Eighteen months ago, when I kicked off this site, I had a goal of trying to post daily. I made it a few weeks, but ultimately didn’t make it that far, although I did manage to update the site at a pace that yielded 100 posts for the first year. At the one-year anniversary, I decided to try again. Continue reading
The second Christmas Present season comes to a close today, given today is Christmas day. To give you something to enjoy the holiday, this year I’ve compiled 20 posts of Christmas Present selections (at least what’s available anyway) into a Spotify playlist. 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
Kelly Clarkson has been a force in the more than a decade since she first became a star as the first winner of “American Idol.” Her career of course has sustained itself on the power of a continuous string of strong tracks and her beautiful voice (she could sing the phone book). She didn’t rest in 2013, releasing some new tracks, a greatest hits CD, and a Christmas album, “Wrapped in Red.” Continue reading
Thanksgiving weekend a year ago, I was able to pull the trigger and get this blog finished and moving. Given my personal site had been neglected for years, it was an accomplishment, and the fact that I’ve actually used it, and updated it, for a year, is to me another one (I have a tendency to let things fall off before a year has passed). With that in mind, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on a year here and what it’s meant. Continue reading
In our first entry of the second annual round of Christmas Present posts (click here for a recap of last year, or here for an explanation of what Christmas Present represents), I go to another well-considered take of the classic Paul McCartney tune “Wonderful Christmastime,” re-envisioned by The Shins for a record last year. Continue reading
November has arrived, and the holiday season, which has already been creeping into life, now will start to take over on a more full fledged basis. Door busters, Christmas decorations, holiday music… the season is arriving. But when’s the right time to break out the holiday music? Continue reading
Merry Christmas! For the past month I’ve compiled selections in the inaugural year of the Christmas Present project; across 10 entries more than 20 songs have been selected for a different kind of holiday playlist. Here, I recap them in the final hours of Christmas Day, and next year we’ll add more to the list. Continue reading
Our last Christmas Present of the year is the first recommendation to come from a Facebook friend and co-worker, Ashley, who shared some of her own selections with me recently and, added bonus, they were made available as free downloads this season. Of them, I love most her recommendation of a 2010 track from Fitz and the Tantrums, “Santa Stole My Lady.” Continue reading
The song “Carol of the Bells,” with its elaborate musical progression, opens up a lot of options for arrangement. As such, while I love The Bird and the Bee’s version a lot, this year Pentatonix has released a version I also very much enjoy. Continue reading