Sunday, December 20, 2009

Music for Christmas Week

I haven't done this for awhile, so here are some songs for Christmas week.

The best new "seasonal" album this year is Tori Amos' Midwinter Graces. It includes some completely original material as well as a reworking of traditional Christmas carols. The latter is respectful of the Christian nature of the material but does try to emphasize the season as being about rebirth and the emerging of light from darkness. While I generally dislike efforts to interpret Christian revelation as metaphor, Tori Amos does not claim to be a Christian and the music strikes me as a recognition of these themes in the Christian story rather than an attempt to reduce it to them. In any event, I like her and the music is good. This is "A Silent Night With You."



The enormously talented Beth Hart, who is a Christian, wishes us a very Ozzy Christmas.




Of course, it is not yet Christmas. It's still Advent - a time for hope and waiting. I generally post live performances, but here is Enya's version of Veni, Veni Emmanuel.



You've got to have some Gospel and here are the incomparable Blind Boys asking the musical question "When Was Jesus Born?"




Sonny Boy Williamson (actually Sonny Boy II - Rice Miller), who actually lived in Milwaukee during a good part of his recording career (he followed his wife, Mattie Gordon, up here), explains a Christmas gift mishap.

1 comment:

Display Name said...

If you don't like attempts to interpret Christian revelation as metaphor, instead of the commercialization of an ancient religion and dead Palestinians press-ganged into selling Playstations and beer, how about a little white wine in the sun?