Sleighed, Ben Folds (New West)

Some have suggested Ben's best-known tune "Brick," about an abortion the day after Christmas, was a Christmas song, but I never was down with that, and in a Variety interview Ben disavows any notion of that. So you won't hear a retinseled version of that on this 2024 holiday album. What you will hear is a handful of solid new originals based in the holiday, cast in Ben's signature singing and piano playing and backed with imaginative arrangements. "Sleepwalking Through Christmas" addresses the very real phenomenon of going through the holiday motions, "Me and Maurice" is about walking his dog in the snow, "Christmas Time Rhyme" is a sprightly number, "We Could Have This" showcases the romance of Christmas with duet partner Lindsey Kraft, "Xmas Aye Eye" is a synth-pop ditty in which Ben used AI to write the lyrics, and "Little Drummer Bolero" and "Waiting For Snow" are instrumentals. Ben also covers "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)," Burt Bacharach's "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle," and Mills Brothers obscurity "You Don't Have To Be a Santa Claus." Plenty of playlist candidates here, and an enjoyable album that can be listened to all the way through.