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There’s a gift from Elton John and Ed Sheeran in Santa’s heavy sack this year. Mariah Carey’s competing against her own unassailable record. Even ABBA is back, hoping to score the hit that keeps giving forever.
But you better not pout. This year’s keepers are further down the tree. When all the regifted carols and schmaltz drive you Christmas crackers, here’s a playlist of new seasonal tunes to kick off the afternoon argument.
Hell of a Holiday, Pistol Annies
Nashville country trio Pistol Annies cast their tinsel net all the way from Halloween to Auld Lang Syne for maximum holiday coverage: “Happy, spooky, merry, y’all it’s here/ Santa better get his butt in gear”. We’ll pass on the sweet potato pie thanks, but jungle beats, jingle bells, slide guitar and Andrews Sisters’ harmonies add up to Christmas on anyone’s menu.
Christmas Glow, Norah Jones
Jazz siren Norah Jones gives it some right-hand tinkle and sultry come-hither on one of the standout originals from her I Dream of Christmas album. Ricocheting rim shots, tippy-toe upright bass and that just-behind-the-beat drawl make for a slinky martini mixer.
Christmas Glow is one of the standouts on Norah Jones’ album I Dream of Christmas.Credit:
It’s Almost Christmas in Philly (acoustic), Gretta Ray
Melbourne’s Gretta Ray has a way of making you see through eyes wide with the wonder of new experiences. This is a snow-muffled piano version of an intimate buddy movie that veers dangerously close to sleep on a night drive through America: “We’re on the right side/ Though it feels wrong.”
Alt-rocker Babitha slows things right down with Christmas Day. Credit:
Christmas Cafe, Interstate Cowboy
What’s not to love about a Colorado fireman recalling a romantic roadhouse rendezvous over an acoustic guitar shuffle? Tim Champlin is Interstate Cowboy, talk-singing a snowed-in Christmas Eve when “I had to park my rig and wait/ It was like a skatin’ rink out there”. The thing with the waitress “wasn’t love/ It was the next best thing”. He says he slept on the couch, and we believe him.
Sleigh Your Way, Nataliya Nikitenko
Ukrainian-Australian singer Nataliya Nikitenko has a vintage-velvet nightclub flair and a voice that can make bats change direction. This killer 12/8 rocker promises to sleigh in the good stuff to “your sister, your mister” and what sounds like “your neighbourhood barista”. And that’s everyone.