Recently in Holiday Category

What holiday has more family traditions than Christmas? And who knows more about "family tradition" than country music lovers? We've spent the past few weeks trimming the tracks on our radio tree and adding plenty of shiny new tunes to make sure it sounds nice for all you folks—even you naughty ones.

On Holiday Hayride, we feature such iconic old-school country artists as Gene Autry, Johnny Cash and Kitty Wells, dropping them in the mix with several decades' worth of more contemporary artists: Alabama, John Denver, George Strait, Kenny and Dolly, and many more favorites. Does anyone sing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" better than Gene Autry? Take a listen to George Strait's and Merle Haggard's versions. Kenny Chesney's reggae-fied version of "Jingle Bells" has to be heard to be believed, mon. And we've also included plenty of brand-new Christmas tunes from Joey and Rory, Toby Keith, Little Big Town, Julie Roberts and a whole lot more.

So dig your spurs into old and new country Christmas classics via Rhapsody's Holiday Hayride radio.

The holiday season is upon us. And if you're like us, and you can't help but thrill to the yuletide aural exploits of Charlie Brown, Phil Spector, Bing Crosby, James Brown, Mariah Carey, Celia Cruz, The Muppets, King Diamond and all the rest, then here's our gift to you: an absolute enormous guide to the holiday music available on Rhapsody, from soul jams to Latin favorites to deep-cut crooner epics, from new 2011 favorites (Justin Bieber!) to our 10 favorite classic rockers who look like Santa (Rick Rubin!), from the tasteful lilt of John Fahey to the seedier exploits of St. Nick himself. We've got an in-depth guide to A Charlie Brown Christmas, an ultimate holiday-party playlist, and capping it all off, our 30 favorite Xmas albums of all time. Enjoy, and have a jovial holiday season.

	The Pantheon: Our 30 favorite holiday albums of all time			Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist: Classics, deep cuts, oddities
	2011 Xmas Roundup: New jams from Michael Bublé, Justin Bieber and more			Charlie Brown's Parents: The piano-jazz influences behind a holiday classic
	Santa's Clones: The Top 10 classic rockers who look like St. Nick			Xmas Soul Muzak: Cheesy jams from Whitney, Mariah and more
	New Country Christmas: Fresh yuletide cheer from your favorite stars			Global Holiday Albums: From Enya to Sly & Robbie
	Santa's Dark Side: He cheats, he lies, he kisses Mommy and/or Daddy			Winter Indieland: Good tidings from She & Him, Fleet Foxes and more
	Christian Roundup: New tunes from TobyMac, Matthew West and more			Feliz Navidad: Latin holiday hits from José, Celia, Luis and more
	Crooner Deep Cuts: Lesser-known jams from Bing, Frank and the gang			John Fahey's Respite: The folk giant soothes even holiday haters
	Radio: Silent Night: Classical carols and merry symphonies galore			Radio: Holiday Hooks: Pop hits, from The Beach Boys to Destiny's Child

Like the holiday season itself (emphasis on season — as in weeks of festivities), Christmas songs are kind of a big deal in the Latin-music world. From meditative religious songs to rollicking salsa soundtracks perfect for a parranda (the caroling/party tradition), sun-kissed Spanish versions of "White Christmas" to "El Burrito de Belén," there's a song for just about every occasion, and chances are it's been recorded by just about every big-name Latin star. In the spirit of the season, we put together a massive navidad mega-mix with the perfect song for every mood and moment, whether you're waking up at the crack of dawn for a novena service, preparing for a festive nochebuena dinner with family or just celebrating the season with friends. It includes a multiversion "Burrito" breakdown! ¡Feliz Navidad!

Listen now: Feliz Navidad: A Latin Christmas Celebration!

Can you smell it in the air? It's that time again. Christmas is coming, ready or not, and while there's still hope this is the year you'll successfully avoid Grandma's probing inquiries about your still-single status and Uncle Carl's awkward full-frontal hugs, holiday music is a Christmastime inevitability. At the mall or the doctor's office, in grocery stores and elevators, on TV and the radio, from the computers of overly cheery coworkers and the mouths of misguided carolers, you can't escape it. Don't even try. The best you can hope for is to exercise some control over the seasonal sounds you consume. It's in that spirit that we present a host of brand-new holiday releases. Read on and find out which ones are worth adding to this year's holiday playlist.

Or, click here to listen to our Holiday New Music Mix - 2011 playlist


1. Justin Bieber
Under the Mistletoe
The Biebster + holidays? Why didn't someone think of this sooner?! The boy wonder knows how to get you in a festive mood. And we do mean mood: things get downright naughty on "Christmas Eve." The classics are craftily reworked (Santa comes to town with hip-hop swagger; the drummer boy goes clubbing), and the originals are finely tuned to show off Bieber's surprising range, from dubby coffee-shop pop to soulful country. Plus, a bunch of fabulous guests stop by, including Usher, Boyz II Men and, yes, Mariah Carey. Mistletoe is no Mimi holiday album, but it's one heck of a holiday party. [Rachel Devitt]

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Christian artists were born (or should we say born again?) to create Christmas music. After all, "Christ" is right there in the name of the holiday! It's not surprising that a genre that delivers spiritually themed music all year long goes into overdrive around the holidays. From the outside looking in, it could seem like overkill (the sheer volume practically guarantees at least a few lukewarm covers), but when it comes to marking the birth of a baby they see as a savior, the faithful take this stuff seriously. Here's our take on a half-dozen of the most high-profile new Christmas collections, with details on everything from guest stars to don't-miss tracks.

Listen now: New Christian Christmas Mix - 2011


1. Matthew West
The Heart of Christmas
The pop purveyor with a great big heart kicks off his first seasonal disc with a bang, belting out the uptempo "Come On, Christmas." Even if you're a little low on Christmas spirit, you'll find it hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm for the ho-ho holiday. Not content to just deliver covers, West mixes six classics with the same number of original tunes and adds a bit of a Rat Pack vibe. While he has no problem holding his own, West's musical guests are nothing to throw a candy cane at: Vince Gill, Amy Grant and Mandisa each join him for a duet, taking this album from "merry and bright" to "instant classic."

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Kris Kringle is quite the mystery. Some believe he's just a jolly good fella that can do no wrong; others are a little more suspicious. What exactly does he do with those reindeer in the off-season? Who is he really kissing under the mistletoe? Artists like The Killers, Sonic Youth, They Might Be Giants, Sufjan Stevens and, of course, Weird Al have all questioned Santa's greater motives. The songs featured in this playlist suggest a different side to the typical portrayal of good ol' St. Nick. Is he really a gun-carryin', mullet-sportin', daddy-kissin' slave driver? Free the elves!

Click here to listen to my Another Side of Santa Claus playlist.

Holiday music is not just reserved for the fair crooner. In fact, many an indie artist has been struck with yuletide fever — or has at least shivered enough through a December day to be inspired to sing about hard winters and white snow. So this isn’t strictly hall-decking, bell-jingling music, but rather an array of tunes that represent both the jolly and the melancholy of the holiday season, from covers by Sufjan Stevens, She & Him and Rogue Wave to sweet originals by Snow Patrol and The Raveonettes to, well, stranger Christmas ditties from Beck, The Flaming Lips and Julian Casablancas. There’s also lots of talk about winter and snow — and if you’re dying to learn 50 ways to describe the white stuff, Kate Bush will educate you.

Click here to listen to my An Indie Winter Wonderland playlist.

Each Christmas brings with it another glut of holiday soul albums. This year's crop includes A Ginuwine Christmas and a holiday single from Mindless Behavior, "Christmas with My Girl." In years past, everyone from Destiny's Child (8 Days of Christmas) to Whitney Houston (One Wish: The Holiday Album) to Ashanti (Ashanti's Christmas) has gotten into the spirit, always mixing reliable standards (see Donny Hathaway's deathless "This Christmas") and original compositions that occasionally result in new classics (see Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You").

These are the kind of records you'll hear all month long at your family's house, especially since NBA basketball is on hiatus; it seems as if I've been hearing The Temptations' "Silent Night" on soul-oldies stations forever. The predictability of this stuff is part of the reason it works so well: B2K may get a little randy on 2002's Santa Hooked Me Up with "Sexy Boy Christmas," but eventually they get around to "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose … the voices may change, but the standards stay with us.

Click here to listen to my playlist: Christmas Soul Soundtrack

With breezy, swinging panache, Vince Guaraldi pulled off something nearly impossible with his 1965 score to A Charlie Brown Christmas: he issued a record that instantly expanded the overstuffed Christmas canon. The formula was unusual, to say the least. The pianist's lightly swinging trio brought a fresh, sophisticated air to dreary holiday standards like "O Tannenbaum," captured several cute (if somewhat tuneless) kids' sing-alongs, and turned out a few nimble originals—"Skating," "Christmas Time Is Here," "Linus & Lucy"—that became standards in their own right.

Getting under the surface of A Charlie Brown Christmas requires a musical trip back to the genre-bending, transformational West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s. Guaraldi grew up in San Francisco and found himself returning to the city after serving in the Korean War. In college, he was fascinated by boogie-woogie piano players like Meade "Lux" Lewis, Albert Ammons and Jimmy Yancey, and eventually took an interest in straight-ahead jazz. He sat in at San Francisco clubs like the Blackhawk, and eventually landed a gig adding to the shimmering, Latin-influenced grooves of Cal Tjader.

Guaraldi's first major recordings were with Tjader's outfit in 1951, and he'd keep that association going throughout his career, eventually playing on about a dozen of the bandleader's records. Guaraldi cut his first solo sessions in 1955, and eventually shaped a career that ranged far beyond his dalliances with Charlie Brown and Snoopy. His melodic, grounded playing simultaneously imbibed Dave Brubeck's trained compositional sensibility and swinging elements of piano greats like Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum. More than anything, he had a fierce ear for melody as both a composer and an improviser.

Feeling like your collection of country-flavored Christmas carols could use an overhaul? The time to do it is now, and it’s definitely best to do a little sprucing up before Auntie Jane and Uncle Charlie land on your doorstep.

This twanging playlist will get you into the swing of the holidays in no time. Each song is, for the most part, a brand-spanking-new tune recorded for the 2011 Christmas season by such well-known stars as Toby Keith, Little Big Town and Sawyer Brown. Of course, we also have some offerings from up-and-comers as well. Whether you like your carols with a touch of holiday humor or prefer something more prayerful, we’ve got all the new sounds for the 2011 holiday season.

Hit play and hear how this year’s crop stacks up against some of country’s best-loved Christmas classics!

Listen now: A New Country Christmas

You provide the eggnog and mistletoe (or dreidel and menorah); we'll provide the tunes. That's how holidaze work around here. Of course we've got all the eternal carols and trusty standbys about winter wonderlands, sleigh rides, jingle bells, frosty snowmen, drummer boys, feliz navidads, Santa Claus coming to town and/or Mommy kissing him, God resting merry gentlemen, and chestnuts roasting on open fires — many of them harmonized by legendary girl groups or Motowners or recent rock/pop/R&B stars. And we've got all your favorite ubiquitous seasonal standards of less antiquated vintage, too — from John & Yoko and The Beach Boys and The Waitresses and Mariah Carey and Run-D.M.C. Heck, we even have Neil Diamond deadpanning Adam Sandler's timeless Chanukah hymn.

But we've also stuffed your playlist stocking full of yuletide cooltides you definitely don't hear every year: forgotten goodies from folks like Kurtis Blow, Spinal Tap, Slade, SHeDAISY, August Darnell and Ying Yang Twins; holiday hipster bait from The Raveonettes, Vandals, Smashing Pumpkins, James Chance and Sarge (covering Wham!); and vintage historical performances from Clarence Carter, The Moonglows, Solomon Burke, Dean Martin, Mel Torme and two jovial and jumpable guys named Louis (Jordan and Prima.) Not to mention — last but far from least, given an economy that, once again, may not be conducive to heavy gift-giving — plenty of empathetic examples of income-inequity-and/or-dysfunctional-family-spurred seasonal affective disorder, both sociological (Was [Not Was], David Banner, The Fall, Merle Haggard, Ry Cooder, Montgomery Gentry) and psychological (Sparks, Alan Vega, Cristina, a few bleak midwinter goth bands, Aly & AJ). Which might seem kinda depressing, but those are all perfect party songs too, honest!

Scrooges and Grinches who could totally live without December deserve to celebrate too, right? Bah humbug? No, that's too strong. So deck those halls, trim those trees, raise up cups of Christmas cheer, surprise your secret Santa, gobble fruitcake and get down. Just don't spend so much time around the office-party wassail bowl that you wind up doing that sitting-on-the-Xerox-machine thing, OK? Ho ho ho.

Listen now: Ultimate Holiday Party Playlist

Let's get this out of the way up front: I am no great fan of the Christmas season, although that manifests itself less in grinchitude than in mild indifference. (No, Fox News, I am not waging a war on Christmas; I just want to enjoy the ability to indulge or ignore it at my leisure, without being reminded that 'TIS THE SEASON every commercial break and/or city block.) Anyway, the same goes for Christmas music.

Some of that stuff I actually like to hear on, say, December 24 and 25. You can't argue with Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" — that would be like arguing against, I don't know, oxygen. "The Little Drummer Boy" has that Bing Crosby/David Bowie version going for it, of course. And I have fond memories of performing carols in a bell choir at a friend's church when I was a boy. But finding a Christmas recording that doesn't send my kitschometer off the charts — that's a different matter.

Enter John Fahey. Fahey was an eccentric master of fingerpicked guitar — a onetime philosophy student who discovered the blues and never looked back. His early recordings built upon the knowledge of old-time blues and bluegrass he amassed over years of collecting records, folding in elements of European church music and 20th-century classical composers. A champion of American "primitivist" music, he also moved in avant-garde circles: he recorded with the Red Crayola in the late '60s, and in the '90s, linking up with musicians like Jim O'Rourke, he established his legacy for a new generation of listeners.

None of that seems like the pedigree of an avid performer of Christmas music. Nevertheless, Fahey released several Christmas albums in his lifetime, beginning with 1968's The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album and continuing through 1975's The John Fahey Christmas Album, 1982's Christmas Guitar Vol. 1 and 1988's Popular Songs of Christmas & New Year's. (Another album in Rhapsody's catalog, John Fahey Live at Studio KAFE, includes four of the Christmas songs he returned to most often.)

I'm particularly fond of the creaky grace of the earlier recordings. The starkness, the twang and the dissonance don't scan as typical "holiday music"; they have an intimacy and even an imperfection that runs counter to the plastic trees and blinding lights of the season at its most commercialized. I've culled some of my favorites from all five aforementioned albums to create a single playlist, A John Fahey Christmas Companion. 'Tis the season!

Although we love last century's Christmas classics, sometimes the unrelenting spins of Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" are enough to drive a person batty. This playlist rummages around in Santa's sack for the lesser-known gems by your favorite classic crooners, and finds Bing, Dino, Rosemary Clooney and the like singing would-be holiday standards about snowmen, donkeys and snowy white magic. Have fun.

Listen now: Crooners' Christmas Rarities

The thing about Christmas music is you either love it or hate it. There isn't usually much middle ground. For those of us who love it, the warble of Alvin & The Chipmunks' "Christmas (Don't Be Late)" and Bobby Helms' rockabilly-ing "Jingle Bell Rock" are welcome at least the first 10,000 times we'll hear them—in the car, in the supermarket, in our sleep—between now and December 25th. For those poor souls who have to spend the next month or so trying (unsuccessfully) to get that seizure-inducing "Carol of the Bells" song out of their heads, we're sorry. You have absolutely no use for the list below. But, if you're like me and you listen to Darlene Love's "White Christmas" and, especially, her "Marshmallow World" in June, well, have fun, and don't miss Ella Fitzgerald's bangin' "Jingle Bells," the made-for-Jimmy-Buffett wonder "Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby, the backup singers in Elvis' "Blue Christmas" or any of Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas.

One thing: This list was supposed to be 25 albums, but it's actually 30. That's because I'm a weirdo and couldn't decide on just 25. I love Christmas music.

One other thing: Somebody needs to put out the soundtrack to Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. But for now, this'll have to do.


1. Various Artists
A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector
Weird enough to actually like Christmas music? Well, Darlene Love's "White Christmas" and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" are the two best Christmas songs ever. The Crystals' "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" is third, and The Ronettes are always wonderful. Anyone who disagrees is getting coal in their stocking. [Mike McGuirk]

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We all love our holiday traditions, including our favorite seasonal songs, whether you're a classicist or a "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"-ist. This year, why not add a global dimension to your holiday listening traditions by embracing some international music customs? We've assembled an extensive guide to the best international and Latin holiday albums, including Christmas-, Hanukkah- and solstice-friendly music from Ireland, Cuba, Jamaica, Eastern Europe and more. So start listening and find some new ways to (musically) say Merry Christmas! Feliz Navidad! Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh! Ah Freilichen Chanukah! Happy holidays!

Listen now: International and Latin Holiday Albums Roundup


1. The Chieftains
The Bells of Dublin
This 1991 album still stands as an unlikely holiday classic — unlikely because only a handful of the usual suspects make it on here. Yes, you'll hear "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "O Holy Night" and a healthy heap of other traditional tunes, but the bulk of The Bells of Dublin plumbs deep into the season, featuring Breton and French carols alongside the odd, Elvis Costello-sung "St. Stephen's Day Murders." The sprawling album commences with the chiming bells of Dublin's Christchurch Cathedral, and they appear throughout. Jackson Browne, Rickie Lee Jones, Marianne Faithfull and many others guest. [Sarah Bardeen]

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Happy holidaze, people! The Crate Digger here. To inject a little Christmas cheer into your lives, I compiled a list of 10 rockers who totally resemble Santa Claus, from Billy Gibbons and Rick Rubin to Edgar Winter and Mick Fleetwood. I also included several younger rocker dudes who are definitely little Kris Kringles in the making (if they decide to keep their beards in the coming decades).

One more thing: I sprinkled in a little history here and there regarding the evolution of the mythology of Santa. This stuff will make great dinner conversation with your stupid in-laws.

Be sure to also check out my playlist: Ten Rockers Who Totally Resemble Santa Claus

1. Billy Gibbons
Other classic rockers might look more like Sinterklaas, but let's face it, none are cooler than the St. Nicholas of Tejas, Mr. Billy Gibbons. Instead of a sled and reindeer, the ZZ Top legend uses the Eliminator car to deliver gifts around the world. Rather than elves, his helpers are scantily clad babes who use lots of hairspray. By the way, did you know that in certain regions of Mexico, children tie their letters to Santa to helium balloons, which they release into the sky in hopes they'll float to the North Pole ... or Billy's house?

Stocking Stuffer: ZZ Top, Tres Hombres

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Although Halloween as we know it in the United States isn't celebrated to the same degree in the rest of the world, the holiday is starting to gain ground in Latin America, with kids dressing up and trick-or-treating everywhere from Colombia to Mexico. And why not? A strong foundation for the holiday already exists. First and foremost, there's Dia de los Muertos, in which families and friends gather to commemorate departed loved ones with eating, drinking, music and general fiesta-making. It's a joyous occasion, of course, but still one in which the ghosts or souls of the departed are said to walk the earth again.

If you want real creepy stuff, however, look no further than the creepy creatures of Latin myth and legend: vampiros, fantasmas, diablitos and, creepiest of all, chupacabras, a/k/a vampire goats. Lucky for you, we've got a playlist full of them! Turn out the lights and get your horror-movie scream ready as we unveil the scariest playlist in Español you're likely to find!

Click here to listen to the entire playlist: Vampiros, Chupacabras and Fantasmas: A Latin American Halloween

4Troops, the 2010 self-titled debut from a quartet of sweetly crooning American military veterans, is Rhapsody's Album of the Day, for hopefully obvious reasons... happy Memorial Day, everyone, and eternal thanks to all those who've served our country. We're especially grateful for those serving right now—please come home soon. Hear It Now!

February is Black History Month, and Rhapsody would like to recognize and honor the immensely rich cultural contributions of African Americans musicians. From Louis Armstrong to Kanye West, African Americans have helped define popular music in this country. Click below for an overview of those accomplishments, great playlists and in-depth discussions on the political roots of Dance Pop in black music; the role of the "outsider" in African American music culture; and the influence of African Americans on Country music. We also have playlists highlighting the music of New Orleans as well as a selection of civil rights anthems.

	From Sly to Outkast, listen to all the classics.		Get your cheat sheet for the top black music innovators.
	Discover the influence of African Americans on Country music.		The Roots of dance pop: Where Gaga got her style from.
	Discover the role of the black "outsider" in popular music.		Black Dialogue: History through Blues and Modern Soul music.

It's fairly apparent that the contemporary dance-pop that currently has its robo-hand (like Beyonce's, get it?) wrapped around the charts in a vice grip is a style that's rooted in, well, roots — or, more specifically, in retro aesthetics. The four-on-the-floor beats of disco, the synth-obsessed sleekness of the '80s, the big beats of '90s club music, even the cyborg fascinations and post-apocalyptic anxieties of old-school sci-fi are all omnipresent in the nostalgia-steeped neo-futuristic world of today's pop.

When we talk about the past this style evokes, however, we typically focus on predominantly white histories: Euro-disco, icy Scandinavian dance-pop, '80s mall divas and New Wavers, '90s big-beat icons. But as is the case over the course of much of popular music, there are other histories, other pedigrees, other currents of influence that are all too often overlooked or left out of the picture. The clubby beats and smooth synths of contemporary dance-pop, for instance, have also been significantly influenced by African American artists across several decades and genres.

In honor of Black History Month, we've compiled this relatively short, not exceptionally comprehensive introductory cheat sheet to the African American roots of contemporary dance-pop: a guide to the black artists who helped pave the way for the likes of today's Gagas, Robyns, Black Eyed Peas, Rihannas, La Rouxs and more.

If you're like us, you have a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day. It's great when you're in a stable and strong relationship, but pure hell when you're alone or things are on the rocks. That's why Rhapsody is celebrating Valentine's Day with a little something for the lovers and the haters. If you're snuggling up with something warm this year, check out the list of Country's Greatest Romances. If you're flying solo, plug into Love Bites: The Anti-Valentine's Playlist, where you'll get your fill of disillusionment, bitterness and romantic recrimination. Elsewhere, we have playlists about chocolate, lovers in need of a restraining order, wedding songs, a Valentine's Day radio station and everything else you might want, whether you love or hate Cupid's day.

	Romance is in the air as Rhapsody looks at pop's Best Wedding Day Songs			Listen to songs that will satisfy your sweet tooth with Chocolate: The Playlist
	For Better and Worse: Songs of Marriage and Divorce			Country Love: Country Musicians Talk About Their Greatest Romances
	Love Bites: The Anti-Valentine's Playlist			Obsess Much? Valentine's Day radio station
	La Musica del Amor: Latin Pop Love Songs			Christian Love songs