The Third Noel, Chris Daily (self-issued)

Chris Daily, under his own name and that of Teflon Beast, has popped up on this site a lot over the past decade due to his obsession with Christmas music. He's back for 2021 with this short album or long EP, however you want to label it. This may be his best one yet, eight solid hooky rock holiday tunes. "I Will Survive the Holidays" starts things out strongly, "You're Alright (Cuffing Season Song)" and "Round About Christmas" are variations of power pop, "You Are Not Alone This Season" is a mid-tempo number with cool harmonies, "Riding the Rails on the Polar Express" is a bouncy little number, "What the Winter Brings" adds a little funk to the proceedings, "Christmas (Baby Let's Stay Home)" features Erica Michelle on vocals for a nice change of pace, and "The Ballad of St. Nicholas" is a more pensive number with backing music that reminds me of Bob Dylan's latest album, and I suspect the resemblance is intentional. All told, a listenable collection.