Xmas Pt. 1

I cruised by the Target Xmas section and noticed a slew of new Christmas albums (Rick Springfield!). None really tempted me, but the Elvis P. fan in me had to hear RCA's latest experiment with the purists called Christmas Duets. It really should be called Elvis Duets with Country Women because that's what it is: 10 redone tracks with Elvis' original vocals done by nothing but (mostly) Country women. Like I said, purists will howl, like they did with "A Little Less Conversation", but the rest of us will give it a try. Of the 10 the youngsters win out easily: Carrie Underwood, Leann Rimes are the best. Old pros Anne Murray and Olivia Newton-John are in the middle and Wynonna Judd doesn't get there. Also, Gretchen Wilson gets lost trying to keep up with Elvis' 2nd most dirty song of the 70's, "Merry Christmas Baby".

George Strait's Christmas Classics is his third Holiday release and kind of bland. No new titles to add to the Country Xmas playlist. The only one that works for me is "Up On A Hilltop" a song you don't often see on other releases.

The other Xmas release I've heard this year is from Yo-Yo Ma, Songs of Joy and Peace. YYM is cool classical if you like the genre, and this isn't really an Xmas product. Look at the album title for clues.

But it's true isn't it, we always go back to the classics when it comes to Christmas, or we like to see the classics reinterpreted. The new Xmas songs just go right by us.