My sisters and I LOVE Christmas music. In fact, it always surprises me that some people don't like - or maybe even don't listen to - special new music during the holidays. In our houses, the Christmas music is a symbol of the season and we have an entire box of special Christmas albums that gets put into storage during the rest of the year. It's always a very exciting moment to go and get the Christmas music when we are allowed to start playing it after Thanksgiving! Every year we also try to add to our collection by adding one or two new Christmas CDs to the collection and rotation. So here are our top five favorite new Christmas CDs that we've added to our collection this year! We are decorating our tree tonight, so we will definitely have a GREAT soundtrack with these records.
5. "Christmas" by Jason Farnham
This album is lots of fun - it is relaxing and peppy at the same time, with both playful piano arrangements and beautiful melancholy ones as well. This is an album that you could definitely listen to while decorating or entertaining your guests. It starts out with more traditional solo piano arrangements of things (but they are very good arrangements, extremely satisfying to your ears!) and then heads into more orchestrated dancing songs.
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
4. "Christmas" by the Gothard Sisters
OK this is a little embarassing, but yes, we do listen to our own music at Christmas time. We released this Christmas album last year and wrote it to be the Christmas album that we'd been looking for - something to trim the tree to, to entertain visitors with, to give to employees and coworkers at your work Christmas party. It is good cookie-baking, Christmas-present-wrapping, dinner-making and sleeping-by-the-tree music. That's why we wrote it, and since we actually love listening to it while doing these things, we think it worked!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
3. "Starlight" by Sephira
This album is brand new this year, and it is full of some beautiful arrangements of classic holiday songs! Sephira is made up of two sister violinists from Ireland, who are not only absolutely gorgeous, but they are also very talented. After playing backup strings with supergroup Celtic Thunder for several years, they have struck out on their own and are doing really well. Their Christmas album is magical, ethereal and epic. They sing softly and angelically, and it is almost like they take you back to old Hollywood with some of their arrangements of songs like "Sleigh Bells" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." This is definitely one that you can listen to all the way through with full interest and entertainment!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
2. "Celtic Christmas" by Putumayo World Music (Various Artists)
This is a brand new release by Putumayo, featuring Celtic Christmas arrangements by artists all over the place! We are featured, with our song "Little Drummer Girl," as well as "Auld Lang Syne" by Dougie MacLean, a track by Aine Minogue, one by David Arkenstone, another by Druid Stone and many more! Because we were featured on the CD, they sent us a bunch of copies of the album back in October, and we've been practically listening to it on repeat ever since! The simple, catchy arrangements and cozy instrumentation make it perfect for Christmas, but you can also listen to it during the rest of the year, too. Lots of fun!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
1. "Christmas Symphony" by Mannheim Steamroller
This is my favorite Christmas CD of the season. Mannheim Steamroller has always been our soundtrack to Christmas, probably because we would always have their CDs on in important moments when we were little, but to me all of Chip Davis' arrangements just capture Christmas the way no one else can. They are fresh, peppy, beautiful, epic, tragic, celebratory and happy all in turn. He definitely knows how to work variety on a CD like no one else I can think of. Christmas Symphony is their newest album with all orchestral arrangements, but you should also check out Christmas in the Aire and a Fresh Aire Christmas. True genius!!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
Alright, enjoy your Christmas music! If there is a particular Christmas album that you think captures the Christmas spirit better than any other, please let us know! We're always looking for good new Christmas music. :-)
See you soon!
Greta
5. "Christmas" by Jason Farnham
This album is lots of fun - it is relaxing and peppy at the same time, with both playful piano arrangements and beautiful melancholy ones as well. This is an album that you could definitely listen to while decorating or entertaining your guests. It starts out with more traditional solo piano arrangements of things (but they are very good arrangements, extremely satisfying to your ears!) and then heads into more orchestrated dancing songs.
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
4. "Christmas" by the Gothard Sisters
OK this is a little embarassing, but yes, we do listen to our own music at Christmas time. We released this Christmas album last year and wrote it to be the Christmas album that we'd been looking for - something to trim the tree to, to entertain visitors with, to give to employees and coworkers at your work Christmas party. It is good cookie-baking, Christmas-present-wrapping, dinner-making and sleeping-by-the-tree music. That's why we wrote it, and since we actually love listening to it while doing these things, we think it worked!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
3. "Starlight" by Sephira
This album is brand new this year, and it is full of some beautiful arrangements of classic holiday songs! Sephira is made up of two sister violinists from Ireland, who are not only absolutely gorgeous, but they are also very talented. After playing backup strings with supergroup Celtic Thunder for several years, they have struck out on their own and are doing really well. Their Christmas album is magical, ethereal and epic. They sing softly and angelically, and it is almost like they take you back to old Hollywood with some of their arrangements of songs like "Sleigh Bells" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." This is definitely one that you can listen to all the way through with full interest and entertainment!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
2. "Celtic Christmas" by Putumayo World Music (Various Artists)
This is a brand new release by Putumayo, featuring Celtic Christmas arrangements by artists all over the place! We are featured, with our song "Little Drummer Girl," as well as "Auld Lang Syne" by Dougie MacLean, a track by Aine Minogue, one by David Arkenstone, another by Druid Stone and many more! Because we were featured on the CD, they sent us a bunch of copies of the album back in October, and we've been practically listening to it on repeat ever since! The simple, catchy arrangements and cozy instrumentation make it perfect for Christmas, but you can also listen to it during the rest of the year, too. Lots of fun!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
1. "Christmas Symphony" by Mannheim Steamroller
This is my favorite Christmas CD of the season. Mannheim Steamroller has always been our soundtrack to Christmas, probably because we would always have their CDs on in important moments when we were little, but to me all of Chip Davis' arrangements just capture Christmas the way no one else can. They are fresh, peppy, beautiful, epic, tragic, celebratory and happy all in turn. He definitely knows how to work variety on a CD like no one else I can think of. Christmas Symphony is their newest album with all orchestral arrangements, but you should also check out Christmas in the Aire and a Fresh Aire Christmas. True genius!!
Check it out (and listen to clips!) right here.
Alright, enjoy your Christmas music! If there is a particular Christmas album that you think captures the Christmas spirit better than any other, please let us know! We're always looking for good new Christmas music. :-)
See you soon!
Greta
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