Pretty slim pickings this year in the way of new Christmas music to share
... apparently there is just not a lot of NEW Christmas music coming out this season to share in our Annual Twelve Days Of Christmas Forgotten Hits Holiday
Music Marathon!!! (We've got a few new tracks but nothing at all like in years
past ... what's up, gang?!?!? Too many Grinches out there this season???)
Thanks to new releases by Justin Bieber. Michael Buble and the Cast of
"Glee", we may at least get the chance to hear some new arrangements of some old
favorites ... but by and large we've already OD'd on much of the other stuff
that is already being played ad nauseam!!!
That's why it's always been SO neat to "sneak peek"
some of these new Christmas tracks here in Forgotten Hits ... because radio
isn't always as quick to jump on this new music and incorporate it into their
long-standing playlists.
Thankfully, we DID receive a GREAT new track from Kenny
Vance and the Planotones called "Mr. Santa"!!!
Readers will find this one to be some fun new holiday
doo-wop. In fact, Kenny's got a whole new holiday CD out this season ... their
first in twenty years!
Kenny, of course was one of the original founders of
Jay and the Americans and, in his eleven years with the band, recorded fifteen
albums ... and some of the biggest hits of the '60's.
As the musical director of the film "American Hot Wax"
(aka The Alan Freed Story), he formed The Plantones as a means to present this
music in an authentic '50's "street corner serenade" style. Vance went on to
serve as the musical director for Saturday Night Live as well as oversee the
music for films like Animal House and Eddie and the Cruisers, in which he also
starred.
"For twenty years, fans have asked for a holiday
album," Kenny told us. "In 'Mr. Santa', we have everything from blues to
ballads. I hope everyone loves the results as much as I do."
I think fans will find Kenny's selection of mixed ballads and up-tempo tunes, all recorded in a
contemporary sound yet still incorporating the feel of the vintage harmony and
arrangements we've come to expect from The Planotones a very pleasant listening
experience.
The CD is available through Vance's website, Amazon.com ,
iTunes and all the usual downloading sites.
Another new track sent into us by a reader features American Idol favorites (and real-life couple) Haley Reinhart and Casey Abrams. It's their take on the old classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
Hi Kent,
For your readers who haven't heard the new song by
Haley and Casey from American Idol, here it is. I love it!!! They do a fantastic
job on this song.
Carrie
I played this one for Frannie the other
night and she told me that HER favorite version is still the one from "Elf" ...
a duet between costars Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell ... which is very well done, too, by the way. Personally, as many versions as I've
heard of this song over the years, my all-time favorite is still the one done by
Barry Manilow and country singer K.T. Oslin from one of Barry's television
specials. My LEAST favorite version has GOT to be the one sung between Kurt and
Blaine from last year's Glee Christmas CD ... I'm sorry, but two guys singing
this to each other just doesn't do it for me ... even though Chris Colfer pulls
off one of the best female vocals ever on this track!!!
And finally, here's one of our favorites
from last year. Scott May (of The Ides Of March)
produced this CD for Karel King and sent us a copy to include in last year's
Twelve Days Of Christmas Countdown. I'm partial to the track "Come Home For
Christmas And Stay" so that's the one that we're going to
feature today.
