I began this cycle of Christmas Present with a selection of “Wonderful Christmastime” by The Shins. Let’s end the cycle with another take. This time, the artist is Straight No Chaser, which brings Paul McCartney into the mix, giving this edition a nod from the man who originally brought the song to life. Continue reading
Today’s Christmas Present pick is by a Christian artist with a beautiful voice and a great musical aesthetic, Brandon Heath. His 2009 original “The Night Before Christmas” has been on my playlist since its release, a song that, while slower on the spectrum, invokes a beautiful mood.
A co-worker brought this to my attention recently, and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. It’s (seemingly) intentionally awful, holiday themed, and the artist himself changed his name to Froggy Fresh after a legal cease-and-desist from the famous doughnut brand.
In the spirit of the holidays, enjoy, laugh, and explore more from Froggy Fresh if you’re feeling ambitious.
Today’s Christmas Present entry reaches back almost a decade to 2004, to a fun, nutty and absolutely clever cover of a song featured in the Rankin/Bass classic “A Year Without a Santa Claus.” Continue reading
While culling through YouTube, prepping some of the final Christmas Present entries, a Sony VAIO ad queued up ahead of a video. As the music kicked up, I became intrigued, curious to know who the artist behind the track could be. Continue reading
For today’s entry, we wind the clock back a few years to a group that, at the time, was billed as a solo side project for an artist from a band (who this year broke up from said “side project,” which had ultimately become a band itself, to record solo). Continue reading
Jesse McCartney is one of those artists that routinely is a pleasant surprise to trip across. Having his genesis as part of team pop group Dream Street, he was never really on my radar, yet every so often he’d pop out with an infectious pop single that’s impossible to ignore. Continue reading
Leona Lewis, who made waves with “Bleeding Love” a few years back after winning the third season of the U.K. version of “The X Factor,” is back with a new Christmas album thanks to Simon Cowell’s label. “Christmas With Love” is a serious throwback album, but that’s part of what makes it fun. Continue reading
Today’s Christmas Present looks at a group that had some success breaking through with dance music in the U.S., Cascada. The group released a Christmas album in 2012 called “It’s Christmas Time” that largely eschews the rhythmic music they’re known for, to mediocre results, but it’s their rendition of “Last Christmas,” recorded during their hey day, that prompts this entry. Continue reading
Last month I shared updates about Hank & Cupcakes’ upcoming second album, “Cash for Gold,” and noted the first single, “Countdown,” was on the way. Friday, that single was released on iTunes and other digital outlets. Continue reading