Shelby Lynne dishes up Southern hospitality and an intimate appeal on Merry Christmas. These seasonal songs make the listener feel welcomed to an up-close jam session. Even the new offering Ain't Nothin' Like Christmas is destined to be a holiday favorite. Dave Koz's saxophone adds a wonderful effect to "Xmas." Fun covers of standards "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" find the gifted Grammy winner enjoying the season in a charming, childlike fashion.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, Lynne will have a concert at Space, 1245 Chicago, Evanston.
Mariah Carey is trying to return to her hey day with yuletide greetings on the lamely titled Merry Christmas II You. "Oh Santa!" and the medley with "Housetop Celebration" are cringe-inducing, yet festive, upbeat numbers. At least the orchestration is grand on "Christmas Time Is in the Air Again."
The supporting actress from Precious is not the only diva in the family. Her mother, Patricia Carey, is the guest opera singer on "O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus."
Last year, Carey teased us with a new remix to "All I Want for Christmas Is You." Instead of tapping somebody else's catalog, she re-recorded another new version of her holiday hit especially for Merry Christmas II You.
Leave it to the Puppini Sisters to put a fantastic twist to Carey's "All I Want for Christmas" by giving it a big-band arrangement. The British trio is renowned for reworking songs into a flawless three-part harmony, like The Andrews Sisters. The act's third album, Christmas with the Puppini Sisters, has holiday classics like "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Let It Snow" and even a slowed down version of WHAM!'s "Last Christmas" as if they were straight out of a yuletide WWII USO show. Just try not to swing-dance to "Step into Christmas." This talented threesome can nail a sacred moment like "O Holy Night," then tease you with a wink during "Santa Baby."
"Santa Baby" has been sung by some of the sultriest sirens like Eartha Kitt, Madonna and Kylie Minogue. British-born crooner Darren Stewart-Jones is adding a gay twist to this holiday number. Now residing in Canada, Stewart-Jones's version of "Santa Baby" has become a viral hit and is available now on iTunes. Proceeds from sales of "Santa Baby" will benefit the It Gets Better Project stateside and The Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line in Canada.
Jane Krakowski's resume ranges from her prime-time hits 30 Rock and Ally McBeal to her classic role in National Lampoon's Vacation and a Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa. The Tony Award winner released her debut, The Laziest Girl in Town, earlier this year. Krakowski's voice is strong here, but what steals the spotlight is her beaming personality. The blonde adds jokes and stories between ditties on this live album. "My Handy Man" and the encore, "Rubber Duckie," are bubbling over with suggestive lyrics. Again, her sense of humor takes center stage during "Tweet," a reworking of "ZIP" and "An Englishman Needs Time." Krakowski's stellar The Laziest Girl in Town is a genuine live album, where the listener actually feels like a member of the audience.
On Hooked!, Lucy Woodward offers a balance between cabaret, jazz and swing. Like the sensational Melody Gardot, this blonde starlet writes her own material and captures the essence of music from '40s and '50s.
The impressive album also includes remakes of Peggy Lee's "Sans Souci" and "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)," as well as the evergreen "Stardust." "Purple Heart" closes with Woodward singing as if she is trying to seduce her listener with her final breath. Mending a broken heart never had so much va-voom as heard on "Slow Recovery." "Leave It to You" would fit perfectly as the love theme for a WWII-era film. The sing-along worthy "Babies" and "Ragdoll" are the set's showstoppers. The rewarding and timeless Hooked! is out now on Verve.
Even though he's "Gone Too Soon," Michael Jackson has several projects surfacing. More than 40 of the late megastar's groundbreaking music videos—short films, if you will—are out now in the comprehensive set Michael Jackson's Vision. Included here are the career-defining moments like "Billie Jean," "Thriller" and "Smooth Criminal," plus the hard-to-find clips to "Come Together" and "One More Chance." My favorites on Michael Jackson's Vision are the David Fincher-directed "Who Is It?" and Herb Ritts' "In the Closet."
Demos and other unreleased tracks have been touched up to comprise the posthumous album Michael. The authenticity of the vocals provided on "Breaking News" has been questioned. Akon takes the driver's seat and overshadows the late King of Pop on the album's limp lead single, "Hold My Hand." But the collaboration with Lenny Kravitz, "(I Can't Make It) Another Day," is electrifying.
A Jackson-themed Wii game is out now. Michael Jackson the Experience offers challenges for the players to duplicate the gloved one's trademark dance moves.
In 2011, Cirque du Soleil will debut Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour. As of now, no Chicago dates are listed. Tickets for dates in The United States and Canada are now on sale.
