It’s the most wonderful time of the year – unless you are sick to death of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.”
Never fear. Despite the ubiquity of Mariah Carey and Elmo and Patsy’s sad story about a elderly relative’s holiday-related demise, there is a trove of music beyond the well-worn and overly familiar. Holiday season 2025 is here with all-new versions of all-old songs as well as new tunes that may (or may not) become holiday standards.
So, who’s releasing a new holiday album? For starters, none other than 90-year-old Herb Alpert, though he did record it when he was only 89. No, really. Christmas Time Is Here sounds exactly as you’d expect, with Alpert’s Mexicali-inflected swing and syncopated takes on “Jingle Bells,” “Winter Wonderland” and a bevy of other well-known holiday tunes. Take a bow, Mr. Alpert. You’ve more than earned it.
JAKE SHIMABUKURO – ‘TIS THE SEASON’: Of course, Alpert is not alone. Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has released his first-ever holiday album, Tis the Season. The album features appearances by Michael McDonald and the late Jimmy Buffet, the latter on the classic Hawaiian Christmas song “Mele Kalikimaka.” McDonald joins Shimabukuro on uke for “Winter Wonderland” but incomprehensibly doesn’t sing. The Hawaiian-style performances may be an acquired taste.
ERIC BENET – ‘IT’S CHRISTMAS’: Lush strings, jazzy piano, and atop it all, R&B crooner Eric Benet’s smooth vocals. What more could you want for Christmas? Well, how about an emotional reading of “Christmas Time Is Here” alongside a handful of stirring originals? Done. It’s all here, and it all makes for a Christmas treat. Unquestionably one of the best holiday releases of the year.
WAYNE WILKINSON – ‘HOLLY TUNES’: Veteran jazz guitarist Wayne Wilkinson presents a set of holiday classics here, featuring pianist/organist Thomas Dawson Jr. and Wilkinson’s trio. No surprises, but that’s not the point. It’s the perfect background music for a holiday party where the music is accompaniment to lively chatter and the clinking of cocktail glasses.
VARIOUS ARTISTS, ‘SWINGING IN THE HOLIDAYS’: Speaking of, this is a concept album of sorts from a company that specializes in holiday offerings of all sorts that bring to mind the cocktail culture of the ’60s. On the Songbook Ink website, you can purchase everything from ornaments, coasters and cocktail napkins to – well, this album. The concept is familiar holiday chestnuts done in a jazzy style reminiscent of, say, Dean Martin or Steve and Eydie.
TRISHA YEARWOOD – ‘CHRISTMASTIME’: Trisha Yearwood is all dolled up for the video of the single “Christmas Time Is Here,” the lead track from here new album, Christmastime. And so are the arrangements herein, with strings and woodwinds surrounding her voice. She duets with husband Garth Brooks on “The Christmas Song” and is accompanied throughout by a 40-piece orchestra. Fortunately, Yearwood’s voice isn’t overwhelmed by the surroundings.
BRAD PAISLEY, ‘SNOW GLOBE TOWN’: Just call him Mr. Hallmark. Country superstar Paisley returns to holiday music with his first Christmas album since 2006. Alongside festive favorites are eight original songs, including “Counting Down the Days,” the official anthem for Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas movie series. Two other tracks tie into the upcoming Hallmark movie A Grand Ole Opry Christmas.
CELTIC WOMAN – ‘NOLLAIG: ‘A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY’: Celtic Woman mixes its ethereal vocals and traditional and electronic instrumentation in this foray into holiday music. It includes arrangements of carols such as “O Holy Night,” “The Wexford Carol,” and “Carol of the Bells,” alongside original pieces celebrating Irish winter traditions. The early release of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is taken at a faster pace than the norm, which leaves the listener if not the performers a bit breathless.
LADY A – ‘ON THIS WINTER’S NIGHT VOL. 2’: It’s been more than a decade since the trio’s On This Winter’s Night became a seasonal favorite. This followup to Lady A’s first holiday album comes is split between originals, modern classics and traditional favorites. They’re all done up in the trio’s pop-country stylings, such as the chugga-chugga rhythms of “Little Saint Nick.” It also includes duets with bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs on “Why We Sing Noel” and worship leader Chris Tomlin on “Silent Night.”
NATALIE GRANT – ‘CHRISTMAS’: Contemporary Christian singer and songwriter Grant returns to the holiday fold with Christmas, her first full Christmas collection in nearly two decades. It’s an uneven mix of originals, traditional holiday tunes like “Winter Wonderland” and “Jingle Bells” alongside Christmas hymns like “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and a N’Awlins-style “Go Tell It On the Mountain.” They don’t always work well together, and Grant’s voice can begin to wear on the listener.
MARK AND MAGGIE O’CONNOR – ‘A CHRISTMAS DUO’: Violinist and vocalist Maggie O’Connor and her husband, multi-instrument virtuoso and composer Mark O’Connor, have released a new album full of holiday treats. It’s a live recording from a show in St. Louis during their holiday tour last year. They made the impromptu decision to record the show, featuring just the two of them playing holiday favorites from “The Holly and the Ivy” to “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Their Americana- and Appalachia-tinged versions of holiday favorites is a delight, with no retakes or overdubs. And the concluding “Hold That Tiger Rudolph” is exactly what it sounds like, a zesty mashup of the trad jazz tune and the bouncy tale of Santa’s favorite reindeer.
MICHAEL WINOGAD – ‘PLAYS TANZ LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY’: And just in time for Hanukkah, one of klezmer music’s leading bandleaders/players/composers is releasing the first-ever full-concert recording of the landmark album TANZ!, first recorded in 1955. Half klezmer, half jazz, “tanz” translates as “dance” in Yiddish, and while strictly speaking it’s not holiday-focused, it is certainly festive and worthy of including here. If the opening “Rumania Intro” doesn’t set your feet to tapping there’s something wrong with you.
JUDY WHITMORE – ‘CHRISTMAS’: Vocalist and theater producer Judy Whitmore has released her first holiday album, which kicks off with “Kay Thompson’s Jingle Bells,” a rearrangement of the holiday favorite first featured on The Andy Williams Christmas Album in 1963. The production on this album recalls that and other classic Christmas albums from the era, with orchestra and backing choir. It’s fine, but hardly essential.
PENTATONIX – ‘CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY’: The a cappella superstars return with a new collection of originals and favorites. The lead single “Bah Humbug” sets the tone with a playful, jazzy swing, but the whooshing synth sounds of “Holly Jolly Christmas” tend too much toward cheese. That’s a lamentable weakness the group has too often demonstrated, though its lush, multi-layered vocals make it easier to ignore.
STRAIGHT NO CHASER – ‘HOLIDAY ROAD’: More good old a capella as Straight No Chaser returns with another holiday album. Straight No Chaser is famed for its amusing take on “The 12 Days of Christmas,” which racked up some 26 million online views and led to the group’s reformation in 2007 after they’d all graduated from Indiana University a decade earlier. Here, Straight No Chaser is joined by a variety of guests, including Hunter Hayes and Mickey Guyton, the latter of whom also released a new holiday album this year. Best track is the haunting version of “Still, Still, Still” with the singers’ bell tones resounding through the air.
SARAH WILLIS AND THE SARAHBANDA – ‘CUBAN CHRISTMAS’: Flutist Sarah Willis and the Sarahbanda fuse classic, classical and Latin jazz in this assemblage of holiday favorites. The gentle swing of “Silent Night” makes up for the overdone “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and an almost unrecognizable “Jingle Bells” with its weird loud/soft dynamic changes.
In the streaming age, artists may eschew releasing an entire album, instead opting for EPs or even just singles. That’s the case for Josh Groban and the War and Treaty, who teamed up for “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The latter’s gospel roots show through their phrasing and if the vocals get a little too vibratoey for some, their harmonies are glorious.
The single “The Bells” by Premik Russell Tubbs and Margee Minier-Tubbs is taken from their album Oneness-World. The album and the single both blend elements of world music, jazz, Indian and Celtic music, and includes both vocals and spoken word. As such it’s not for everyone or even every holiday playlist. But if you’re looking for something a bit different that still sounds vaguely Christmasy, you could do worse.
ALSO NOTED
Trumpeter/vocalist Ilya Serov celebrates Christmas With Friends, including Dave Koz, Aubrey Logan, Casey Abrams and others. The set of holiday classics includes “Let It Snow,” “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” and a gently swinging medley of “Skating” and “O Christmas Tree,” featuring Koz.
Longtime Steve Miller Band keyboardist Joseph Wooten steps out on his own with an EP of three holiday-centric tunes, including tracks old and original. He uses his light, airy voice to great effect on “Merry Christmas Time of Year,” the title track.
T.G. Sheppard and Kelly Lang celebrate the season with Tender Tennessee Christmas, and their smooth mix makes for easy listening. “Hard Candy Christmas” and the title track are the best of the bunch. Could have done without the Elvis Presley-esque background singers on “White Christmas,” though.
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