The beginning of December means that it is now the season when Christmas music can be played to your heart’s content. Last year saw Angry Baby’s first list of our favourite Yuletide songs, old and new and it went down so well, we’ve decided to do it again! And because we like to support new and independent artists, we have four new songs for you – hopefully they will become Christmas favourites of the future. Of course, Christmas is usually a time for some old favourite songs, given that tradition is everything at this time of year and nostalgia reigns and we’ve added a few of our festive favourites from yesteryear.
The first of our new Christmas songs is ‘Wiser‘ from Nille Nyc, taking a look at a side of Christmas that is all too human – heartbreak and pain. Rather like ‘Last Christmas‘ from Wham!, ‘Wiser sings about the loss of love at a time of year when the whole world is talking of being together. Simple lyrics such as “the season went by and we fell out of love” sum the feeling up in one line.
US singer Hilary Roberts released her 2019 Christmas , ‘Christmas With You‘ at the beginning of November and it’s a classic look at a Christmas love song, saying “everything traditional is better with two” and “you’ve lit up my life like twinkling lights”. Right from the opening notes, you know that you’re in for a traditionally jolly, upbeat Christmas song, complete with bells – it’s a very catchy tune and showcases Hilary’s vocals wonderfully.
A song with one of the most recognisable introductions ever, ‘YMCA‘, has had a Christmas remake from Sydney based Furnace and the Fundamentals – basically, rewriting the lyrics to suit a Christmas song, with “Christmas today” in place of “YMCA”. It’s three minutes of tremendous fun.
Our last new song was just released this week and is a more acoustic, guitar based song, entitled ‘Eve‘ from Nicolah. Upbeat and catchy, ‘Eve’ is all about the night before Christmas and looking back to those days when “your belief was alive, excited for Christmas Eve”. The perfect song to accompany the hanging up of those Christmas stockings on December 24th.
Angry Baby favourites Rachael Sage, Mary-Jess and Robb Murphy all have Christmas songs in their arsenal and are a joy to listen to at this time of year. The classic ‘Joy To The World’ takes on new life with Rachael, who weaves together folk, pop, and jazz. This is also the time of year to celebrate Hannukkah and Rachael’s song, ‘Hanukkah in the Village’, a favourite with Rachael’s many fans is also beautiful. Mary-Jess released an album of Christmas songs a couple of years ago that encompasses all types of Christmas music. ‘I Fell In Love With A Snowman’ provides a theme-song for falling in love whilst Mary-Jess’s duet with Rhydian on ‘The Sound Of Christmas’ maintains a refreshingly natural range and pitch within the mix. ‘Prayer To A Snowflake’ , the title track of the album, brings something fresh to the seasonal catalogue. Easily the stand-out piece of a stand-out album, Mary-Jess’s juxtaposition of Chinese musicality and classical European vocals creates an addictively melodic offering. We then come to Robb Murphy’s ‘North Star‘, one of those Christmas songs that isn’t especially Christmassy. The track conjures an atmosphere of lives shared through the simple things. Contrasting a lilting beat with Robb’s laid-back vocal style, you’re invited to hum – or whistle – along. Glisteningly wintery, warm and fuzzy, the song holds an entire landscape in the simplest of arrangements.
Speaking of Christmas songs that don’t look at the traditionally Christmas song themes of togetherness and love, we have Gareth Malone’s ‘Paradise Street’, written with and sung by Ricky Wilson of The Kaiser Chiefs. Instantly calling to mind the magnificent ‘Fairy Tale of New York’ and a song I couldn’t resist including in the playlist this year. Ricky again provides evidence of his talent as a wordsmith as his bittersweet lyrics combine effortlessly with the melody to take the listener on a musical journey.
For those of you who like carols at Christmas, Alfie Boe recorded ‘O Holy Night’ many years ago as part of a Christmas album with the Boston Pops Orchestra and the pure vocals are simply wonderful. Gareth Malone’s ‘A Child is Born‘ also gives us a taste of a traditional carol, albeit one written for the twenty first century.
Wiser was released on November 22; Eve was released on December 1; YMCA (Christmas) is available on Bird’s Robe Records; Christmas With You was released on November 1 on Red Songbird Records
Follow Nille Nyc, Nicolah, Furnace and the Fundamentals and Hilary Roberts at:
Nille Nyc: Facebook | Instagram
Nicolah: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Furnace and the Fundamentals: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Hilary Roberts: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Like what you see? Angry Baby has been sharing new music from outstanding independent musicians for a while now and we have amassed a collection of great tunes for you to enjoy. All you have to do is pop your email address in the box and a bumper collection of music will be on it’s way to you. The music comes from outstanding artists that you may not have heard before. With a mix of rock, pop, folk…you name it…there’s bound to be something new that floats your musical boat, and all for free! What’s not to like about that?!
