Below, a Look at the Hopeful Sound- So Many High -Profile Artists Sneering Title Track and the R Tracks for This Holiday Season
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Chuck Berry in it ") and "Cheer Up Boys, Your Makeup Is Running" ("That will make festi- DEBBIE HARRY val grounds stomp really hard "), while at the "NECESSARY EVIL" (ELEVEN SEVEN other end of the spectrum, "The Ballad of the MUSIC) -SEPT. 25 Beaconsfield Miners" finds Grohl and guest "The comfort level with Blondie is great, Kaki King flexing their fingerpicking. "This but in most cases, the audience wants to Lead A song is almost banjo -picking style with ham - hear the old music from us, rather than Keith, Manilow, Brickman Flurry mer-ons and pull- offs," Grohl says. "I showed the future, and that is death for an artist," Of Seasonal Releases BY DEBORAH EVANS PRICE it to her once and she shredded it 10 times Harry says of the motivation behind her better than I've ever played it." first solo effort in 14 years. "You have to keep moving forward." Assisting her in t may still be scorching outside, but a that cause: Blondie's Chris Stein, the Jazz number of holiday albums are soon VARIOUS ARTISTS Passengers' Roy Nathanson and the Toi- to set the mood for the winter months. "GOIN' HOME: A TRIBUTE TO FATS let Boys' Guy Furrow. Highlights: the shiny DOMINO" (VANGUARD) -SEPT. 25 pop- rocker "Two Times Blue," the Below, a look at the hopeful sound- So many high -profile artists sneering title track and the r tracks for this holiday season. wanted in on this ode to sem- new -school raveup "Dirty inal New Orleans pianist N' Deep." Smith and such collaborators as Wes King Fats Domino that the proj- TOBY KEITH and David Hamilton. The set was taped ect has spilled over into a TBA (SHOW DOG NASHVILLE)- at London's famed Abbey Road Studios second disc. This is the JOSE GONZALEZ OCTOBER TBA using a 67 -piece orchestra and four choirs. place to look if you've "IN OUR NATURE" This two -CD set of holiday classics fol- ever dreamed of hearing (MUTE) -SEPT. 25 lows Keith's 1995 album "Christmas to Elton John interpret Swedish singer /song- Christmas." "I did 10 Christian and 10 BARRY MANILOW "Blueberry Hill," Neil writer Gonzalez rose Santa Claus songs," Keith says. "One disc TBA (HALLMARK)-NOV. 1 Young cover "Walkin' to New to indie stardom with has 'White Christmas' and 'Frosty the Manilow joins James Taylor, Michael Mc- Orleans," Norah Jones take on his 2005 album "Veneer," Snowman' -kind of songs. The other has Donald, George Strait as a participant in "My Blue Heaven" and Robert and its follow -up continues very Christian -type songs like 'Little Hallmark's annual holiday CD series with Plant tackle "It Keeps Rainin' " with the in much the same solo guitar vein, Drummer Boy' and 'Silent Night.' " this collection featuring new recordings Lil' Band O' Gold. Paul McCartney, Randy with even more probing lyrics. "Almost Dobro, fiddle, mandolin and acoustic bass of 10 as -yet- unannounced Christmas Newman, Lenny Kravitz, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. all of the songs deal with questions of color the arrangements. "I call it the blue- tunes. The album will be available exclu- King, Willie Nelson, Herbie Hancock, Tom human nature -mostly the stupid- grass band," Keith says. "I like to hear my- sively from Hallmark Gold Crown Stores, Petty, Corinne Bailey Rae and Ben Harper ness -and I'm either accusing myself self working in that atmosphere." beginning Nov. 1. are just a smattering of the other artists con- or humanity as a whole for being stu- tributing to the album, proceeds from which pid," he says. "But almost in a humoris- ALSO DUE: Bebo Norman's first holiday will fund community outreach programs tic way -it's not something you might JIM BRICKMAN album, "Christmas ... From the Realms in the Crescent City. get from listening to the album." Hip- "HOMECOMING" (SAVOY JAZZ) - of Glory" (BEC Recordings, Oct. 23) and ster point of interest: a cover of Massive OCT. 2 new seasonal efforts from Jon Secada Attack's late -'90s fave "Teardrop." AC staple Brickman gets into the holiday ( "Christmas Fiesta With Jon Secada"), WILLIAM mood with this project, led by "Coming Randy Travis, Jars of Clay, Olivia New- "SONGS ABOUT GIRLS" (A &M) -SEPT. 25 Home for Christmas," which features the ton -John and a Centricity Records multi - Will.i.am has been one of the most ubiqui- THE FRAY first post- Lonestar guest turn from Richie artist collection. tous names in pop music in the past sev- "THE REASON" EP (EPIC) -SEPT. TBA McDonald. Smooth jazz radio eral years, a development that will likely Before the group was the darling of AC and will likely get "My Angel" fea- only continue with the release of his new pop radio, the Fray was just an unsigned turing the late Gerald Levert, solo album. Details were still scarce at press band from Denver peddling this seven - while Olivia Newton -John HOLIDAY HITS time, but look for the first single to be "I song EP, first released in 2003. As the appears on "A Mother's Christ- Here are the top -selling holiday releases of 2006. Got It From My Mama," and a Snoop Dogg group gets busy on material for its soph- mas Wish," which is ear- Had we not restricted this chart to titles released in collaboration dubbed "The Donkey." "If I omore effort, due next year, Epic is reissu- marked as a bonus track for a 2006, the top five would have included the 2004 just had to turn in a bunch of songs to put ing "The Reason" in its original form. The retailer to be announced. Il Divo set "The Christmas Collection" at No. 4 a regular record out, then I could do that," set includes only one song ( "Vienna ") that (444,000) and Trans -Siberian Orchestra's the Black Eyed Peas principal told Billboard went on to appear on the Fray's 2005 debut, "The Lost Christmas Eve" at No. 5 (373,000). last year while in the studio. "I've got like "How to Save a Life." MANNHEIM SOURCE Nielsen SoundScan (Jan. 2 - Dec. 31, 2006) 80,000 songs just laying around on my hard drive. But I want to be able to push and push STEAMROLLER a little further, especially nowadays with all SERJ TANKIAN "CHRISTMAS SONG" ;44 the technology that you have." "ELECT THE DEAD" (SERJICAL (AMERICAN 759,000 STRIKE /WARNER BROS.) -SEPT. TBA GRAMAPHONE) -OCT. 9 "It's a rock record, it's Since 1991, Mannheim Steam- but pretty progres- 648,000 IRON & WINE sive. The excitement I had making this roller's multiple Christmas al- "THE SHEPHERD'S DOG" (SUB POP)- record was the same excitement I had bums have sold more than 16.4 SEPT.25 making the first System record." That's million units in the United On the heels of a collaborative EP with System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian States. The new- age- meets -pop 495,000 Calexico, Iron & Wine main man Sam talking about his solo debut, on which he act, the brainchild of Chip Beam keeps his hot streak rolling with "The played most of the instruments himself. Davis, returns with a collection Shepherd's Dog," which features the most Tankian did get help from SOAD drum- of holiday tunes chosen by its adventurous music of his career. There's mer John Dolmayan and former Primus legion of fans. 308,000 West African highlife on "House by the skin -pounder Bryan "Brain" Mantia, 271 000 Sea," hand claps and multitracked vocals along with Dan Monti on guitar and bass, 1 C on first single "Boy With a Coin," surreal opera singer Ani Maldjian and some MICHAEL W. SMITH ro narratives and sitar on "White Tooth Man" string players. "There's romantic songs, "IT'S A WONDERFUL and even saloon piano on "The Devil Never love songs, pain songs ... a gamut of CHRISTMAS" (REUNION) - Sleeps." Those who prefer Beam's more at- what I was feeling in the last year- and -a- OCT.16 v i mospheric, guy -with -a- guitar tunes will half," he says. "The whole album is this Smith's third Christmas collec- Wintersong Now That's James A Cool revel in "Wolves (Song of the Shepherd's deep, human pain that kind of is looking tion primarily features all new What I (all Taylor Christmas Yule Dog)" and "Carousel." for redemption." continued on »p24 Christmas music penned by Christmas! At Christmas Celebration JULY 14, 2007 www.billboard.biz /Q4 23 www.americanradiohistory.com.