Several years back, this DIY label released Volume 1, and 2010 sees the second in the series featuring independent acts it distributes. The company works with artists from across genres, so like the first one there are country, folk, classical and jazz cuts among the 20 songs here, but the majority of songs are in the rock and pop realms. That said, there are three repeats from Volume 1 on here, "Santa's Bag" and "Glad To Be Home For Christmas" by Rick Bell of It's About Roy and "Sing For Christmas" by Andy Pratt, though if you didn't grab that volume they're still the good songs they were, particularly "Santa's Bag," a note-perfect Beach Boys homage. The latter-day version of The Buckinghams, the 60s band with hits like "Kind of a Drag," "Susan" and a vocal version of "Mercy Mercy Mercy," show up here with the midtempo "Christmas 12 Months a Year." Greg Roz goes R'nB ballad speed with "First Real Christmas," Michael Sembello (the very same) does a straight pop ballad, "I Really Don't Want Much For Christmas," now-defunct Harrisburg, Pa. band Bravetheday offers a folky "O Come Emanuel," and Pittsburgh's B.E. Taylor puts down a rocking "Feel the Love of Christmas," propelled equally by horns and accordion. Cleveland's long-running Michael Stanley Band hard-rocks "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Ben Arnold plays an easy-going "Reindeer Game," Jake Holmes brings us a sillly "Chinese Christmas," and more ballads issue from Brian McDade with "The Christmas Snow and Tricia O'Keefe's "Christmas With You." Those with a low tolerance for Fox News-derived verities will want to dodge James Cain's "Christ Out of Christmas," a country complaint about issues that were mostly adjudicated 40 years ago. A reasonably good compilation like the first one, and since it's downloadable you can pick and choose songs if you feel it's necessary.
It's About Christmas Vol. 2, various artists (It's About Music)
Several years back, this DIY label released Volume 1, and 2010 sees the second in the series featuring independent acts it distributes. The company works with artists from across genres, so like the first one there are country, folk, classical and jazz cuts among the 20 songs here, but the majority of songs are in the rock and pop realms. That said, there are three repeats from Volume 1 on here, "Santa's Bag" and "Glad To Be Home For Christmas" by Rick Bell of It's About Roy and "Sing For Christmas" by Andy Pratt, though if you didn't grab that volume they're still the good songs they were, particularly "Santa's Bag," a note-perfect Beach Boys homage. The latter-day version of The Buckinghams, the 60s band with hits like "Kind of a Drag," "Susan" and a vocal version of "Mercy Mercy Mercy," show up here with the midtempo "Christmas 12 Months a Year." Greg Roz goes R'nB ballad speed with "First Real Christmas," Michael Sembello (the very same) does a straight pop ballad, "I Really Don't Want Much For Christmas," now-defunct Harrisburg, Pa. band Bravetheday offers a folky "O Come Emanuel," and Pittsburgh's B.E. Taylor puts down a rocking "Feel the Love of Christmas," propelled equally by horns and accordion. Cleveland's long-running Michael Stanley Band hard-rocks "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," Ben Arnold plays an easy-going "Reindeer Game," Jake Holmes brings us a sillly "Chinese Christmas," and more ballads issue from Brian McDade with "The Christmas Snow and Tricia O'Keefe's "Christmas With You." Those with a low tolerance for Fox News-derived verities will want to dodge James Cain's "Christ Out of Christmas," a country complaint about issues that were mostly adjudicated 40 years ago. A reasonably good compilation like the first one, and since it's downloadable you can pick and choose songs if you feel it's necessary.
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