Cee Lo Green and the Muppets had a jolly good time at the recent Rockefeller Center tree lighting — Kermit and Co. also assist the crooner on his “Magic Moment” album (inset). (
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’Tis the season to survey holiday songs — be they sappy or snappy!
Cee Lo Green
Lo’s Magic Moment”
★★★
HE’S plump and jolly like Santa, and dresses as festively as a Christmas tree, but until now Cee Lo hasn’t recorded a holiday album. Better late than never, because his bouncy personality and passion for lush-sounding soul music makes this a particularly cheery release. His take on the Motown staple “What Christmas Means to Me” and the brassy cover of “Run Rudolph Run” are so exuberant, they could have you reaching for the eggnog in July. The sappier numbers, such as “Silent Night,” are less distinguished, but otherwise, this is a moment that was long overdue. — H.P.
Various Artists
“Holidays Rule”
★★
CHRISTMAS songs are old-fashioned to begin with, but this new compilation from Starbucks’ label, Hear Music, lets its participants wallow in nostalgia — most of the time, not memorably. Paul McCartney makes like a dusky jazzman, while Rufus Wainwright and Sharon Van Etten do a piano-lounge “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Some artists make deliberate allusions: The Shins rearrange McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime” to sound like the Beach Boys, while Heartless Bastards do “Blue Christmas” á la Patsy Cline. But most of it is so hushed and polite, it’s almost a relief that “Sleigh Ride” (from the band fun.) is even more annoying than their hits. Almost. — M.M.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
“This Christmas”
★ 1/2
YES, this really exists, and yes, it’s really as lousy as you’d imagine. Travolta takes his singing seriously, but his tenor is light as a cream puff, without much presence. Livvy sounds about the same as ever — breathy and a little too excitable. When the two stars get cute together between lines it’s nauseating (see the coda of “The Christmas Song”), but the bigger problem is the thinness of the music, which gives the entire thing a rinky-dink feel. — M.M.
Various Artists
“’Twas the Night Before Hanukkah: The Musical Battle Between Christmas and the Festival of Lights”
★★★
MOST of the time, “holiday album” is a euphemism for a Christmas one. But this two-CD compilation of tracks by Jewish performers, divided into “Happy Hanukkah” and “Merry Christmas” discs, is a lively and rewarding exception. It ranges wide chronologically and stylistically, as it jumps from the big band swing of Benny Goodman’s “Santa Claus Came in the Spring” to the goofy folk of Debbie Friedman’s “The Latke Song” to the salsa of Larry Harlow’s “El Dia de la Navidad.” — M.M.
Rod Stewart
“Merry Christmas, Baby”
★
APPARENTLY there aren’t enough easy-listening Christmas songs in the civilized world already, so Rod Stewart has kindly taken it upon himself to record a few more. As if that wasn’t a dull enough prospect on its own, the aged rocker enlists Canadian cheeseball Michael Bublé to sing with him on “Winter Wonderland,” and perhaps most uncomfortably, raises Ella Fitzgerald from the grave for a studio-engineered “duet” on “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” It was a nice thought Rod, but you shouldn’t have bothered. Seriously. — H.P.
Tracey Thorn
“Tinsel and Lights”
★★ 1/2
THE singer from Everything But the Girl (“Missing”) has one of pop’s most unique voices — a throaty burr with a burgundy hue. It’s the kind of voice made for standards, but her personable holiday album only features one well-known song (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”). There are two originals, and covers ranging from Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” to the White Stripes’ “In the Cold, Cold Night” (done with an Elvis-like echo). The musical settings, courtesy of producer Ewan Pearson, are economical without seeming chintzy. — M.M.
Various Artists
“Now That’s What I Call Today’s Christmas”
★★ 1/2
IF you’ve become completely numb to the sound of Bing Crosby and Dean Martin crooning their Christmas classics, then this roll call of contemporary artists provides some respite. It’s not without its share of fillers — Justin Bieber’s “Mistletoe” is especially sappy, while Selena Gomez’s rocked-out take on “Winter Wonderland” is simply laughable. But there are some gems hidden here. Coldplay’s big-budget ballad “Christmas Lights” is one of the best festive singles recorded in recent years, and Lady Gaga’s characteristically campy version of “White Christmas” is also a hoot. It’s unlikely that many of these songs will pass into the Christmas-music canon, but this compilation does at least offer a solid second string. — H.P.
SpongeBob SquarePants
“It’s a SpongeBob Christmas! Album”
★★★
DOES your family fight every holiday? Then, you need SpongeBob’s “Don’t Be a Jerk (It’s Christmas),” a silly doo-wop number, to make everything better: “When others are talking, never interrupt/Don’t put people down or leave the toilet seat up.”
It sets the tone for this short (25 minutes) but sweet-toned and clever collection, which, like the show itself, is aimed straight at kids but enjoyable for anyone. — M.M.
Blake Shelton
“Cheers, It’s Christmas”
★★
HEARING the country-crossover star add his Southern twang to the usual holiday fare on “Cheers, It’s Christmas” isn’t exactly a musical revelation. What’s far more interesting is the trio of originals Shelton throws into the mix. “Santa’s Got a Choo Choo Train” is an irresistibly fun blast of rockabilly, while “Time for Me To Come Home” sees Shelton duetting with mother Dorothy Shackleford to create a warm, idyllic vision of holiday domesticity. It’s about as down home as you can get, and all the more touching for it. — H.P.
Lady Antebellum
“On This Winter’s Night”
★ 1/2
CHRISTMAS music seems to be a passion for this Nashville trio, who, having already released an EP of holiday standards in 2010, are back with a full-length offering. But festive cheer is thin on the ground, due to their insistence on reducing almost everything to sedentary tempos. Even Mariah Carey’s fabulously boisterous “All I Want for Christmas Is You” gets turned into a dull, sleepy ballad. On the plus side, it’s got great potential for pacifying overexcited children on Christmas Eve. — H.P.