christmas countdown: #5 - straight no chaser's "12 days of christmas (live)"

This is one of the best a cappella performances ever! And not only that, but it's the most creative Christmas medley...ever!

It's also my #5 favorite Christmas song. The mp3 is pretty great, but you really have to watch the video to get the full effect of the humor.



Straight No Chaser is an all-male a cappella group from Indiana University.

Only 4-1/2 weeks until Christmas! It's really coming!

christmas countdown: #6 - kt tunstall's "sleigh ride" (+ dave barnes)

Here's another favorite from Hotel Cafe's amazing holiday album. There isn't much you can do with this song, but KT Tunstall really adds a lot to make it even more fun and playful than it already is.



I love the out-of-tune toy piano, the background vocals, the key changes/modulations and most of all KT Tunstall's signature raspy voice.

I also have to mention that Dave Barnes came out with a new Christmas album last week: Very Merry Christmas by Dave Barnes on Amazon.com. I had to buy it because I already love Dave Barnes. I do like the album, but I'm reluctant to recommend that other people buy it too because it's not phenomenal. It has the characteristic Dave Barnes folksy, semi-country, semi-jazzy style which is great, but the songwriting is just okay. But it's worth sampling, so give it a listen if you're interested!

Only 5 1/2 weeks 'til Christmas!

christmas countdown: #9

Did I mention that Christmas music is one of my favorite genres?

This week I present to you #9 in my top 10 Christmas song countdown: Jack Johnson's version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

(Play the video, but try not to watch it. It kinda detracts from the coolness.)



The melody and arrangement are cool, and I love his original final verse. It should be added to the version kids sing in school -- how else are we supposed to learn not to be fair-weather friends? Those mean reindeer need to know the consequences of their actions.

Anyway, Jack Johnson gets extra points for this song for being clever.

The album that this song comes from, A Winter's Night, is a pretty cool compilation of Christmas singles from Sarah McLachlan, Leigh Nash (from Sixpence) and Barenaked Ladies.

Only 9 1/2 weeks 'til Christmas! Are you ready??

christmas countdown: #10

There are exactly 10 Music Mondays until Christmas, so it's definitely the appropriate time to begin a top 10 Christmas song countdown. I took out songs that are obviously great (Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Bing Crosby classics, etc.) and went for songs that I was happy to discover.

We start off with #10, an honor that goes to the Vince Guaraldi Trio's interpretation of "O Tannenbaum." Yeah, it's an instrumental, but this is the coolest version of this song you will ever, ever hear.



It picks up with the drums coming in around 0:37.

When I was teaching, my kids loved hearing some music in the background while they worked so I played the Vince Guaraldi Trio's Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack to 1) celebrate the holiday without getting in trouble (no lyrics!) and 2) help my kids to concentrate.

I fell in love with the whole album, and it's one of the few holiday albums that is definitely worth buying.

music monday: "love sex and magic" cover by jane lui

I hate this song, but it's awesome seeing a nerdy Asian girl singing it with a really cool arrangement (Whoa, wine glasses!).



It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I heard about Jane Lui through someone I strictly know through Yelp. He's helping promote her album release party here in New York at the Rockwell Music Hall next month, and I'm thinking of going!

How can I resist a female, Asian, singer-songwriter? That's the trifecta right there. The triple threat. I was doomed to love her.

I like what I've heard of her original music so far. Definitely check out some samples on her website!

music monday: "sitting on the dock of the bay" by sara bareilles

I found this song on iTunes searching for a song I heard on TV that I thought was Sara Bareilles. I went to see her live when she was touring with Rachael Yamagata a couple years ago, and we actually left in the middle of her performance. She's a great singer, but her stage presence and humor were so awkward!

And, especially compared to Rachael Yamagata, her songs can seem a little over-produced and too neatly put together, kind of like a movie that resolves every story line in a nice little bow. 

But this song... wow. The lyrics aren't particularly clever and the song isn't very catchy, but it has so much soul! And this song also shows how amazing a singer she is.



I downloaded the only version I could find online, which is a live performance. Too bad it's not as good as this video.

music monday: the happiest song in the world

Sarah at CCFC showed me this song, and I fell in love! 

http://www.stereomood.com/song/27660

Bobby McFerrin + Jason Mraz + Israel Kamakawiwo'ole = pure joy. This is one of the best medleys I've ever heard, and the happiest song in the world.