Ho, ho, ho!! Funny how the world is divided between people who just love Christmas music, and those who loathe it with an almost equal fervor. Me? I guess I fall somewhere in the middle... There are those countless songs that are simply great to sing along with, and yet Christmas music (and the rampant commercialism of the season) inexorably lends itself to the worst and cheesiest impulses among oh, so many artists... Country music brings its own unique spin to the sentimentality and nostalgia of the season, and there's no shortage of Tannenbaum twang to choose from... Let's take a gander!
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Comps |
Other Country Styles
Chris Isaak "Christmas" (Mailboat Records, 2005)
(Produced by Chris Isaak & Mark Needham)
Burl Ives "Christmas Album" (Columbia Records, 1968) (LP)
(Produced by Neil Wilburn)
Following his decades-long association with the Decca label, Ives went on to record this set of holiday tunes for a rival label, Columbia, in 1968. It's an entirely new repertoire, with some old traditional tunes, as well as new ones like "Santa Mouse..." Once again, it's Burl, it's corny -- it's great!
Burl Ives "The Christmas Collection" (MCA Universal Records, 2003)
Have a holly, jolly Christmas! It's classic yuletide corn, from the fella who played Sam The Snowman on the "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" TV special. One of the most recognizable voices in 20th Century pop culture, old-school folkie Burl Ives recorded prolifically in the 1950s and '60s, but it's Christmas music he'll really be remembered for... This disc collects fifteen fine examples of his Decca Records holiday material, taken from a variety of sources... Most tracks feature prominent pop-orchestral arrangements, but Burl's rolling, grandfatherly tones cut right through the corn every time & draw you in. As cornball Christmas material goes, this is pretty hard to beat.
Burl Ives "Have A Holly Jolly Christmas" (MCA Records, 1995)
Pretty much the same material as in the album listed above, just with twelve songs instead of fifteen (and a slightly cheaper price tag...) It's Burl, it's corny -- it's great!
Hillbilly Holidays - Letter "J"
Hick Music Index
