It’s becoming increasingly clear how pop stars and other well-known musicians have spent their time during the pandemic lockdown.
They’ve been recording Christmas songs.
It’s amazing how many major new holiday albums and singles have been released in 2020. And it’s not like these offerings started arriving in time for Thanksgiving, which many (correctly) see as the real start of the holiday season. Some came out well before Halloween rolled around.
Yeah, that’s scary.
But it’s nice to see so many new tunes, which fans can mix with their usual assortment of Johnny Mathis, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole classics to liven up their holiday play list.
The following is a roundup of eight of the best new Christmas albums released for the 2020 season.
All these offerings are available to stream/download through the usual suspects. And yes, actual physical copies can be ordered through Amazon and other retailers. For more information, check the artists’ websites, which are listed below.
“My Gift,” Carrie Underwood
We’re not sure how or why it’s taken this country music superstar — with a voice so wonderfully suited for the holiday songbook — so long to record a Christmas album. Perhaps she was just looking for the right time to deliver this “Gift,” a mesmerizing collection of Christmas classics, including “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” It’s a must-have set for fans of Underwood, whose previous studio offering was 2018’s platinum-selling “Cry Pretty.” (carrieunderwoodofficial.com)
“A Drummer Boy Christmas,” For King & Country
This rising pop outfit, which American Songwriter magazine once described as “Australia’s answer to Coldplay,” has just released its first full-length holiday offering. “A Drummer Boy Christmas,” which is the group’s fourth album, features two original compositions — “Heavenly Hosts” and “The Carol of Joseph (I Believe In You)” — sprinkled in among a host of longtime holiday favorites. Highlights include “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” (with Needtobreathe) and “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (featuring Gabby Barrett). (forkingandcountry.com)
“A Holly Dolly Christmas,” Dolly Parton
The first-tier country music legend returns with her third holiday offering — following 1984’s “Once Upon a Christmas” (with Kenny Rogers) and 1990’s “Home for Christmas” — and it’s another winner. One of the album’s definite highlights is “‘Mary, Did You Know?’ which Parton calls “one of the greatest, sweetest, well-written songs that I’ve ever had the chance to sing on.” The singer invites plenty of company over for this Christmas celebration, collaborating with Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson and brother Randy Parton on the album. (dollyparton.com)
“The Christmas Album,” Leslie Odom, Jr.
Come on, “Hamilton” fans, you know you want this one. The chance to hear this Grammy-and-Tony-winning singer croon “O Holy Night,” “Little Drummer Boy” and other timeless classics? Yeah, we’re definitely in. The album includes two originals, “Snow” and “Heaven & Earth,” as well as contributions from Cynthia Erivo, the Mzansi Youth Choir and Nicolette Robinson, the Broadway star and Odom’s wife. (leslieodomjr.com)
“A Tori Kelly Christmas,” Tori Kelly
This SoCal native — who competed on “American Idol” in 2010 and then went on to much greater fame with the full-length debut album “Unbreakable Smile” in 2015 — continues to impress with the release of her first Christmas album. It’s a sleek, shiny package that fans won’t want to wait until Christmas to open. It’s produced by the remarkable team of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Scooter Braun. The album features two original tracks — “25th” and “Gift That Keeps On Giving” — but the best offerings are still classics, especially “Silent Night.” (torikellymusic.com)
“Miracle of Love: Christmas Songs of Worship,” Chris Tomlin
The accomplished singer-songwriter, who topped the pop charts with the 2013 album “Burning Lights,” was inspired to write the title track to his new Christmas EP after finding out that — surprise! — he and his wife were expecting another child to arrive this Christmas season. The unplanned pregnancy was a shock at first, Tomlin says in a video on his YouTube page, but that soon gave way to the realization that the child was, he says, a “precious gift from God.” He pours all that joy into “Miracle of Love,” which is one of the best new Christmas songs we’ve heard in a long time. It’s one of seven cool tracks on this EP. (christomlin.com)
“We Need a Little Christmas,” Pentatonix
It’s hard to take the title of this album seriously. This is the sixth (!) Christmas album that the group has released during its still relatively young career. It’s pretty clear that our pals in Pentatonix don’t really think that we need just a little Christmas — they obviously believe we need a whole bunch of Christmas. And apparently, that view is shared because Pentatonix has sold 12-million-plus copies of its holiday records. The blockbuster a cappella troupe will likely do big business again with this offering, which is highlighted by the single “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).” (ptxofficial.com)
“A Jolly Irish Christmas (Vol. 2),” Rend Collective
The terrific Irish folk-rock troupe, which got its start in the lovely Northern Ireland town of Bangor in 2007, is in top form on its second Christmas outing. And just like the group did with the first one (2014’s “Campfire Christmas, Vol. 1”), Rend Collective manages to shine brightly as it delivers “A Jolly Irish Christmas” for its growing fanbase. Highlights include “The First Noel” and “Today Is the Saviour’s Day.” (rendcollective.com)
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November 19, 2020 at 11:24AM
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