Winterlove EP, Parachute (Mercury)

These pop-rockers from Charlottesville, Va., put together a handful of holiday tunes for 2009, led off by the title track, an original power ballad about missing a lover at Christmas time. "New Year" is a festive original rocker about making changes when the calendar does, and the two originals bracket a fairly dramatic reading of "What Child Is This." I suppose I should say something snarky about them having just toured in support of original American Idol Kelly Clarkson, but heck, even Jimi Hendrix opened for the Monkees.