| Last week, renowned Christmas carol expert William Studwell lamented � in these very MidWeek pages � the lack of quality Christmas carols since the dawn of the rock �n� roll era. OK, Mr. Studwell, I give you Kenny G, Mariah Carey and anything involving Santa Claus kissing someone. But, deep within the track listings of a few recent albums, the last few years have revealed artists who, if nothing else, allow for some refresher time when ol� Bing�s on repeat. Here are but a few: Guster � �Donde Esta Santa Claus� Available on iTunes This cover of an Augie Rios tune brims with a spirit more infectious than the flu around a holiday party punchbowl. The members of Guster, with an energy seen |
| Various Artists |
| Recent Christmas music |
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| in hits like �Amsterdam,� boozily pluck away at hand-me-down instruments without a care in the world, building up to a chorus of �Ole! Ole! San-ta Claus!� yelps. The ditty reminds us that Santa�s sleigh doesn�t confine itself to snow-covered landscapes.
Badly Drawn Boy � �Donna and Blitzen� Available on the About a Boy soundtrack album Not all holiday tunes are plucked from albums with snowscape album covers. One-man-band Damon Gough takes his trademark brand of intricate pop songs and infuses it with the type of buildup that makes any fan of The Beatles� �A Day in the Life� proud. Finger-snaps give way to pounding piano, urgent strings and a yearning and burning selection of vocals. Gough meshes the need for love and the normal season-induced emotions like red and green on a present wrapping, and when he repeats, �I will � I will � I will �,� there�s no reason to doubt him. Redbone and Zooey Deschanel � �Baby It�s Cold Outside� Available on the Elf soundtrack album Old classics never die � they just wait for reinterpretations. What could have been a throwaway vanity track spins and warbles, but never falls over. In what may be the season�s most flirtatious song (and its most glowing endorsement of cold-weather drinking), the actress Deschanel sounds unadorned and real � something at least Charlie Brown looks for as the shopping days countdown hits single digits. |
| Originally published in a December edition of The MidWeek, as written by Hank Brockett |