer”
The first time I ever heard this song was on an Indigo Girls album. It wasn’t until later that I learned it was a Joni Mitchell song, and then I was introduced to the album “Blue,” which is a true masterpiece. It’s a sad little holiday-adjacent song, but it’s beautiful, and it deserves a place on this list.
December 10: Joni Mitchell, “River”
This is a great contemporary holiday tune, and last year it was released on a red 7″ screenprinted with Christmas graphics. I posted a photo of it last night on my Instagram, and I plan to give it a spin this weekend while I’m wrapping gifts and finishing up Christmas projects for friends.
December 9: New Found Glory, “Snow”
I have an endless supply of Canadian bands/artists for this series, which is good because it seems to be fairly popular with my YouTube buds. I love getting to introduce people to the music I love, and it’s even better when it turns someone into a fan.
Today’s video covers a good span of genres, from the dreamy, synthy pop feel of Young Galaxy, to the lush piano of Veda Hille, to the sweet, folky sounds of Kathleen Edwards. Hopefully something in here piques your interest and turns you into a new fan as well. Enjoy!
It’s not Christmas until you’ve heard a Carpenters Christmas tune on the radio. Period.
December 8: The Carpenters, “Sleigh Ride”
While I’m a huge fan of the classic versions of Christmas songs — you know, the Ella, the Bing, the Nat King Cole — I enjoy contemporary covers as well. This Cat Power jam is soft and beautiful and worth a listen or ten.
December 7: Cat Power, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
I’m such a huge Sufjan Stevens fan. I love everything he does, and his enormous collection of Christmas music is no exception to that. I’m sure this won’t be my last time highlighting a tune from the “Silver & Gold” release, but this is my favorite, and I couldn’t wait any longer to post it.
December 6: Sufjan Stevens, “Christmas in the Room”
The Barenaked Ladies holiday album is fantastic for a variety of reasons: it has Christmas and Hanukkah songs on it, it has originals as well as classics, and it combines heartfelt sentiment with humor. My absolute favorite Christmas song is “O Holy Night,” and while I usually prefer a swelling, haunting version, BNL’s take on this tune really does it for me.
December 5: Barenaked Ladies, “O Holy Night”
You can never go wrong with Ella. She’s my go-to artist for holiday tunes, and I never tire of her magical voice.
December 4: Ella Fitzgerald, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
Even though it’s not explicitly a straight-up Christmas song, it’s about the holidays and gathering together with family, and it’s such a great tune. One of my favorites.
December 3: Imogen Heap, “Just For Now”
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