The new season of the Sounds of Christmas has begun!
I’m excited about playing all your favorites again this season, along with lots of new music. I’ve already added around a couple hundred new songs to our library, and it’s still early, so I imagine there will be plenty more new stuff to come.
There’s a page on our website called New For 2023, and that should give you a good idea of a lot of the new music we’re playing this season. That page covers a lot of it, but by no means does it cover it all. I’m sure there are releases I’ve already missed, and as things get busier and busier, there will probably be others that I don’t get a chance to post there. It’s not intentional, and my apologies for any that I have already missed, or that I miss over the next month or two.
I would like to also mention the singers and bands that are supporting us this season. The Sounds of Christmas doesn’t run a lot of commercials, and what we do run mostly just keeps the station going. It’s never been a big money-maker, and it was never meant to be. It’s just a way I can share my love of Christmas music with as many as I can, and if I can do that without it costing me a small fortune, all the better.
You’re going to have the opportunity, if you choose, to meet a lot of the singers and musicians who are supporting us this season on upcoming episodes of the Sounds of Christmas podcast, but I’d like to take a few moments and introduce them to you.
First, a huge thank you to those who are returning. These people have been with us for multiple seasons, and I’m very grateful that somehow we found each other and share our love of Christmas music!
This year, there are twenty-seven artists that are supporting us, and seventeen of them have been with us at least one time before!
I’m excited about playing all your favorites again this season, along with lots of new music. I’ve already added around a couple hundred new songs to our library, and it’s still early, so I imagine there will be plenty more new stuff to come.
There’s a page on our website called New For 2023, and that should give you a good idea of a lot of the new music we’re playing this season. That page covers a lot of it, but by no means does it cover it all. I’m sure there are releases I’ve already missed, and as things get busier and busier, there will probably be others that I don’t get a chance to post there. It’s not intentional, and my apologies for any that I have already missed, or that I miss over the next month or two.
I would like to also mention the singers and bands that are supporting us this season. The Sounds of Christmas doesn’t run a lot of commercials, and what we do run mostly just keeps the station going. It’s never been a big money-maker, and it was never meant to be. It’s just a way I can share my love of Christmas music with as many as I can, and if I can do that without it costing me a small fortune, all the better.
You’re going to have the opportunity, if you choose, to meet a lot of the singers and musicians who are supporting us this season on upcoming episodes of the Sounds of Christmas podcast, but I’d like to take a few moments and introduce them to you.
First, a huge thank you to those who are returning. These people have been with us for multiple seasons, and I’m very grateful that somehow we found each other and share our love of Christmas music!
This year, there are twenty-seven artists that are supporting us, and seventeen of them have been with us at least one time before!
I have to start with Kenny Davies. He says his song "Christmas Rap" is the "true story" about Santa. He recorded it and posted it to YouTube around Thanksgiving 2012. And he's been sponsoring us season after season. It’s possible that he’s been with us since that first year his song came out, but if not, it’s definitely been almost that long. In fact, he is almost always the first one to sign on for the next season, sometimes as early as Spring!
Russ Lorenson first advertised with us in 2015, when he released his second Christmas album. Very happy to have him back with us again for In The Holiday Spirit's 8th anniversary (and the seventeenth anniversary of that first Christmas release, What I Want For Christmas). You can find out more about both of those albums, as well as Russ' other music, when you click the picture and go to his website.
I think this year marks five in a row for Suzanne’s Band. Their second Christmas single came out in 2021, and Suzanne checked in with us along the way to share that single’s journey from the earliest writing and recording stages, up through its release. There’s a new video for it, and the rumor is we just might get new Christmas music from Suzanne next year
Tommee Profitt is back for the fourth time in a row. Three years ago, after a fifteen year journey, he finally released his amazing Christmas album, Birth Of A King. He created the concept of making an epic soundtrack to what many refer to as the Greatest Story Ever Told. And this year, he’s releasing an album of The Birth of A King recorded live in concert, featuring an amazing array of guest performers!
And Laurie Berkner is back for her fourth time, too. Last year, she released her second Christmas album Another Laurie Berkner Christmas. Her previous Christmas album, A Laurie Berkner Christmas, came out around ten years ago, so she said she thought it was time for a sequel
Lauren Daigle is also back for her fourth time. And this year, she’s collected all the tracks from her Christmas album Behold, added in the bonus tracks from special editions, along with some singles, for Behold: The Complete Set.
Paul Kelly is back this year for his third time! He released his first ever Christmas album, Paul Kelly’s Christmas Train two years ago, which included an updated version of his popular classic "How To Make Gravy"! And last year, he added a new song to his album, a cover of “Maybe This Christmas”, to what was already a massive collection! .
Cliff Beach is also back for his third time. Last year, he released an a cappella version of “Jingle Bells”, and the year before, his first Christmas album Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (filled with covers in several styles, along with the original title track)! And this year, he has a brand new single on the way called "Christmas Day Funk"!
Dan Ashley is also back for his third time! He has a great Christmas single, a cover of My Favorite Time Of The Year (and you may know the original by the Florin Street Band). He has also hinted to me that there just might be a Christmas album in the not-too-distant future
Linda Imperial is also back for her third time. She has a new original Christmas single called “Christmas In The Tropics”, she’s previously released “Christmas, You And Me” and a version of her favorite Christmas song - “Little Drummer Boy”.
Liz Kennedy is back, too, also for her third time. She has a new original Christmas single just out called “Snow In San Francisco”, and previously released the single “Snowman Moon (A Christmas Crime), which she says she hopes captures that magic that is found in love and also at this very special time of year.
Singer-songwriter Sarah Partridge is back for her second year in a row, following last year’s release of her first Christmas album, “A Partridge In A Pear Tree”, which she said had to be the title, given her last name.
American Roots Singer/Songwriter Grant Maloy Smith is also back for a second year in a row. His first Christmas album “The Christmas Heart” came out last year (and you may also know Grant from his single a few years back, “Fly Possum Fly”)!
Jazz/pop/standards vocalist Jane Monheit is with us for her second time this year, following the release of her second Christmas album “The Merriest”, which came out last year. Jane released her first Christmas album, “The Season”, in 2005, and a follow-up had been on her schedule for years!
Paul Kelly isn’t the only Australian singer with us this year. Rhonda Burchmore is back for her second time, with her big band Christmas album A Red Hot Swingin’ Christmas (which also features the Jack Earle Big Band) - another Christmas project that was in the works for years, and once you’ll hear it, you’ll know it was worth the wait!!
David Lanz and Kristin Amarie are also back for their second year, with several new singles on the way (starting with "Gloria In Excelsis Deo", following last year’s releases of “Silent Night” and “Mary Did You Know”.
As if that wasn’t enough, there are some super-talented, amazing singers and musicians joining the Sounds of Christmas this year for the first time.
First, David Arkenstone joins us this year, with the release of his new album Winterlüde. David has released around 80 studio albums in his amazing career, along with soundtracks and video game scores, including a number of songs for World of Warcraft. He’s also released many Christmas and Christmas-themed albums, and is heading out on a tour for the Winterlüde album later this month!
Blues singer Lisa Bialis is also with us for her first time this year, following the release of her first Christmas album At Christmas, an album filled with blues, big band swing, classic rock, Southern rock, country-soul and mid-20th century pop.
Back to Australia for Dami Im and her first Christmas album, Christmas Songbook! Dami placed second in the Eurovision Song contest and went on to win X Factor in Australia! While the new album isn’t out just yet, the first single “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” is streaming, and you can also catch a wonderful version of “The Christmas Song” on her YouTube channel!
And while we’re in Australia, we’re excited to have legendary singer Marcia Hines with us for the first time this year! Marcia has a new Gospel album out called The Gospel According To Marcia, and maybe she’ll get around to getting us some Christmas music next year. Maybe.
Children’s music performer and recording artist Sukey Molloy joins us for the first time this year. Celebrity Parents Magazine says that Sukey is undeniably today’s Mister Rogers! Her new album, just out, is called “Snow Is Falling - Songs For Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa”
Singer-songwriter Quinn Hedges teased his new album with a couple singles in October, and now he makes his debut with the Sounds of Christmas, following the release of his first Christmas album, Night Divine.
Aubrey Logan is also with us for the first time this year. She’s had a few Christmas singles over the last few years, and finally delivers the Christmas album we’ve been waiting for, simply called Christmas”.
The A Cappella group Kings Return is also with us for the first time this year. Their new album is called We Four Kings”, and it follows an earlier Christmas EP called A Merry Little Christmas.
Singer/songwriter Michelle Malone has a new Christmas album with the Hot Toddies, called Toddie Time, following a previous Christmas single, a Christmas album (and lots of other Christmas goodies on her website)!
And Indie Americana power pop band the Tell Alls are also with us for the first time this year. They’ve previously had a few Christmas singles on their Bandcamp page, but this year, those will be available everywhere you stream and download music!
I’m very grateful to each and every one of these artists for supporting the Sounds of Christmas this season, and I wanted to mention them here, even though you’ll get the chance to meet most of them in upcoming podcast episodes (though quite a few of them have already made appearances on this podcast, and you can check those out right now, if you haven’t already). And, of course, you’ll get to hear their music on the Sounds of Christmas, now that our new season has begun!
I probably should take this opportunity to let you know, just in case you’re new to us (and also just in case you’re not new but you don’t remember), how to listen to the Sounds of Christmas.
There are three pretty simple ways to tune in.
First, simply click on the player on the front page of our website. This way, you can listen to us as long as you're on that page, even if you open other windows.
Second, you can click on the tree on our front page. That opens a pop-up player, so you can keep listening to us whether you stay on our website, or go to check your email, Facebook, etc. You can keep listening as long as you keep that pop-up player open.
Both of those options are also available on the Listen Now page. I also want to mention that some browsers don’t show the player, and in those cases, you’ll only be able to click the tree for our pop-up player.
And third, you can download our free app in the Google Play store (for your Android device), and take us with you wherever you go!
I know that you may not be ready for Christmas music, yet, but when you are, we're ready for you! The Sounds of Christmas is playing the best variety of Christmas music, with all your favorite tunes and favorite artists, along with hundreds of brand new songs!
Thanks so much for your support! And may you always believe in Santa Claus!
I probably should take this opportunity to let you know, just in case you’re new to us (and also just in case you’re not new but you don’t remember), how to listen to the Sounds of Christmas.
There are three pretty simple ways to tune in.
First, simply click on the player on the front page of our website. This way, you can listen to us as long as you're on that page, even if you open other windows.
Second, you can click on the tree on our front page. That opens a pop-up player, so you can keep listening to us whether you stay on our website, or go to check your email, Facebook, etc. You can keep listening as long as you keep that pop-up player open.
Both of those options are also available on the Listen Now page. I also want to mention that some browsers don’t show the player, and in those cases, you’ll only be able to click the tree for our pop-up player.
And third, you can download our free app in the Google Play store (for your Android device), and take us with you wherever you go!
I know that you may not be ready for Christmas music, yet, but when you are, we're ready for you! The Sounds of Christmas is playing the best variety of Christmas music, with all your favorite tunes and favorite artists, along with hundreds of brand new songs!
Thanks so much for your support! And may you always believe in Santa Claus!
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