Christmas Playlist - Hour 2

I go a bit more classic in sound this hour. There's some great sounds in this group!

Let It Snow - Kathy Troccoli/A Sentimental Christmas
Zune Amazon
-A CD well worth the wait. Amazing voice, great arrangements and amazing parings. This is just a nice easy listening jazz version of this Christmas classic. Sit back & enjoy.

Let There Be Peace on Earth - Vince Gill/The Purpose of Christmas
This came as a set with the book of the same name by Rick Warren. I found it at a local Christian bookstore.
-Sweet. Not over produced. Very simple so you can hear the beauty of the song. I love that his daughter joins him for this one!

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Bryan Duncan/Christmas is Jesus
Amazon
- Love the piano feel to this one. Again, I love the fact that it isn't sung like he has something to prove. It feels like a man & a piano singing carols with friend @ home!

Sleighride - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Great jazz! From production to the amazing ease with with her voice floats over the riffs - this is good listening! I highly recommend the 2 disc set & get a few music videos you can play at your next holiday party!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay/Sounds of the Season:The NBC Holiday Collection (Also on Maybe This Christmas)
Amazon
- Hey, it's Chris Martin & Coldplay. Beautiful but not sappy. Gotta love it!

This Christmas - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Nice love song sung beautifully. She makes it seem effortless!

Caroling, Caroling - Nat King Cole/The Christmas Song
Amazon
-A Christmas Classic sung by a musical legend. It doesn't get much better than this!

Moonlight in Vermont - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- By the title it doesn't seem to be a Christmas song. But the picture painted by the lyrics is the typical Norman Rockwell Christmas! This is nice to play sitting by the fire with a loved one! (And THAT is a good Christmas.) I love songs that make me slow down every now and then during the holidays to just enjoy the moment.

The Man with the Bag - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Another great jazz song that picks the pace back up a bit and showcases the amazing vocal talent of Jane. I always picture a Big Band/USO show scene from the movies with this one!

Merry Christmas, Darling - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- A Christmas love song. Helps me to focus on family and forget all of the business of the season for a while!

Christmas Waltz - Jane Monheit/The Season
Amazon
- Another traditional Christmas song. Just a nice cheery song that makes me smile.

Old Time Christmas - Randy Travis/An Old Time Christmas
amazon
-I got this off of a CD from my mom. She loves country music & I actually was into country music in the 70's & early 80's living in Oklahoma. So I am always reminded of those times when I hear songs like this. It is typical Randy Travis - there is no denying his voice.

Meet Me Under the Mistletoe- Randy Travis/An Old Time Christmas
amazon
-A fun invitation to smooch on your loved one during the holidays. (I actually realized in May that I never took down the mistletoe in my house. Maybe it was subliminal! LOL!)

Face of Love - Jewel/Joy-A Holiday Collection
Amazon
-A beautiful song by a beautiful voice. I actually downloaded the rest of the album while looking up this link, so you might be seeing a few more of her songs popping up! This lyrics are so beautiful to this song! It is a "meaning of the holiday" song in Jewel's easy style.

White Christmas - Kathy Troccoli/A Sentimental Christmas
Zune Amazon
-I have always loved the quality of Kathy's voice (the sultriness of it). She reminds me of one of those 1940's big band lead female singers always portrayed in the movies. (I have a thing for Big Bands I guess!) This is such an understated version of the classic. It is so not in your face! Love it!

Christmas Time is Here - Mercy Me/The Christmas Sessions
Amazon
-The group's version of that old Charlie Brown classic. It sounds less depressing when sung by Mercy Me! It is joyful and hopeful and everything that children believe Christmas to be!

Joseph's Lullaby - Mercy Me/The Christmas Sessions
Amazon
-There are lots of songs about Mary, but this is a great one about Joesph's viewpoint of those events so many years ago. I like that!

World Christmas - R. Kelly/Sounds of the Season/R & B Collection
The Sounds of the Seasons are CD's that Target puts out every year. I am sure you can find it there.
-We are not alone! A fun song! A bit different. It keeps you on your toes as it makes a couple of style & pace changes throughout. But fun.

Well, that's it for hour 2. Only 12 more to go!

Getting the Party Started-Holiday Playlist Hour 1

Well, Here it goes. Starting to bare my soul & probably let you in on way more than I bargained for by sharing my holiday play list & why I chose these particular songs/versions.


I love music you can dance to and this first hour is all about getting me up & motivated. So I picked songs that do just that - at least for me!

Green Christmas -Bare Naked Ladies/Dr. Suess's How the Grinch Stole Christmas Soundtrack
Zune Amazon
- Some of the music in this reminds me of my alarm clock. So I thought it was appropriate to start the day with this one.

Boogie Woogie Santa Clause - Brian Setzer Orchestra/Christmas Comes Alive
itunes amazon
-A Little Brian Setzer makes the day better! If it sounds familiar - think back to the "Stray Cats". Yeah, it's that guy!

Santa Clause is Back in Town - Elvis Presley/Christmas Peace
Rhapsody Amazon
-It's Elvis! It's Classic. Enough said.

Step Into Christmas - Elton John/Elton John's Christmas Party
Amazon
-It's Elton John, and I love Elton John. The only negative is that you can really hear a quality difference in the recording compared to others, but crank it up and step away!

I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas - Bon Jovi/A Very Special Christmas
Itunes Amazon
-Who doesn't LOVE Bon Jovi?!?!? (This one's for you Donna! LOL!) As someone who grew up listening to the band and going to their concerts, I always add some Bon Jovi into every mix! Thank goodness they did this Christmas album!

O Come, All Ye Faithful - Faith Hill/Joy to the World
Itunes Amazon
-A good version of the original hymn. Beautifully sung.

Christmas Here with You - The Four Tops/Give Love on Christmas Day
I actually found this in the bargain bin @ Target. But you might be able to find it elsewhere.
-Classic, old school motown.

Christmasy - Brian Wilson/What I Really Want for Christmas
ITunes Amazon
-Two words: BEACH MUSIC. This is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, so the sound is very familiar. But having grown up on the beaches of the Gulf Coast, the Beach Boys sound runs through me like blood!

The Man with All the Toys - Brian Wilson/What I Really Want for Christmas
ITunes Amazon
- Again Beach Music! But I can also hear this one sung by Frankie Avalon and the crowd in some Christmas Beach Blanket movie! Just good clean fun! Try some of those 60's dance moves to this one!

On Christmas Day - Brian Wilson/What I Really Want for Christmas
ITunes Amazon
-Just a nice sweet song done as only Brian Wilson can do it.

Oh Santa - Mariah Carey/Merry Christmas II You
ITunes Zune Amazon
-Love the energy of this one from her newly released Christmas CD! Definitely dancing music. I'm thinking about adding it to my cardio mix for the month of December!

Santa Baby - Madonna/A Very Special Christmas
Itunes Amazon
-As one who grew up with Madonna (singing all of her songs and yes, even dressing like her) I had to add this one in. The original by Ertha Kitt is also amazing & I have it in my collection as well. A cute version of the materialism we get to see in full force at the holidays!

Little Saint Nick - Brian Wilson/What I Really Want for Christmas
ITunes Amazon
-I love Santa songs. Add a true Beach Boys sound and I'm hooked!

What I Really Want for Christmas - Brian Wilson/What I Really Want for Christmas
ITunes Amazon
-A nice song, easy to listen to! Classic Beach Boys harmonies & sweet sentiments.

Nutcracker Suite/Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies - Del Rey/??
I think I got this from a my space page.
-What I love about this arrangement is that it's not syrup-y sweet. Yes I love the ballet & the "Nutcracker Suite" and look forward to taking Little Bit to see them soon. But this has a dirty, gritty indie rock sound that just kicks butt. It makes you want to get up and do something! Another one I might add to my cardio mix for December.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town - Faith Hill/Joy to the World
Itunes Amazon
-Again a good fun classic Santa song. (I have to admit I do have another version of this song much later in my mix, because I couldn't decide between the two!)

Run Rudolph, Run - Chuck Berry/??
Rhapsody Amazon
- Classic Rock N Roll by one of the best. It's hard to sit still for this one!

My Gift to You - Alexander O'Neal/Give Love on Christmas Day
I actually found this in the bargain bin @ Target. But you might be able to find it elsewhere.
-Nice & easy. I like the sentiment.

Well, that's it for hour one. Stay tuned for the next installment. And prepare to delve even deeper into my brain!

My Schizophrenic Holiday Playlist

Well, it's that time of year & I'm really looking forward to the holidays this year! My Christmas/Anniversary gift shopping is all done and I've already started listening to Christmas Music. YES! I am one of those people! But I can only do it because I have over 14 hours of non-repetitive music in my play list. I can only handle "Jingle Bells" so many times a day, you know? It has been a collection that has grown over the last few years and I add to it yearly. So many have asked me about it I thought I'd blog about it - an hour at a time- over the next fourteen days. So even if you're not ready for Christmas music until December 1st, my whole list (with links) will be there waiting for you when you are!
I love holiday music and if you're taking one of my classes in December, I promise-you will be hearing some of these tunes in class!
I think you truly get to know about someone when you look at their mP3 player! I warn you now, this mix started as background music for a brunch, so I was trying to get many different types of music to please everyone and the idea stuck. I call it Christmas Schizophrenia! It's an awesome mix, and I am willing to bet that you will be able to find at least one song you like! So talk to you tomorrow with my first installment!