It’s an accepted fact that sequels are rarely as satisfying as the original article, and that Christmas sequels, like your aunt’s Mildred’s rubbery fruitcake, are the absolute worst – I’m looking at you, “Christmas Story II.”
Fifteen years ago, I compiled a selected list of personal favorite Christmas albums for Style that included well-known classics (Vince Guaraldi, Motown) and little-heard obscurities (Low, the Roches). I’ve been informed many times over the years by responding readers, who swear by their own cherished holiday LPs, that my list barely scratched the snowy surface. In the spirit of the sequel, let’s do it again. Eggnog ready and guaranteed for maximum yuletide enjoyment, here are 12 more discs of Christmas.
Rotary Connection, “Peace”
This hippy-dippy Christmas concept album from Chicago’s legendary interracial soul ensemble (led by future solo star Minnie Riperton) is a period masterpiece – the “Sgt. Pepper” of holiday albums. Its Vietnam-era focus on peace hasn’t dated as much as you’d think – we need it now more than ever – and standout originals (“Shopping Bag Menagerie,” “If Peace Was All We Had”) are startlingly ambitious and inspiring, and often as psychedelic as a dosed rum ball.
John Fahey, “The New Possibility: John Fahey’s Guitar Soli Christmas Album”
Folk guitarist Fahey wasn’t especially fond of this expressive 1968 country blues instrumental album, his most popular disc; he claimed to hear bum notes and re-recorded it a decade later. The Takoma, Maryland native was commercially savvy enough to wax three similar follow-ups of Christmas standards and hymns. All of them are worthy, but the original album, flaws and all, is the one that will put you in the zone.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, “It’s a Holiday Soul Party”
One of those rare holiday albums that you won’t mind playing in March or August, this 11-song wonder shows the legendary soulstress and her kinetic band throwing down a booty-shaking mix of inspired covers – like the grooviest “White Christmas” ever – and scene-setting originals that shine (“Big Bulbs,” “Just Another Christmas song”). Bonus points for leading off with a killer song about Hanukkah.
Sufjan Stevens, “Songs For Christmas”
Born out of a series of homemade Christmas EPs that the prolific Michigan singer-songwriter made for friends, this 2006 box set is an embarrassment of holiday riches. Often stripped down to banjo, guitar and chiming keyboards, Stevens provides his own wonderfully eccentric takes on the usual standards – this “Away in a Manger” is sublime – but it’s the original songs that make the set sparkle, like the swirling “Put the Lights on the Tree” and the sobering “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever.” Stevens followed this up with another yuletide offering, 2012’s “Silver and Gold: Songs for Christmas,” also worthwhile.
The Louvin Brothers, “Christmas with the Louvin Brothers”
Country artists have always loved the Christmas cash-in album, but Ira and Charlie Louvin, the avatars of close high harmony, put a bit more thought and care into their 1961 effort, a stark assembly of Christian hymns and carols that conveys real emotional power. The pair’s “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks” and “The Friendly Beasts” are beautifully haunting, and the CD reissue includes the brothers’ wistful 1960 single, “It’s Christmas Time.”
Various, “Mambo Santa Mambo”
This anthology of Latin-tinged originals and goosed-up covers is designed to coax you into doing the Christmas cha-cha, with infectious tracks by, among others, Bill Darnell (“We Wanna See Santa Do the Mambo”), Celia Cruz (“El Cha Cha Cha De La Navidad”) and the Enchanters (that wonderful title song). If dancing is an integral part of your holiday fun, this collection is the one you want.
Aimee Mann, “One More Drifter in the Snow”
Mann’s terse-lipped, minor chorded musings could never be described as jolly, but the Richmond native’s holiday effort wins you over with understated, what-the-heck covers (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”) and melancholic originals (“Whatever Happened to Christmas,” “Christmastime”) that perfectly fit her brooding style. It’s a Christmas album for people who can take it or leave it.
Boyz II Men, “Christmas Possibilities”
It’s rare when a group’s Christmas album ends up being one of their defining works, but Boyz II Men’s seasonal opus, their second album overall (and recently given the CD reissue treatment), shines through as one of the most consistent sets of quiet-storm balladry in their catalog. The harmonies are warm, the approach is sentimental without being cloying, and the original Christmas songs are consistently top-notch, mostly written by the Boyz themselves.
The Bobs, “Too Many Santas”
Christmas comedy doesn’t age particularly well. But this satirical San Francisco acapella group conjured up a snarky holiday disc for the ages in 1988, armed with ear-bending vocal arrangements and original songs with a playfully wise ass perspective on the season. This disc never fails to elicit chuckles and full-on chortles – isn’t laughter important at Christmas time? But just when you think you have these folks’ pegged as a bunch of dismissive jokers, they close with the stunning, heartfelt original, “All I Want For Christmas.” This is well worth seeking out.
Various Artists, “Merry Christmas Baby”
An excellent seasonal compilation of ’40’s and ’50’s blues artists, this is where you find out that Christmas can be, well, kinda gritty and low-down. It includes potent shots of cool yule from seminal R&B greats such as Lowell Fulson (“Lonesome Christmas Pt. 1 & 2”), Mabel Scott (“Boogie Woogie Santa Claus”), Charles Brown (the timeless title cut), and Freddie King (“Christmas Tears”). It’s the perfect Christmas music for a juke joint.
The Jigsaw Seen, “Winterland”
Undeservedly obscure, this Los Angeles band’s Christmas concept album from 2011 is a Santa bag stuffed with memorable indie pop songs that touch upon (often weighty) themes of materialism, empty nostalgia, lost love and loneliness. It’s quite an achievement. We should live in a world where songs like “Snow Angels of Pigtown” and “Candy Cane” are modern Christmas standards.
Kelly Finnigan, “A Joyful Noise”
“A Lover was Born,” the new solo effort from the lead singer of the Monophonics, is one of 2024’s best, a smorgasbord of yearning neo-soul. His previous solo effort, from 2020, is a similarly stellar all-original Christmas affair waxed with the help of an all-star cast of contemporary soul players, including Durand Jones and the Indications, the Dap-Kings, and Ghost Funk Orchestra. Pick hits, among many: “Just One Kiss” and “To Be Young At Christmas.”
