Best of New Christmas Music from Emily Hearn

Penelope Barnhurst Christmas Music, Christmas News December 10, 2018December 10, 2018emily hearn 0 Comment

Is it possible to release a new Christmas album full of traditional favorites…and just skip the fancy YouTube productions? It is when your voice is pure, your talent obvious and your music is just made for radio. That is what Emily Hearn has accomplished with her Christmas album: Hearn, whose songwriting and raw-quality pop sound has vaulted her to fame, is not making a production of her Christmas album. She’s just throwing it out there, doing it her way, and the results are so very pleasing. About the only positioning I can see with this album is the heady titleRead more

Virtual Hallelujah Chorus

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas Video December 8, 2018December 8, 2018 0 Comment

Imagine combining the voices of thousands in a massive performance of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. That was the vision in the creation of this video from just a few year ago: How many of us have imagined ourselves singing like this? How many of us have belted out our part of the Hallelujah Chorus while in the shower or in the car, hearing it on the radio? Handel’s Messiah was originally written for Easter but has over the centuries now become associated with Christmas. The Hallelujah Chorus is the climax of what Handel himself saw as a mircle. Of creating MessiahRead more

Best New Christmas Music from Mason Ramsey

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 6, 2018December 5, 2018mason ramsey 0 Comment

Have you seen this kid, Mason Ramsey? Chances are you have. A year ago he was just another 11 year old kid from the midwest, likely tracking Santa and dreaming of a white Christmas. This year he is practically as famous as Santa and singing White Christmas — for millions. Only the age of the Internet can create such a thing. But here’s the deal: this Walmart Yodel Boy can actually…well, wail: Seriously. He became a sensation when a video of him yodeling Hank Williams in a Walmart went viral. He practically became a Hall of Famer when he becameRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from the Tabernacle Choir

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 5, 2018December 4, 2018Tabernacle Choir 0 Comment

Christmas and choir music just go together. The Tabernacle Choir is not afraid to tackle any song of Christmas but nowhere do they shine better than on the traditional, simple songs of Christmas such as O Little Town of Bethlehem. They are, quite literally, a choir of angels: The all-volunteer choir actually puts out new Christmas music each season based upon Christmas concerts held the previous year. This gives the Tabernacle Choir perhaps the most diverse and comprehensive Christmas music portfolio anywhere. O Little Town of Bethlehem is a classic, American Christmas song. Based on the Biblical text of LukeRead more

Best New Christmas Music from Grant Maloy Smith

Penelope Barnhurst Christmas Music, Christmas News December 4, 2018December 4, 2018EmiSunshine, grant maloy smith 0 Comment

Christmas music is unique in that it can uplift, inspire and entertain in a variety of ways. Stories within the music give us teachable moments for all ages. In fact, Christmas carols were intended to do just that — to teach children. Great music makers today do the same thing. Here is a new release from Grant Maloy Smith featuring EmiSunshine with a tale about Santa’s, um, possum: This is not just a song, it’s also a new children’s book, also by Grant Maloy Smith. “Fly Possum Fly” is Smith’s debut book. His 2017 album “Dust Bowl – American Stories”Read more

Best of New Christmas Music from David Archuleta

Penelope Barnhurst Christmas Music, Christmas News December 3, 2018December 3, 2018david archuleta 1 Comment

Ever since Mariah Carey launched All I Want for Christmas is You the world has been seeking a new, uptempo Christmas pop song. Maybe we have found a worthy successor from this new tune from David Archuleta: Archuleta has been a brave pioneer in pop music by going his own way since his breakout on American Idol years ago. That has meant playing in small arenas, getting lighter press and partnering with lesser-known musicians. It has also meant better music from Archuleta, whose best stuff, we feel, is yet to come. This cut is from a new album called WinterRead more

The Naughty Stuff of Christmas

Jeff Westover Christmas News, Christmas Opinion December 2, 2018December 2, 2018naughty list 0 Comment

It was expected that in the era of President Donald Trump the war on Christmas would become more extreme. But nobody saw this coming. This time it is not the religious of Christmas under attack. It is definitively secular. Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving, more than half a century old, is now considered by some to be racist. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the 54-year old television special, is now deemed to be full of bigoted and sexist content. An Ohio radio station has pulled all versions of the song Baby It’s Cold Outside saying that the song is inappropriate in theRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from John Legend

William Werner Christmas Music, Christmas News December 1, 2018December 1, 2018John Legend 0 Comment

Easily the most anticipated and hyped album of the 2018 season has been John Legend’s Legendary Christmas. The album has been out since October, promoted on tour and has been even the backdrop for an NBC television special. It has been hard to miss. Fortunately, Legend’s warm style mixes well with old standards. After all, who better than to have the original along for the ride on a classic like this? Thankfully this album has six original tunes mixed with the classics. This is where the album stands out. It is a brassy, upbeat and soulful ode to the season.Read more

Best New Christmas Music from Rehya Stevens

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News November 30, 2018November 30, 2018Christmas music, rheya stevens 0 Comment

The strategy many emerging artists tend to take with Christmas music is to just Bing it up and release a sing of White Christmas. It’s safe, it showcases their talent and it is known. It’s also boring. Rehya Stevens is not one to take the path of least resistance. In her new album Celebrate Rehya has jumped into the deep end of the Christmas pool with songs that are all original. The album is warm, bold and festive. Take a listen: The entire album is well orchestrated, simple and directly Christmas — a great listen on a snowy December eveningRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from Trace Adkins

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News November 29, 2018November 29, 2018trace adkins 2 Comments

I always hesistate to post reviews of new music from established stars. You get only two types of responses. It is either over-the-top love from gushing fans or bitter criticism from those who hate all things associated with the artist. Fame has a way of bringing out the weird in people. So does Christmas. Not just with the fans either. There is a long list of music stars who performed Christmas music but never celebrated Christmas. Frank Sinatra famously detested Christmas music. Perhaps that is why he isn’t best remembered for his Christmas stuff. Of course, he still gets playedRead more

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