Christmas Day highlights:
KDHX 88.1 FM
- Christmas Sounds Medley-Brentford All Stars (This is how you put down a beat and infuse funk into carols instrumentally. Part of the time, I could imagine Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love" being interwoven into the mix and somehow making sense.)
- Carol Of The Banjos-Beta Radio (If you don't think of the banjo as a dramatic instrument, perhaps this version of "Carol Of The Bells" will change your mind.)
- Little Road To Bethlehem-Shawn Colvin (Colvin sings this with such sincerity that it's the best version of the tune, in my opinion.)
- Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella-Chris Thile (A very pleasant midtempo interpretation on mandolin.)
WSIE 88.7 FM
- Here We Come A-Wassailing-Lisa Addeo (Wassailing doesn't always have to be boisterous. Addeo plays a subtle, slower piano interpretation.)
- Good King Wenceslas-Dawn Weber (One of the more modern-sounding takes on this carol on a confidently played trumpet.)
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!-Chris Botti (Airy, resonant trumpet. Also recommended: "Winter Wonderland.")
WFUN 96.3 FM
- Silent Night-The Temptations (For the full range of the group's vocals and emotions, the six-minute version is the one to hear.)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Lou Rawls (When Mr. Rawls decrees it with such certainty, how could you not have a merry little Christmas?)
- Go Tell It On The Mountain-Myra Walker Singers (If this version doesn't make you want to proclaim the good news...)
KLOU 103.3 FM
- O Come, All Ye Faithful-Amy Grant (A tasteful, somewhat subtler than expected rendition.)
K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2
- Skating-Vince Guaraldi Trio (In addition to its famous inclusion in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Snoopy uses "Skating" as a beautiful diversion in the movie, "A Boy Named Charlie Brown." If that scene and this song don't make you forget your woes for a few minutes, I wonder what would.)
