Sometimes our only wish for Christmas music is to not have to start hearing it in October.
But even the scroogiest Scrooge eventually needs to listen to “Silent Night” or “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to make the season feel complete.
This year’s musical assortment taps into those favorites as well as some interesting new songs while bouncing from soul to pop to rockabilly.
Here is a look at this year’s potential additions to the playlist.
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
In typical unconventional form, Augusta native Jones and her soulful strutting band present "It's a Holiday Soul Party," an 11-track holiday album – their first – that is long on originality and short on schmaltz. The follow-up to the 2014 Grammy-nominated "Give the People What They Want" finally finds a home for Jones' 2009 James Brown-styled declaration, "Ain't No Chimney's in the Projects," and offers a handful of new tracks. "Big Bulbs" is saucy in the way you might expect, with sleigh bells and horns providing the musical backbone. "8 Days (Of Hanukkah)" is the band's ode to The Festival of Lights – a celebration ignored all-too-often on holiday albums. Despite Jones' penchant for the inventive, she and the band tackle the classics as well. She turns on her booming gospel pipes for a finger-snapping version of "Silver Bells," while sprightly horns decorate album closer "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman." A
Chris Tomlin
The now-Atlantan is a giant in the contemporary Christian music industry, and for good reason. Not only does Tomlin possess a soothing voice that imbues his lyrics with deep emotion, he also has an uncanny knack for melody. On his latest Christmas release, "Adore: Christmas Songs of Worship," Tomlin includes several live selections, such as a soaring "Midnight Clear (Love Song)" and a hushed, reverential take on "Silent Night" with guest Kristyn Getty (and lovely background vocals from the assembled crowd). Tomlin also recruits Lauren Daigle for the ethereal piano ballad "Noel." But the album's standout is "It's Christmas (Medley)," which blends a jazzy, toe-tapping "Away in a Manger," a soulful, trumpet-spiced "Go Tell it On the Mountain" and Tomlin's own lyrics with perky sleigh bells driving the melody. Time magazine has surmised that Tomlin might be "the most often sung artist anywhere." "Adore" will only add to that theory. B+
Train
The eternal conundrum of Train is that frontman Pat Monahan is a terrifically underrated vocalist, yet the band's songs are always, so, well, Train. But on its first holiday album – "Christmas in Tahoe," an Amazon exclusive – the band has shaped 15 songs, both new and classics, into a satisfying collection. Infusing Joni Mitchell's "The River" with melancholy violins and a pensive piano detour into "Jingle Bells" is inspired. And while everyone will always have their feelings about the inevitable remakes of John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" – though its message is always welcome – Train handles the song with reverence, even without bringing anything new to it. Horns bop through Stevie Wonder's "What Christmas Means to Me," while The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" is highlighted by ethereal background vocals – if a bit of a whiny lead from Monahan. Georgia native Butch Walker co-wrote "Shake Up Christmas," the best of the newbies, and sparks it with another crazy-catchy chorus. Train closes out the album with the 1940s-era Hawaiian Christmas classic, "Mele Kalikimaka," another welcome surprise in one of the band's strongest additions to its catalog. A-
India Arie and Joe Sample
The soul songstress has drafted the most impressive guest list of the 2015 season for "Christmas with Friends. "From newcomer Tori Kelly (the deep-grooving "Favorite Time of Year") to Kem (a string-soaked "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas") to Trombone Shorty (a vibrant "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"), the album's variety is its strongest trait. Arie and Gene Moore Jr. also deliver an appropriately haunting "Mary, Did You Know?" the 1991-penned song popularized by Christian music stalwart Michael English and since recorded by everyone from Amy Grant to Cee Lo Green. Meanwhile, Sample, the revered jazz pianist who died in 2014, left his fingerprints behind on a glistening "Let it Snow" and "The Christmas Song," among others. B
Brian Setzer
The rockabilly rouser (who plays Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Dec. 5) has been a staple on the holiday concert scene for years, thanks to "Dig That Crazy Christmas," the gift that has been giving since 2005. But earlier this year, Setzer realized there were "a gazillion" Christmas songs still untapped by his imaginative arranging skills and thus, "Rockin' Rudolph," his first Christmas release in a decade. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" features Setzer's trademark Stray Cats-era guitar playing, plenty of brass and his gruff voice, which is a bit ragged throughout the dozen-track album. "Yabba Dabba Yuletide" (yep, it's a riff on "The Flintsones" theme) is an affable novelty that should play well live, while the title track will prompt you to seek out a T-bird for the most appropriate listening experience. Standup bass and layered instrumentation add plenty of zip to "Carol of the Bells," and "Swingin' Joy" is a stellar big band romp. B
Also new this year:
Kristian Bush. Atlanta's favorite countryman blends an Elvis Costello-like vocal with some twang for "Thinking About Drinking for Christmas," a humorous single that touches on the headaches that sometimes come with family holiday gatherings.
Jim Brickman. "Comfort & Joy," the pianist's collection Brickman favorites includes a glistening holiday remake of his 2001 hit with Rebecca Lynn Howard, "Simple Things," and spotlights guests John Oates, Leslie Odom Jr. and Johnny Mathis.
Danny Gokey. The third-place "American Idol" finisher from 2009 offers "Christmas is Here" as his third studio album.
The Braxtons. Siblings Toni, Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar Braxton put aside their reality show differences for some holiday harmony in "Braxton Family Christmas."
Mint Condition. It's been three years since the R&B quintet released new material, and their inaugural Christmas release, "Healing Season," is stocked with songs of peace and comfort.
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