Once again, the holiday season is upon us. During 'the most wonderful time of year,' there are several releases to consider gifting to those on your good and naughty lists, as well as for yourself.
Stars from the Great White Way unite for the eighth installment of the perennial favorite Broadway Cares: Carols for a Cure. Cast members from the hottest shows in New York shine as they contribute new interpretations of holiday classics on this worthy find. Participants include those from Tarzan, The Color Purple, Jersey Boys and Altar Boyz among others. Even American Idol's Constantine Maroulis shares the spotlight with these stage veterans. This double disc set benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and is available at broadwaycares.org .
Freddie Mercury possessed one of those voices. For what would have been his 60th birthday, Hollywood Records issued Lover of Life, Singer of Songs: The Very Best of Freddie Mercury. The late Queen frontman had better success with his rock quartet, however his solo career is highlighted by singing along opera great Montserrat Caballe, showing off his near 4 octave range. Denial is a mighty drug, tracks like Love Kills and My Love is Dangerous foreshadow Mercury's struggles. The U.S. version of Lover of Life is out as a 2-disc set, the bonus disc features alternate and demo versions of Mercury's classic solo works, including remixes of his international smash Living on My Own.
Ever wonder what the Beatles, Queen and the Beach Boys would sound like if they worked together in present day? Look no further than to Ann Arbor's Tally Hall. This quintet has earned a name for itself with its genre defying music, blending four part harmonies with hip hop hooks and old school power ballads. Even the band's attire stands out, with each member wearing similar suits, but different colored ties—think Voltron or Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles. The outfit's acclaimed debut Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is out now via Quack! Media.
Also blurring classification is the vocal duo the Ditty Bops, who uses wit and humor to merge folk, ragtime and 1920s inspired harmonies. Theatrics are ever-present on the sophomore album, Moon over the Freeway. The musical and romantic partners Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald rode their bicycles from Los Angeles to New York while on tour promoting Freeway. For this they received the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition's Roll Model award. The pair's songs have been used repeatedly on Grey's Anatomy, while their sound would fit equally as well in the film The Triplets of Belleville.
Mary J. Blige has won three Grammy Awards during her 15-year career. Finally, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul defends her title on her first greatest hits package Reflections: A Retrospective. The Bronx native has released a ballads compilation overseas and two remix projects previously. Blige's collaborations are nothing short of an elite line-up boasting R. Kelly, Elton John, George Michael, U2, Lil Kim, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Dr. Dre to name just some of them. Due to hit shelves on Dec. 12, Reflections shimmers with four new cuts, including the hit We Ride (I See the Future). But how can the goldmine of Blige's material spanning seven albums and various side projects be confined to a single disc set?
British alternative rock demigods Placebo made a come back this year with the Astralwerks album Meds. Featuring Alison Mosshart from the Kills on the title track and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe on Broken Promise, Meds offers a turn to a more rock-based sound than Placebo's more recent efforts. The partially queer trio's video for Meds has bassist Stefan Olsdal achieve symptom relief with a man-on-man kiss. The band also had a cameo in the cult film Velvet Goldmine. While Meds is full of original material, Placebo is known for its covers including Kate Bush's Running up That Hill, Sinead O'Connor's Jackie and T-Rex's 20th Century Boy.
During the introduction on her latest album 20 Y.O., Janet Jackson says she just wants to have fun. Isn't that what the theme was with 2001's All for You and 2004's Damito Jo? Regardless, the youngest Jackson seems to have found the fountain of youth. Sounding more like a 20 year-old, Miss Jackson is on par with the next generation's pop stars like Ciara and Rihanna here. Co-produced by her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri and longtime musical partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, 20 Y.O. marks the superstar's best work since 1997's Velvet Rope. Still it does not have her defining a genre, just playing the game. As a recipient of the Human Rights Campaign's Humanitarian Award in 2005, Jackson is continually supportive of the GLBT community. Her album still sports the nearly extinct AIDS ribbon. Overlook those pregnancy rumors: The Control singer is planning to announce tour details early next year.
Brightblack Morning Light's self-titled debut on Matador Records can channel any city dweller's inner-environmentalist. The Northern Californian transplants deliver soft bluesy sounds teamed with drawn out harmonies. Titles like A River Could be Loved and We Share Our Blanket with the Owl come across as honest with subtleties instead of mere minimalism. This nomadic group masters chill out music to benefit of the mind and soul.
Surrounded by carols and other recycled seasonal tunes, few artists manage to break the norm when personalizing these holiday evergreens. There is nothing like the irony offered with Billy Idol belting out classic Christmas songs on Happy Holidays: A Very Special Christmas Album. This set is special indeed, particularly with his whiplash smile on renditions of Christmas Love, Jungle Bell Rock and Silver Bells. Just the thoughts of Idol dressed like Bing Crosby makes me bellow with a rebel yell.
Need some more humor? Bette Midler decks the halls with her spin on holiday standards on Cool Yule. The Divine Miss M remains on track, following up her recent outstanding tribute albums. The title song has her smiling over the brass section, while her sleigh puts on the brakes for the sentimental Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Who else could pull off the flavor of the golden era of radio with Mele Kalikimaka or even the new recording of From a Distance? Only this gal from Hawaii could deliver such a winter-themed gem.
Feeling a little blue this time of year? Sarah McLachlan is issuing her first collection of seasonal tunes. Out now on Arista, Wintersong is the Canadian artist's perfect blend of inspired songs, plus her take on John Lennon's Happy Xmas (War is Over), a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's Song for a Winter's Night and a teary-eyed version of Joni Mitchell's River. The Lilith Fair founder even penned the title track for this set. What if you're not in the holiday spirit? Check out McLachlan's Mirrorball: The Complete Concert, which is now available on CD. This live collection captures the three-time Grammy Award winner's final show of her tour in Portland. Of course, her favorites—Sweet Surrender, Possession, I Love You and Angel—are all in here. But if it is McLachlan's remixes and electronic ventures you are missing, go to stems.sarahmclachlan.com to create your own mix of her medley The First Noel/Mary Mary.
The ubiquitous carols are not the only harbinger of the holiday season—there is also the mad rush for new albums to hit the shelves in the fourth quarter. Honestly, how many greatest-hits packages does Depeche Mode have to release? Diehards will recall Catching up with Depeche Mode from 1985, as well as The Singles 81-85 and its companion set, The Singles 86-98. Spanning the electronic rockers' entire career and changing line-up, The Best of Depeche Mode-Vol. 1 includes the staples Personal Jesus, Can't Get Enough and People are People. Of course, what is a hits package these days without new material? The lead single, Martyr, was originally intended for the 2005 album Playing the Angel and is the band's most noteworthy song since 1997's It's No Good.
Not too far behind Depeche Mode's strange love of issuing retrospectives is George Michael. Unlike 1998's Ladies and Gentlemen: the Best of George Michael, the dual-disc import package Twenty Five draws from Michael's Wham! days as well as his solo works. Serving as one of the prerequisite new tracks, Michael duets with former Sugarbabes' singer Mutya Buena on slow-burning sexy number This is Not Real Love. Michael has not delivered a duet this strong since he teamed with Mary J. Blige on the remake of Stevie Wonder's As. Some of Michael's most noteworthy solo hits, like Kissing a Fool and Cowboys and Angels, didn't make the final cut on Twenty Five, but Wham! jams like Last Christmas and Everything She Wants did.
U2 is releasing its first single-disc hits package, U218 Singles on Interscope. Featuring 16 classics and two new songs—including The Saints are Coming, a collaboration with Green Day—U218 recalls the band's rise to megastardom. Although the lads have put out only two albums of new material since 1998's The Best of 1980-1990 and the inevitable 2002 sequel The Best of 1990-2000, this condensed collection seems a bit premature. Sadly, Lemon, Numb, Discotheque, and Even Better Than the Real Thing are missing on U218—with such a strong catalogue, there is no way to feature all of U2's musical highlights.
What is that song that has me soaring off of the sofa during the Target holiday-themed spots? It is none other than Goldfrapp's Fly Me Away, from the electronic duo's Supernature album on Mute. The pair's hit, Number One, is licensed for the retail giant's ad campaign as well. Both songs also appear on Goldfrapp's sparkling remix collection, We Are Glitter, along with the hits Oh La La and Strict Machine.
After drawing a massive crowd during Market Days this summer, the Brazilian Girls are returning to the stage at the Metro on Nov. 25. These veterans of Estrojam do not have any Brazilians in the line-up and feature only one woman, vocalist Sabina Sciubba. The New York-based quartet released Talk to La Bomb this fall, the follow-up to the outfit's critically acclaimed eponymous debut. On La Bomb, Sciubba gracefully glides from singing in English to French and then continues in German over the band's familiar grooves. Produced in part by Ric Ocasek, formerly of the Cars, La Bomb explodes with chill-out, bossa nova and dance-floor-ready cuts—perfect to set off the Brazilian Girls' renowned live shows.
In addition, in celebration of its 25th anniversary season, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus is releasing its third CD—conveniently in time for the holidays. Favorite Things (www.cgmc.org) contains concert recordings of some of the group's most popular holiday music. It will be available at the group's 25th-anniversary concert, also called 'Favorite Things,' to be held on Dec. 8-9 at the Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport, in addition to the Web site.
