Hark, the herald angels (and pop stars) sing
Darryl Sterdan listens to more holiday albums than you can shake a candy cane at.
RATINGS
★★★ = Ho-ho ★★ = So-so ★ = No-no
’Twas weeks before Christmas, and like every year, I had holiday albums right up to here;
Some were quite rootsy, others quite cutesy, Some were quite sappy and some were ... well, crappy;
But I spun every one — and listened with care, I listened until I could tear out my hair;
Why did I do it? I’ll tell you why: I did it so you would know which ones to buy.
Happy holidays!
ALABAMA American Christmas ★★
Third time’s the charm for these country vets. Their latest homey holiday outing smoothly blends classics and originals in settings from honky-tonk and southern rock to gospel.
EMILIE-CLAIRE BARLOW Lumières d’hiver ★★
Some say Merry Christmas. Others prefer Joyeux Noel. Either way, Canadian chanteuse Barlow is speaking your language on this bilingual batch of sophisticated jazz-pop carols.
THE BEATLES The Christmas Records ★★★
Nothing could be more fab than having all The Beatles’ freewheeling, festive, fan club flex-discs from 1963-69, refurbished on coloured vinyl and collected in a limitededition box.
BONEY M. World Music for Christmas ★★
Holiday travel is a pain — unless you’re on board with the disco icons’ latest festive offering, which takes a stylish musical journey to Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and back.
BROS A Very Bros Christmas Vol. 1 ★★
“Very” is pushing it — this socalled EP from Sheepdogs siblings Ewan and Shamus Currie has just two songs. But at least they’re sweet (and suitably shaggy) acoustic originals.
MYCHAEL DANNA The Man Who Invented Christmas ★½
No, prolific Canuck composer Danna isn’t the man with the bag. But he is the man behind this darkly rich symphonic soundtrack score to the new Dickensian drama at the multiplex.
MATT DUSK Old School Yule! ★★½
Canadian crooner Dusk’s second set of swinging standards and carols might be the most wonderful time of the year — assuming the year is 1962 in a Vegas lounge.
FANTASIA Christmas After Midnight ★★½
There’s nothing wrong with a little holiday funk — especially when Fantasia mixes it with R&B, soul, jazz and blues. But doing Baby, It’s Cold Outside with Cee-Lo? That’s not right.
GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS They Don’t Make Them Like That Anymore ★★½
Then again, maybe they do. Singer-songwriter Tony Dekker and his indie-folk Swimmers mix nostalgia and novelty on this EP, splitting time between rootsy oldies and new fare.
HANSON Finally It’s Christmas ★★½
Mmm-bop around the holiday tree as the three wise men of Hanson deliver a second batch of brotherly love.
JOSHUA HYSLOP O Holy Night ★½
Need some tunes for a silent night? This artfully understated affair from whispery Vancouver indie-folk singer-songwriter Hyslop is as close as you can get. Sleep in heavenly peace.
DAVID IAN Vintage Christmas Trio ★★
Good things come in threes — in more ways than one — as Canadian pianist Ian and his rhythm section soundtrack your season with his third set of contemporary-jazzed classics.
FLORENCE K A New Christmas ★★
There’s more than one way to be new: Quebec vocalist K’s pleasantly poppy, jingly and jazzy EP has three festive originals in both English and French. Thanks and merci!
PATTI LABELLE Home for the Holidays With Friends ★★
Voulez-vous célébrer Noel avec Patti ce soir? You’re not alone — Ruben Studdard, Vivian Green and Jamar Jones help the R&B legend serve up some soul-stirring selections.
THE LOST FINGERS Coconut Christmas ★★½
Everybody loves extra helpings at Christmas — including these Quebec gypsy-jazzers, who serve up another platter of infectiously zippy Yuletide fare in as many years. Mmmm.
MARC MARTEL The First Noel ★★
Once was not enough for Montreal-born rocker Martel. So he’s back with his second holiday EP in as many years, applying his Freddy Mercury-ish vocals to a new handful of oldies.
REBA MCENTIRE My Kind Of Christmas ★★
If Red’s warm, homey brand of piano-lounge cheer seems familiar, no wonder — this is her 2016 holiday disc, padded out with new duets featuring Amy Grant, Vince Gill and others.
PENTATONIX A Pentatonix Christmas Deluxe ★★½
O come back, all ye faithful: The a cappella crew has expanded last year’s holiday release with five more nimble, instrument-free updates of everything from hymns to Hallelujah.
ELVIS PRESLEY Christmas with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ★★★
Good King Presley returns with a hunka-hunka previously released holiday classics, rewrapped in suitably swinging and/or syrupy orchestrations from the RPO. Thangyaverrymush.
SMOKEY ROBINSON Christmas Everyday ★★★
It’s truly a Christmas Miracle. And a soulful holiday party as the Motown legend goes carolling with the help of Trombone Shorty, The Dap-Kings, Take 6 and others.
SIA Everyday is Christmas ★★½
Sia has always been an original. Fittingly, so are the vibrantly bouncy pop ditties and bombastic ballads the quirky Aussie unwraps with studio elf and musical partner Greg Kurstin.
FRANK SINATRA Ultimate Christmas ★★½
Ring-a-ding-ding those bells, pally: It’s the zillionth annual platter of reheated chestnuts from the Chairman of the Board (with cameos by his kids).
GWEN STEFANI You Make It Feel Like Christmas ★★½
And by “You,” she means Blake Shelton, of course. As always, Stefani puts her love life front and centre, peppering her traditionally minded pop fare with girlishly romantic sentiment.
TOM CHAPLIN Twelve Tales of Christmas ★★
Keen for Christmas? So is Keane frontman Chaplin, who puts his sensitive pipes to work on earnestly lush pop originals, fleshed out with covers like The Pretenders’ 2000 Miles.
VARIOUS ARTISTS Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ★
Carey’s holiday hit is the gift that keeps on giving — to her. Here it is again, padded out with other seasonal oldies, one new tune, the orchestral score to her new cartoon and more.
TENORS Christmas Together ★★
They may be three of a kind now. But on their second seasonal set, the remaining Canadian tenors stretch the expected poperatic bombast with cool doo-wop and bouncy pop.
BUTCH WALKER Over The Holidays (And Under The Influence) ★★★
Not to mention laughing all the way. Iconoclastic roots-rocker Walker and his band are in (ahem) high spirits on this loose live rehearsal for his annual carolling bash. Join the party.