Five recommended Christmas and three non-Christmas standout tunes:
KAFM (Grand Junction, CO)
- Land Ho-Supertramp (With its ear-catching rhythm and radio-friendly accessibility, it's surprising that this wasn't a hit.)
- The Heart Is Wrong-Mail Order Messiahs (With spooky instrumentation and vocals seemingly wrapped in gauze, this is indie rock well suited for the middle of the night.)
KORJ (Butte Falls, OR)
- Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring-Stevan Pasero (A faithful guitar rendering at just the right tempo. Also recommended: Pasero's "Seasons" CD.)
- Joy To The World-Tom Caufield (Pastoral new age guitar; this is one of the subtler versions I've heard.)
WDCB (Chicago, IL)
- Visions-Melissa Aldana (A winding, swirling stew of saxophone, piano, vibes, drums, and bass.)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas-Dexter Gordon (Gordon's warm tenor sax tone carries the melody, and the rhythm section gets to stretch out on this expansive rendition.)
WXPN-2 (Philadelphia, PA)
- In The Bleak Midwinter-Shawn Colvin (Colvin's voice is ideal for conveying the starkness this carol requires while maintaining an optimistic undercurrent.)
- Christmas Is The Season Of The Bells-Jo Stafford (A fun, lighthearted, brisk tune lodged firmly in 1964. Stafford accompanies sings lead and backing vocals, giving the tune added texture. The last time I heard this tune on a local station was 20 years ago, during the music-of-your-life days of WRTH-AM.)
