IT’S BAAAAACK: THE 2019 “CHRISTMAS CLAYLIST”

A caller recently explained why they hate Christmas songs: “Ugh! Those same old songs replayed over and over again year after year…who needs it?”

There are two reasons why Christmas music sucks: 1) It’s true, the same records get played year after year. I’m all for tradition, but 4 bars of Bing’s “White Christmas” is about all anyone should have to endure. And 2) most Christmas songs were recorded in a hurry without much thought or soul. That’s why when a truly inspired version of a song we’ve all heard a million times IS SO impressive.

So I’ve got almost 10,000 songs in my Christmas collection and every year we whip out a dozen for the “Christmas Claylist”. I won’t guarantee you’ll like them all, because music is, y’know, subjective. But I will guarantee that they’ll be different, juicy, and fun. And occasionally they’re just a straight up classic cover that hits the mark.

So, for 2019 :)…

Day 1: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – The Smithereens

Honestly, Brenda Lee’s 1958 hit is…ummm…not a great song. In spite of the title, it definitely does NOT rock in almost every version recorded, and there’s been a lot of them. The Smithereens fix that, kicking out a cover that nods directly to their love of early Beatles.

 

Day 2: Jingle Bells – Jon Mclaughlin

Some of the best Christmas covers are from musical prodigy types who will take a song that’s been recorded 7000 times and stand it on its head. Jon Mclaughlin has never been a huge star, but his resume is pretty spectacular as are his piano skills, on full display in this tasty, finger-poppin’ version of “Jingle Bells”. (This video is a live version from an NYC club in 2014)

 

Day 3: Joe & Mary – Bryan Adams

I’ll say it again: nobody wants to hear your original Christmas song. Christmas is a time of tradition and what works are the songs/shows/decorations we know and love. If you want to write a new holiday tune, you can always take a well-known holiday theme and turn it inside out. For 2019, Bryan Adams has cranked out a funny, snarky tribute to Jesus’ Mom & Dad (or is that Stepdad?)…

 

Day 4 – Silver Bells – Gavin DeGraw

Any One Tree Hill Fans? Of course Gavin Degraw has a much bigger catalogue than the show’s theme song, but “I Don’t Want To Be” is still what he’s best known for. His soulful piano thang is a perfect fit for this jazzy take on “Silver Bells”. (Side note: you can tell a song is a rare find when the only youtube video is low-rent homemade. Ha!)

 

Day 5 – Jingle Bells – Brad Paisley

One of the great things about Christmas music is that the classics are so universally loved that they can be recognized anytime, anywhere, upside down, inside out, or placed backwards. When Brad Paisley shreds his chicken-pickin’ best on this track, even with cossack-inspired bg singers, there’s no doubt it’s still Jingle Bells!

 

Day 6 – Bad Kid – JD McPherson

JP McPherson has a cult following that love his retro take on what the music industry calls Americana. That vintage shine served him very well on last year’s album “Socks”, in which he released 10 (TEN!) original holiday songs, all of which were some version of awesome (see previous notes about how hard it is to write a great original Christmas song). “Bad Kid” is a kicking’ rockabilly salute to the best of misbehaved kids.

 

Day 7 – Blue Christmas – Serena Ryder

What makes a new Christmas record great is the ability to take a chestnut we’ve heard 14 million times and do it in a way that makes the hair on your neck prickle. Like, say, Serena Ryder’s new version of “Blue Christmas”.

 

Day 8 – Jordan Smith – Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town

We’ve talked about how a lot of Christmas music feels tired and uninspired and like they’re just phoning it in. Which means you can elevate your Christmas offering just by trying harder. Exceptional studio players, a jumping arrangement, and vocals that shine by one of the best alum of ‘The Voice’. Well done, Jordan Smith!

 

Day 9 – Holly Jolly Christmas – The Lost Fingers

The Lost Fingers are a Quebec trio named for their hero Django Reinhardt, who went on to become of the most famous jazz guitarists in history after badly burning the third and fourth fingers of his left hand. Their stock in trade is gypsy jazz covers of famous songs and their 2 Christmas albums are stellar from start to finish…if you’re open-minded enough to enjoy fresh interpretations of classic tunes, like their jumpin’ treatment of “Holly Jolly Christmas”.

 

Day 9 – Santa Claus Is Back In Town – Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Most of us learned the classic holiday tunes from a handful of albums our parents played year after year. In our house, those albums were by Perry Como, Gene Autry, and Elvis Presley. The Elvis Christmas album was the single biggest seller of his career, and one of the best selling Christmas albums of all time. People who try to cover the songs on that album generally fail because the original stands so call. So the smart thing to do, said the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, would be to take those original recordings and update them with the full might of the RPO. Hence, I give you this bluesy, beaudacious  remake of “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”.

 

Day 10 – Christmas Time Is Here – John Legend

John Legend knew exactly what he was doing when he mimicked the album art from Bing Crosby’s Christmas album for last years’ “Legendary Christmas” offering. He probably understood that if he did it right (and he did), his album could also become an annual holiday staple. Here he is applying his ‘could sing the phone book’ vocals to his slightly-spiked version of Vince Guaraldi’s “Christmas Time Is Here”.