Time For Christmas Music

It’s that time of year again. Halloween candy has been consumed, the Thanksgiving meal and its leftovers have been eaten, and Christmas is barreling down on us. There are many things to love about Christmas - the food, the gifts, the decorations, the whole “peace on Earth” aesthetic - but today let’s talk about the music. The music collection at Mercer County Library System is top notch and that includes our Holiday collection. All the albums I’m going to discuss are available for checkout both digitally (through hoopla) and physically, unless otherwise noted. These albums are not ranked in any particular order; and this is just a selection of some of our Christmas albums.

The first album I’ll be looking at is Motown Christmas*, not to be confused with Christmas with Motown, a different, but also good, holiday album. Motown Christmas is sixteen tracks of holiday goodness wrapped in the world-famous Motown sound. For those who don’t know, the Motown sound was a sophisticated blend of R&B, soul, and pop, made famous by Detroit-based Motown Records in the 1960s and 1970s. I think this would be a great album for a holiday party. People who love Christmas music will like the holiday-ness and people who hate Christmas music (retail workers may fall into this category) will appreciate that it isn’t too Christmas-y. I think the best example of that synergy on this album is the third track “Go Tell It on the Mountain/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” sung by Gregory Porter and Anita Wilson. A mashup of one Christmas song and one not-Christmas song blended seamlessly together. The album’s hidden gem is “Little Drummer Boy” sung by Tye Tribbett; it’s a snappy take on the holiday classic that features a drumline performing with Tribbett.

The next Christmas album I’ll be looking at is Happy Holidays by **record scratch** Billy Idol?! Yes, sneering punk icon Billy Idol has the Christmas spirit and has recorded a whole album to prove it. This album surprised me. I sort of expected a Christmas album in the style of Idol’s biggest hits. I thought maybe he’d even mashup “White Christmas” and “White Wedding.” I was wrong. This is definitely not Christmas Rebel Yell. This is a very straightforward Christmas album, with mostly classics (“Silver Bells,” “O Christmas Tree”) and a couple of newer Christmas hits (“Santa Claus is Back in Town,” “Run Rudolph Run”). I actually liked it a lot. Idol’s deep, clear voice pairs well with the classic songs. My personal favorite was his version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” He also sings “White Christmas” with no hint of “White Wedding” in it. I do have one issue with the album, though. “Auld Lang Syne,” (the New Year’s Eve song) is the second to last song on the album. Look, I’m aware that New Year’s Day is not the end of the Holiday season for everyone, however, it is the end for many people. If you put “Auld Lang Syne” on your Christmas album, it ends the album! That’s the rule! Get it together, Billy.

The next album on this list is Now That’s What I Call Merry Christmas. There are actually two different albums with this title in our collection, but I’ll be talking about the 2016 version. This is one of many holiday albums in the Now! series. It’s also another album that tricked me. This album opens with Justin Beiber’s “Mistletoe,” an original song from the singer. However, the rest of the album is mostly holiday classics. Classics such as Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” and “Let it Snow” sung by Dean Martin. Songs that have been playing during the holiday season every year. If you really love these old favorites, then this is the album for you. My personal favorite is the final track, Wham!’s “Last Christmas.”

Our next album is Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas II You. I shouldn’t have to sell you on the queen of Christmas. However, if you want Ms. Carey’s bona fides, her single “All I Want For Christmas is You” (track 12 on this album) went certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America as of December 3, 2021. It is currently the only holiday song ever to do so. A song reaches diamond status upon passing ten million sales and streaming units (in the United States.) It is also the second holiday song to snag the number one spot on the Hot 100 list (in 2019); the first song being “The Chipmunk Song” in 1958. If you’d like to explore the Mariah Christmasverse further, you could also check out the children’s book All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey, a story about a little girl named Mariah who really wants a puppy for Christmas. If you like that book, you’ll love the movie version, which MCLS has on DVD. You might also like The Christmas Princess, a book that sees Little Mariah use the power of her voice to spread the spirit of Christmas. The album Merry Christmas II You is filled with original and classic Christmas songs and Mariah brings the full weight of her talent to every one. The best track, aside from “All I Want for Christmas is You,” is probably track ten, a live recording of “O Holy Night.” However, track eight, a “Charlie Brown Christmas (Medley),” really brings something unique to the album. It starts with the instrumental “Linus and Lucy” and transitions into “Christmas Time is Here” (the song from the Charlie Brown Christmas special). I’ve never heard another singer try that, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. You know what else I like about this album? The final track is a fun dance remix of “Auld Lang Syne.” Like a consummate professional, she ended the album with “Auld Lang Syne.” That’s how it’s done, Billy Idol!

I said at the beginning of this blog post that these choices were not ranked, but I did save my personal favorite for last. This album is The Best of Pentatonix Christmas by Pentatonix. We actually have several Pentatonix albums on our shelves, but I think this one is the best representative of their Christmas output. Pentatonix do Christmas carols right. They use their acapella skills to make these songs interesting, but they never change the arrangement enough to be off-putting to listeners who want to hear their favorite Christmas classics. My only issue with this album is the presence of non-Holiday music. Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is on this album. It is a beautiful rendition, but “Hallelujah” is not a Christmas song. I won’t bother picking a favorite on the album, because they’re all good, however, track six, “Mary Did You Know?”, is featured on one of the albums I mentioned earlier. Now That’s What I Call Merry Christmas’ track three is “Mary Did You Know?” by Pentatonix. I’d say getting on this list twice is definitely an endorsement of quality.

All of these albums are great, but if they’re not for you MCLS has a large holiday music section and there is probably something you would love. Do you like country music? Check out Now That’s What I Call Country Christmas (only available as a physical CD). Do you love a Broadway diva? Try Idina Menzel’s Holiday Wishes. Also, while our holiday collection is dominated by Christmas, we do have music for other winter holidays. If you celebrate Kwanzaa you could try Kwanzaa Music (only available as a physical CD). If you celebrate Hanukkah maybe Hanukkah and All That Jazz by Jon Simon would interest you. I hope you’ll take advantage of the variety in our holiday music section and find something that will bring you comfort and joy in this holiday season. 

*There are actually several Motown Christmas digital albums and at least two physical Motown Christmas albums in the system. I did not realize that at time of writing.

- by Shanna C., Acquisition and Cataloging Department