Tis The Season - For Christmas Albums

Christmas CDs have turned into something of a cottage industry, although the results are often cottage cheese. This year, however, several Americana-friendly artists are serving up some rather tasty musical treats for the holidays.

Shelby Lynne – Merry Christmas (Everso Records). On this 11-song set, Lynne gives a torchy touch to some holiday standards (“Silent Night” and “Sleigh Ride/Winter Wonderland”) with her rendition of “Silver Bells” really shining. The disc’s middle section is particularly strong as Lynne delivers a moving “O Holy Night” to a festive “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” and follows it with a powerful original “Xmas.”

Indigo Girls – Holly Happy Days (IG Recordings). Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have put together a dozen holiday tunes – some old, some new, some borrowed and some originals (sorry, that it doesn’t rhyme). They display an entertaining range of music, from traditional choral tunes (“Angels We have Heard On High”) to more down-home efforts (the bluegrassy “I Feel The Christmas Spirit”). The gentle Amy Ray original “Mistletoe” is a lovely tune no matter the season, but the Girls really shine on the uptempo tunes (“I Feel The Christmas Spirit,” “It Really Is (A Wonderful Life),” and “The Wonder Song). They even give a shout-out to hillbilly Hebrews with a spirited rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “Happy Joyous Hanukkah.”

Scott Miller - Christmas Gift (Fay Recordings). This Xmas CD presents one of the more unusual song credits – Miller, R.B. Morris and T.S. Eliot - which appears on the opening track medley “The Kingdom Has Come/Journey of the Magi.” Miller’s 7 song seasonal offering serves up an entertaining mix of reverence and irreverence. His front porch arrangements of “Holy, Holy, Holy” and “Joyful, Joyful” fill the former while his original “Yes, Virginia” and the Roger Miller (no relation) “Old Toy Train” supply the latter. And anytime John Prine’s wonderful wry “Christmas In Prison” gets recorded, it is time to celebrate.

Dan Hicks – Crazy For Christmas (Surfdog Records). It’s should come a no surprise that Hicks’ Christmas offering is a fun, spirited affair. Using his signature hot jazz/western swing/vaudevillian rock hybrid, Hicks and his Hot Licks mix oldies but goodies (“Run Run Rudolph,” and “Here Comes Santa Claus”) with good-humored originals (“Christmas Mornin’” and “I’ve Got Christmas By The Tail”). It all makes for a merry Xmas party album.

So when you are looking for a new Christmas disc, you don’t have to settle for Susan Boyle or Katherine MacPhee, but seek out one of these alternative Christmas albums.

Go See Hear April 18-25

This week offers another super week of shows.

The top choice for the week is the Shelby Lynne show at the Roxy on Thursday April 22 with Findlay Brown as the opening act. Lynne has a terrific new album that just came out, entitled Tears, Lies and Alibis – which gives you a good sense of what she’s singing about. It’s one of my top albums of the year for so. Come early to see Findlay Brown, a young British crooner whose currently disc, Love Will Find You, a lovely set of retro pop that evokes Roy Oribson and Chris Isaak.

Also that night, Trampled by Turtles brings their revved up bluegrass tunes to the Mint. Their new disc, Palomino, was a real eye-opener for me. The fine local country-rock outfit Old Californio also is on the bill.

Colorful Art Brut frontman Eddie Argos has a fun side project: Everybody Was in the French Resistance…Now! - in which he has created cheeky “answer songs” like “Think Twice (It’s Not Alright” and “Hey It’s Jimmy Mack.”

Ex-Toad The Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips, who is currently part of the all-star Americana ensemble, Works Progress Administration, has a show at McCabe’s on April 23, with the Irish band the Guggenheim Grotto opening (I really liked their tune “Her Beautiful Ideas”) off their Happy The Man disc.

Saturday, April 24, brings several interesting options: the Black Prairie, which contains a trio of Decemberists, creates dark acoustic-based sound that suggests a gypsy mountain music done for a David Lynch soundtrack. The band, whose debut is out on Sugar Hill, shares a bill at the Bootleg with trio of fabulous female singers, the Living Sisters; I caught their delightful set recently at Amoeba Records.

Baltimore-based, Merge Recording artists Wye Oak (basically the duo Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack) forge an interesting soft/loud sound that has a bluesy bottom and a freak folk-rocky topside. Their show is at Spaceland.

The beloved Nanci Griffith brings her sweet voice and impressive catalog of tunes to the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills on the 24th too.

Josh Rouse has a weekend stay at Largo. The traveling troubadour now resides in Spain, which is evident from his latest effort, the Yep Roc-released El Turista, which is a cool, bilingual affair of laidback tunes backed with some world rhythms.

Rounding out the weekend, Peter Himmelman will serve up some of his smart, tart tunes at McCabe’s on Sunday, April 25.