One last Christmas music post
I get a tremendous amount of mail daily, and sometimes I am remiss about opening it in a timely way (especially after a vacation), so I didn't find this album until last week.
"A Family Holiday" is a benefit album for 826NYC, featuring tunes by local indie bands (none of which I'd heard of before, with the exception of the Undisputed Heavyweights, who have a very enthusiastic friend/publicist). There are both standards and original compositions, and it's kind of a refreshing take on holiday merriment. The aesthetic tends towards simple arrangements with an indie feel.
And it's an equal opportunity celebration: There are two Hanukkah-related tracks, and only one of them is "The Dreidel Song." Casey Shea makes a plea for ecumenical understanding, contrasting Christianity and Judaism in "My Holiday Song," a tune that verges on novelty-song kitsch but stays firmly on the side of cute.
As with most compilations, the contributions vary in quality. The aforementioned Undisputed Heavyweights serve up a delightful version of "Baby It's Cold Outside," a song which seems to have experienced a mysterious resurgence this year (and which also seems to have kind of date-rapey lyrics). A stripped-down acoustic duet that neatly sidesteps the lounge lizard feel that this song can sometimes evoke.
Jeff Jacobson transposes "Frosty the Snowman" to a minor key, recasting the song as a true indie mope rock. It works.
Misty Boyce's rather straightforward cover of "The River" works less well for me, but I hate this song to begin with. It's just so freaking depressing.
In all, it's one of the better holiday albums I've come across, and it's for a super good cause. Pick it up and bust it out next year, and you'll be the coolest kid at the party.
eh.www.amNY.com
