Christmas Old Made New

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music December 16, 2019bryan adams 0 Comment

One of the beauties of Christmas music is that what is old is constantly made new. Where else do you find songs that are 500 years old getting new spins? Even old songs of our day and age get celebrated anew. Take, for example, this new view of an old Bryan Adams Christmas classic: Now kids — once upon a time Bryan Adams was considered cutting edge. The Canadian rocker was an 80s icon (well, he still is). But songs like this show both his depth and his timeless style. The smoky voice still rings true and this song —Read more

Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith Make Silver Bells Sparkle with Marc Martel

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music November 15, 2019November 15, 2019Amy Grant, marc martel, Michael W. Smith, silver bells 0 Comment

What happens when you take a Christmas an old classic like Silver Bells and mix it with veteran artists? Marc Martel, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith hand us a gift with their tight harmonies and unique arrangement of this Christmas standard: The song dates back to the post-war golden era of Christmas pop. Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell featured the song in The Lemon Drop Kid but it really found popularity when Bing Crosby recorded it later that same year (1950) with Carol Richards. Like many of the classics of that time Silver Bells has been since recorded byRead more

Maybe Buble Does Own Christmas

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music November 2, 2019Michael Buble 2 Comments

On the very day that Mariah Carey declared Christmas season open and not long after Robbie Williams declared that Michael Buble should not own Christmas Michael Buble did what pros do: he showed why he’s the master of Christmas music: A classic song — done in Buble style — garnished with old-school Christmas stop-motion animation. Boom. That’s how its done kids. It probably took a little money. The video has nothing but handmade visuals, done in painstaking style. And the song is an all new version too. Michael Buble has pretty much owned Christmas music since his album release ofRead more

Baby, It’s Criminal How They Exploit Things

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music, Christmas News October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 0 Comment

John Legend is going all-in to profit off his Christmas album from 2018, A Legendary Christmas. A deluxe version of the album is soon to be released and it is being hyped by capitalizing on the great Christmas music controversy of 2018. The song Baby, It’s Cold Outside was banned on a handful of radio stations in 2018 due to lyrics that somehow escaped the notice of the public for, oh, about 70 years. Christmas 2018 was the high-water mark in the #Me-too movement and the lyrics of Baby, It’s Cold Outside bristled the sensibilities of radio program directors stillRead more

The Best of Scrooge

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Movies, Christmas News October 2, 2019October 2, 2019Caine, Dickens, Finney, Scott, Scrooge, Stewart 3 Comments

Just weeks ago it was announced that a new musical version of A Christmas Carol is being produced to star Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. Not much is known about the project, including a release date, but speculation is buzzing about just who will play Scrooge. It is an interesting question. If there is any too-often attempted re-telling of any Christmas tale it is A Christmas Carol. It’s not that we don’t love the story. And it isn’t like we don’t want to see new versions of it. But can you really see Will Ferrell or Ryan Reynolds as Scrooge?Read more

Great Ways to Celebrate Leon Day

B. Francis Morlan Christmas News, Christmas Online June 19, 2019June 19, 2019Leon Day 0 Comment

The celebration of Leon Day is a real thing. Every June 24-25th Leon Day comes around to remind that the year, at last, has turned the corner on Christmas. It’s the halfway mark to Christmas, a kind of merry hump day for those who love the countdown to Christmas. Don’t laugh. Counting down to Christmas is not only a popular thing it’s an ancient thing. Ask any advent calendar follower. There are many days and reasons to countdown to the season. But how do you do it? What possibly could be done to mark this very merry un-birthday? Here areRead more

The Next Horrible Santa

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Movies, Christmas News May 13, 2019May 13, 2019Mel Gibson, Santa Claus 0 Comment

Hollywood just won’t quit. They just cannot wait to showcase Santa Claus again in a horrible way. Just announced is an all new Santa film to be called Fatman that will star Mel Gibson as Santa Claus. Fatman will showcase Gibson as a rowdy, unorthodox Santa who is fighting the decline of his business. If that’s not a weak enough premise they mix in a 12 year old character who is so displeased with Santa Mel that he hires a hitman to knock off The Jolly Old Elf. Yeah. Can you believe they think this is a good idea? I’llRead more

If You Have the Post Christmas Blues You’re Doing Christmas Wrong

B. Francis Morlan Christmas News, Christmas Opinion December 27, 2018December 27, 2018Christmas blues 6 Comments

The post-Christmas blues are a very real thing. Once the date of December 25th has passed the specter of December 26th is an ominous marker to many. It sits there on the calendar like the Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come. Silent and foreboding, the very image of the hooded Angel of Death it seems to be. And why not? Just about anywhere you look Americans are tossing trees to the curb, ripping down lights from rooftops and radio stations are flipping back to everyday music. What took months to build gets deconstructed in a matter of a couple of days. ItRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from Paul Cardall

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music, Christmas News November 26, 2018November 26, 2018Paul Cardall Christmas 0 Comment

We have no problem admitting that we are big Paul Cardall fans. He’s a local guy. He has been producing great Christmas stuff for years. He has an inspiring story, incredible talent, a creative mind, and a giving heart. Does all that translate to great Christmas music? Take a listen to this song — hundreds of years old — richly orchestrated in a new way. The Paul Cardall way. (Yeah, we love it): His new album is called Paul Cardall Christmas and you can find/listen/buy at this link.

Best of New Christmas Music from Matt Maher

B. Francis Morlan Christmas Music, Christmas News November 26, 2018November 26, 2018Jingle Bells 0 Comment

How many ways can Jingle Bells be interpreted? As long as it is fun, who cares? And that’s exactly what we get from Matt Maher this year from his album The Advent of Christmas. This version is infectious and capable of endless replay: iTunes Spotify Facebook

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