The annual sleigh-load of new holiday music ensures enough variety of seasonal strains to satisfy every branch of the family tree. But wading through that yule tide can be tough sledding. USA TODAY music critics Elysa Gardner, Edna Gundersen, Steve Jones, Brian Mansfield and JerryShriver offer sound advice on selecting sonic stocking stuffers.
FOR YOUR CROON-CRAVING MOM
Michael Bublé, Christmas
When the weather outside is frightful, Bublé's creamy bari-tenor can smooth away all the rough edges. The Canadian adult-contemporary favorite approaches a range of golden oldies with his usual mix of playfulness and reverence, putting a jazzy New Orleans spin on Blue Christmas and turning Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You into a power ballad. He's joined by a children's choir on Silent Night and by Mexican siren Thalia on a flamenco-flecked Feliz Navidad. Other guests: fellow traditionalists the Puppini Sisters (Jingle Bells) and a slinky Shania Twain (White Christmas). There's also a Bublé original, the earnestly romantic Cold December Night (co-written with Alan Chang and Bob Rock). — Gardner
Also consider:
•Paul Anka, Songs of December
•Tony Bennett, The Classic Christmas Album
•Dean Martin, My Kind of Christmas
FOR YOUR TWEEN NIECE
Justin Bieber, Under the Mistletoe
Dismiss Bieber if you want, but kids have made many of Christmas' most enduring records, from Brenda Lee to the Jackson 5. And Mistletoe, which sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week alone, is a solid addition to the canon of youthful, R&B-oriented holiday albums. The choice of material often plays to Bieber's burgeoning skills as a romantic balladeer, and he brings in guests with cross-generational appeal, including Boyz II Men (a cappella Fa La La), Mariah Carey (All I Want for Christmas Is You) and Usher (The Christmas Song). Only the silly couplets in a rap version of Drummer Boy— "Playing for the king, playing for the title/I'm surprised you didn't hear this in the Bible" — seem like an obvious misstep. Maybe Mistletoe won't have the timeless appeal of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, but they probably said that about the J5's Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, too. — Mansfield
Also consider:
•Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2
•Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring David Archuleta, Glad Christmas Tidings
•The Sing-Off: Songs of the Season
FOR YOUR HIPSTER SISTER
Scott Weiland, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The Stone Temple Pilots rocker takes an unexpected hiatus, shelving his flamboyant wail to reveal a silky baritone on lush arrangements of holiday classics. The spark for the collection was a performance two years ago on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, inspired by Frank Sinatra's 1957 recording. Weiland's sentimental set covers standards popularized by Bing Crosby (White Christmas), Perry Como (Winter Wonderland) and Nat King Cole (The Christmas Song). But it's not all croon tunes. He enlists steel drums on a reggae rendition of O Holy Night, jazzes up What Child Is This?, adds a bossa nova beat to Silent Night and submits his original Happy Christmas and Many More. — Gundersen
Also consider:
•She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas
•Jack Johnson and various artists, This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday, Volume 2
•Shonen Knife, Sweet Christmas
Read the complete original article on USA Today's site right here
FOR YOUR CROON-CRAVING MOM
Michael Bublé, Christmas
When the weather outside is frightful, Bublé's creamy bari-tenor can smooth away all the rough edges. The Canadian adult-contemporary favorite approaches a range of golden oldies with his usual mix of playfulness and reverence, putting a jazzy New Orleans spin on Blue Christmas and turning Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You into a power ballad. He's joined by a children's choir on Silent Night and by Mexican siren Thalia on a flamenco-flecked Feliz Navidad. Other guests: fellow traditionalists the Puppini Sisters (Jingle Bells) and a slinky Shania Twain (White Christmas). There's also a Bublé original, the earnestly romantic Cold December Night (co-written with Alan Chang and Bob Rock). — Gardner
Also consider:
•Paul Anka, Songs of December
•Tony Bennett, The Classic Christmas Album
•Dean Martin, My Kind of Christmas
FOR YOUR TWEEN NIECE
Justin Bieber, Under the Mistletoe
Dismiss Bieber if you want, but kids have made many of Christmas' most enduring records, from Brenda Lee to the Jackson 5. And Mistletoe, which sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week alone, is a solid addition to the canon of youthful, R&B-oriented holiday albums. The choice of material often plays to Bieber's burgeoning skills as a romantic balladeer, and he brings in guests with cross-generational appeal, including Boyz II Men (a cappella Fa La La), Mariah Carey (All I Want for Christmas Is You) and Usher (The Christmas Song). Only the silly couplets in a rap version of Drummer Boy— "Playing for the king, playing for the title/I'm surprised you didn't hear this in the Bible" — seem like an obvious misstep. Maybe Mistletoe won't have the timeless appeal of Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, but they probably said that about the J5's Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, too. — Mansfield
Also consider:
•Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 2
•Mormon Tabernacle Choir featuring David Archuleta, Glad Christmas Tidings
•The Sing-Off: Songs of the Season
FOR YOUR HIPSTER SISTER
Scott Weiland, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
The Stone Temple Pilots rocker takes an unexpected hiatus, shelving his flamboyant wail to reveal a silky baritone on lush arrangements of holiday classics. The spark for the collection was a performance two years ago on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, inspired by Frank Sinatra's 1957 recording. Weiland's sentimental set covers standards popularized by Bing Crosby (White Christmas), Perry Como (Winter Wonderland) and Nat King Cole (The Christmas Song). But it's not all croon tunes. He enlists steel drums on a reggae rendition of O Holy Night, jazzes up What Child Is This?, adds a bossa nova beat to Silent Night and submits his original Happy Christmas and Many More. — Gundersen
Also consider:
•She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas
•Jack Johnson and various artists, This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday, Volume 2
•Shonen Knife, Sweet Christmas
Read the complete original article on USA Today's site right here
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