The Real Christmas Miracle

JASON RINGENBERG may have taken to farming but he hasn't left his rock 'n' roll years behind him. He's back with a Yuletide gem outfitted with flourishes of punk and straight ahead rock 'n' roll that recalls his glory years fro...
by David McGee
 

 
 

Christmas 1974: Santa (USPS) Brings the 1st Self-Adhesive Stamp

Those self-adhesive stamps we so love? Christmas 1974 brought the first of what were then considered experimental issues, featuring the Dove of Peace weathervane from George Washington's Mount Vernon home. Much trial-and-error ...
by David McGee
 

 

 

The Deep Roots Yuletide Baedeker 2020

Welcome back our CHRISTMAS BAEDEKER, the all-inclusive guide to the best in holiday fare, from movies to cartoons to music to stories behind the songs to Christmas poetry to...well, you name it, we got it! Buon Natale!
by David McGee
 

 
 

Shimmying Down the Chimney

Not wanting to be the only artist on the planet without a Christmas album, MARIA MULDAUR delivers a holiday evergreen in MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS, recorded live in San Francisco.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christmas Beyond the Blue

BLUES, BLUES CHRISTMAS VOLUME 3 leads this revised and updated review of four essential blues Christmas albums, including last year's DEATH MIGHT BE YOUR SANTA CLAUS
by David McGee
 

 
 

A Quick Delivery of Yuletide Joy

At only 18 minutes in length, BALSAM RANGE's 2017 Christmas EP, IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME, is memorable, moving and succinct.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christmas in All Hues of Blues

CHRISTMAS IN ALL HUES OF BLUES, an updated review from 2012, spotlighting four classic blues-oriented Yuletide collections: DEATH MIGHT BE YOUR SANTA CLAUS and tBLUES, BLUES CHRISTMAS, Vols. 1-3
by David McGee
 

 
 

Animated Christmas Classics

Christmas classics from the inkwell including Peace on Earth (1939), The Insects' Christmas (1913), and the first Frosty (1953).
by David McGee
 

 

 

A Yuletide Evergreen Grows Here

LISA BIALES's first holiday album may become essential to keeping Christmas well in our time ahead. Hearing is believing.
by David McGee
 

 
 

The Key Man Claus(e)

On his all-instrumental Yuletide offering, KEYS TO CHRISTMAS, pianist-producer JEFF COLLINS offers seasonal delights with a twist, and engaging thoughtful moments as well.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Christmas Kisses from Glenna, Serena & Leslie

Four outstanding Yuletide performances by four outstanding singer-songwriters: GLENNA BELL, LESLIE COURS MATHER, SERENA MATTHEWS & LISA MILLS. Christmas kisses all around!
by David McGee
 

 
 

What Becomes a Classic Most?

Streisand at her apex in recordings made almost three-and-a-half decades apart. Make no mistake--she’s the classic here, and a classy one at that.
by David McGee