Christmas music from Michael Buble, Dave Koz, She & Him, and Scott Weiland

Each year that great body of work known as "Holiday Music" grows, as contemporary artists offer new Yuletide tunes or try their hand at traditional favorites. Here's a round‑up of some of the notable new entries in the Christmas music cornucopia for 2011.
 

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ARTIST: Michael Buble
TITLE: Christmas
LABEL: 143 / Reprise
STYLE: Traditional jazz vocal Christmas
NOTABLE: Who says they don’t make them like they used to? Like he demonstrated on his 2003 Let It Snow EP, nobody does retro-style Christmas music like Michael Buble. Guests include The Puppini Sisters (channeling the Andrews Sisters) on an excellent jazzed-up “Jingle Bells,” Shania Twain on a Drifters-inspired version of “White Christmas” and Latin star Thalia on a bi-lingual “Mis Deseos/Feliz Navidad.”  You’ll either love or hate Buble’s tongue-in-cheek take on “Santa Baby” (referenced in the lyrics as “Santa Buddy”).
HIGHPOINTS: Buble breathes new life into a bouncy, upbeat version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” and spices up “Blue Christmas” with some New Orleans jazz. A swinging version of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” showcases Buble at his best. Buble’s silky vocals are perfect for the beautiful version of “Silent Night” and a laid-back version of “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” that would make Perry Como proud.
LOWPOINT: “Santa Baby” is marginally funny the first time you hear it, but you probably won’t need to hear it again. The original “Cold December Night” isn’t bad, but the modern pop arrangement seems out of place on the album. Same goes for the down-tempo version of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Fans will have to fork over a few extra dollars for the “deluxe” version of the album, which includes versions of “Winter Wonderland,” “Frosty The Snowman,” and “Silver Bells.”
GRADE: A-

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ARTIST: She & Him
TITLE: A Very She & Him Christmas
LABEL: Merge Records
STYLE: Homemade Acoustic Christmas
NOTABLE: Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward serve up an intimate, melancholy collection of twelve holiday songs. In addition to well-known favorites, the duo gets hipness points for unearthing NRBQ’s “Christmas Wish” and Brian Wilson’s “Christmas Day.” A version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” flips the usual male/female roles.
HIGHPOINTS: Deschanel has a lovely voice, and she and Ward sound great singing together. Album opening version of “The Christmas Waltz” is as warm and inviting as a cozy fireplace on a cold winter’s night. The version of “The Christmas Song” that closes the album works nearly as well for the same reason.
LOWPOINT: The sparse, acoustic arrangements almost qualify for “Christmas Unplugged.” The album has a homemade feel, and that approach adds to the album’s intimacy, but it loses charm over the course of an entire album. It also makes for a very melancholy Christmas album.
GRADE: C+

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ARTIST: Scott Weiland
TITLE: The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
LABEL: Atlantic
STYLE: Well-played, traditionally arranged Christmas music sung by someone who sounds like it’s his first time at the karaoke bar.
NOTABLE: Weiland, lead singer for the hard-rock band Stone Temple Pilots, apparently grew up listening to crooners like Andy Williams, Nat “King” Cole, and Bing Crosby around the holidays. Like Bob Dylans’ Christmas In The Heart album from a few years ago, this album probably wouldn’t be such an enigma (nor would it get the attention it has) if we didn’t know who the lead singer is. The music is well-played, produced, and arranged. The lead vocals are amateurish.
HIGHPOINTS: Weiland’s vocals improve on a few of the up-tempo tracks, including a weird, meringue-style version of “Silent Night,” a jazz-flavored “What Child Is This?” and a reggae version of “O Holy Night.” He manages to hit most of the notes on the melancholy “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
LOWPOINT: While listening to this album, I kept visualizing a Saturday Night Live parody, as if at any moment Weiland might bust into laughter at the absurdity of it all. He never does, keeping an Andy Kaufman-like straight face throughout. At times the vocals are embarrassingly bad, especially on the slower ballads like the album opening “The Christmas Song,” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” The short running time of 30 minutes is either a plus or minus, depending on how you view the album. The bottom line is this is either a vanity album gone unchecked, or a sarcastic parody. Either way, it’s not really worth your time.
GRADE: D+

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ARTIST: Dave Koz
TITLE: Ultimate Christmas Collection
LABEL: Capitol
STYLE: Smooth Jazz Christmas
NOTABLE: This 18-track album collects songs Koz’s three previous holiday albums – December Makes Me Feel This Way, A Smooth Jazz Christmas and Memories of a Winter's Night. Koz also recorded two brand new instrumentals for Ultimate Christmas: "Welcoming the Season (Prelude)" and "Welcoming the New Year (Coda)." While the “smooth jazz” genre is often dismissed by jazz snobs, Koz has the chops and style to appeal to both purists and those with more pedestrian tastes alike. Guests include Brian Culbertson, Peter White, Rick Braun, David Benoit, Brenda Russell, Kelly Sweet, and Kimberley Locke.
HIGHPOINTS: A funky “Winter Wonderland” and an excellent “Little Drummer Boy” give Koz a chance to stretch out musically and show his stuff. Koz teams up with Kimberley Locke on an old-school R&B version of “Please Come Home For Christmas” that’s one of the best you’ll find anywhere.  Slower numbers like “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” “The Christmas Song” and “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” are perfect for “relaxing-by-the-fire” listening.
LOWPOINT: The two “new instrumentals” clock in at 1:14 and 1:25 respectively, so calling them songs is a bit of a stretch. While the addition of Kimberley Locke’s vocals makes “Please Come Home For Christmas” an album highlight, other singers don’t fare as well. Vocals by Brenda Russell on “The Christmas Song” and “Silent Night” appear late in both songs. Strong as they are, they’re more of a distraction than an addition. Kelly Sweet’s too breathy “White Christmas,” makes you dream of an instrumental version.
GRADE: A-