Late to the Party:

Seeing as we’re all human, there are occasionally going to be bands and albums that we just flat out miss…at least for a while. Welcome to what I call, “Late to the Party.”

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Bing Crosby. Frank Sinatra. Barbara Streisand. The Carpenters. These are the artists we can thank for some of the most classic Christmas albums. These are the albums our parents would dust off each November and throw on the record player. They’re the ones that, when they pop up on iTunes, take us back to our childhood, running around the house in footie pjs counting the days till the Big Man comes. Surprisingly though, there is one iconic name missing from this list of classics. Where the hell is Ray Charles?!

Sure, The Spirit of Christmas didn’t come out until the mid-80’s, but that’s no reason for it to not be a classic. In fact, I would argue it deserves a spot right up there with the rest. First of all, it’s Ray f-ing Charles we’re talking about here. You know it’s going to be good. Second, he doesn’t just dial it in, half-assing the same old tired tunes you would expect. Yeah, there’s some traditional ones like “Drummer Boy,” “Rudolph” and “Winter Wonderland,” but there’s also the much lesser-knowns like “This Time of the Year,” “That Spirit of Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas,” and “Christmas in My Heart.” And regardless of if their popularity, every track has that great Ray Charles flair that seems to span generations. Take “What Child Is This?” for example. It starts true to its “Greensleeves” roots, but just a minute and a half in, he double-times the tempo and turns it into a big band, swing tune, almost entirely abandoning the main theme.

The album features all of your favorite Ray Charles elements: the dirty, raspy voice; the Fender Rhodes he made so popular (remember The Blues Brothers?); the jazz meets gospel meets blues style only he could perfect; and let’s not forget the ladies. The Spirit of Christmas takes holiday tunes to a whole new level. And apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this way. Remember the scene in Christmas Vacation where Clark is locked in the attic watching old family movies? Yup, that’s “That Spirit of Christmas” playing. His version of “Winter Wonderland” also appeared in When Harry Met Sally and Elf. So, it has gotten some recognition, but it deserves some more.

If you are a fan of holiday music and need a change of pace, or even if you’re not but like Ray, give this one a spin this year. If you don’t like either holiday music or Ray, well, I’m not sure there’s much hope for you. But before we go, can we talk about the album art for a second? Is he really driving that sleigh?

Watch footage from the 2003 concert, Ray Charles Celebrates A Gospel Christmas, recorded just a year before his passing:

She and Him - A Very She and Him Christmas

It's that time of the year when the world falls in love…and when our auditory system is assailed with an endless barrage of Christmas songs. One can't step inside an office building, retail store or restaurant or turn on the tv or radio without hearing sleigh bells and a chorus of voices reminding us how wonderful and joyous the season is. And like clockwork, the new release shelves are full of the latest attempts, by popular and washed-up artists alike, at reinventing tired classics like “Jingle Bells” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” But, every great once in a while, if you have the time and patience to weed through the Mariah Careys and Scott Weilands, you can find one that actually offers at least a touch of originality. This year, newcomers She & Him have given us such a gift.

Have you seen Elf? If you have ever sat through a Christmas movie and not wanted to gouge your eyes out and haven’t seen Elf, put it on your list for this year. For those that have, you are probably in the camp that, when Zooey Deschanel sings “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” thought to yourself, wow she’s got a great voice! Apparently Oregon singer-songwriter Matt Ward (M. Ward) is too.

Asked to record a duet for the closing credits of the film The Go-Getter, in which Deschanel had a leading role, she and Ward immediately formed a bond over their similar musical interests and decided to collaborate further, using songs from her secret stash of previous self-recorded tunes. Since then, She & Him have released two studio albums, Volume One and Volume Two, to positive critical analysis. A mix of originals and covers, the albums bring a sound that is both original and classic at the same time. The same can absolutely be said of their latest effort, A Very She & Him Christmas.

Foregoing the big band, big sound album, A Very She & Him Christmas stays true to the She & Him style as a fairly stripped-down, bare-bones take on some winter classics. More coffee shop than concert hall, Ward’s Gibson and acoustic guitars provide the foundation for most of the tunes, with occasional additions of piano and drums. Deschanel’s voice matches her quiet and sweet personality, kind of what you might expect from PJ Harvey if she wasn’t so damn angry.

What’s probably most impressive, though, is the song selection. Rather than forcing an album-full of songs to meet their style, they go after 12 that all seem a natural fit. Hits like the Beach Boys’ “Christmas Day” and “Little Saint Nick”, the Elvis favorite “Blue Christmas,” and even Joey Spampinato’s “Christmas Wish” all suit the duo well and make for a much more pleasurable listening experience than if they had gone with the more typical choices. For those expecting the Elf version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” that would have been too obvious. Not only is this version faster, they also chose to go with the Miss Piggy/Rudolf Nureyev role-reversal version (thanks to Dolph Chaney for that amazing reference).

Producing a Christmas album that encompasses any sort of originality could truly be one of music’s greatest tasks. How in the world can someone be expected to take something so overdone and make it sound new again? This is why, for the most part, the new releases can be pretty much ignored, save for those put out by your favorite artist…and even then it’s not always a welcome addition. A Very She & Him Christmas, however, is certainly an admirable effort. No, it’s not the most original option out there (that award still goes to Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Jingle All the Way), but it is definitely a good attempt. In fact, while most musicians seem to put out Christmas albums because they don’t know what else to do, She & Him, like the Flecktones, seem to have put theirs out because they actually felt they could bring something new to the scene. And that they did.

Rating
Overall: 4/5
Originality: 4/5 (all things considered)
Production: 3/5
Listenability: 5/5

Watch their recent appearance on Leno: