First up is Scott Weiland with two cuts from his holiday album, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Weiland, out of his element and overly ambitious, will sure make you feel like it’s the morning after the office holiday party… hangovers and dry-heaves for everyone!

“Winter Wonderland” http://youtu.be/EojN6r2VSR4
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” http://youtu.be/lb9w1dmNtsc

Lady Gaga released A Very Gaga Holiday, which includes the tracks “White Christmas,” “Orange Colored Sky,” “Yoü And I” and “The Edge Of Glory.” Notice that only one track is an actual holiday song? Looks like the label execs are hoping for some green under their tree.  http://soundcloud.com/igamusic/sets/lady-gaga-a-very-gaga-holiday

What holiday music list would be complete without mentioning Justin Bieber’s album Under the Mistletoe.  Mentioning it is one thing, but if you’re actually brave enough to listen to it check out “Mistletoe” here: http://youtu.be/LUjn3RpkcKY

Just when you thought that pop stars can’t  sing holiday music well, JoJo comes along to reaffirm the fact with her rendition of “The Christmas Song.” http://youtu.be/9n97oJJ8nqo

Of course, rock bands are guilty of holiday butchering too, as VersaEmerge demonstrates in their video for  “Santa Baby.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQRW1aspsRw

American Idol’s Haley Reinhart & Casey Abrams put together an interesting version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”  Not sure if it quite works with the guy singing in a higher register. http://music.yahoo.com/videos/–223421950

Jack Johnson decided to release a compilation holiday album via his Brushfire Records imprint, titled This Warm December  Check out “In The Morning” and other videos here: http://thiswarmdecember.com/

OneRepublic entered the fray with “Christmas Without You.” http://soundcloud.com/igamusic/onerepublic-christmas-without

All Time Low basically decided to emulate what Corey Taylor did last year by creating the anti-holiday “Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass.” http://blog.music.aol.com/2011/12/08/all-time-low-merry-christmas-video/

If you’re into country, you may like Tim McGraw’s “Christmas All Over the World.”  But isn’t there a rule against using the word “cactus” in a Christmas song? http://www.theboot.com/2011/12/08/tim-mcgraw-christmas-all-over-the-world/

Super-talented singer/song-writer/producer Richard Marx released “Christmas Spirit” this year… I guess they can’t all be hits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuSKRxjZwtk

The Hit Men, original recording and performing members of The Four Seasons, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Critters, went back into thee studio to record “A Four Seasons Christmas.” If Berry Gordy Jr. was dead he’d be rolling in his grave. http://soundcloud.com/the-musebox/the-hit-men-a-four-seasons

Believe it or not, we actually like well crafted holiday music, and this year’s batch of tunes isn’t all bad.  Check out some of the songs we liked this year:

Michael Bublé – Christmas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0feq3s_9I

Robert Davi – “Mistletoe & Holly” (100% of the proceeds go towards the Salvation Army)
http://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Holly/dp/B006H2UBLS

Dave Foley – “Let It Snow”
http://youtu.be/Muwq03_hEmQ

Honeyhoney – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
http://open.spotify.com/user/1211211275/playlist/67X27NNSiHXREWe2uHjpO9

Eleven Hundred Springs – “Christmas Is The Time To Say I Love You” -
http://soundcloud.com/kirtlandrecords/christmas-is-the-time-to-say-i

Shannon Corey  – “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/11266227

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• Joe Bonamassa: “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
• Shannon Corey: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
• Indigo Girls: “Mistletoe”
• Adam Taylor: “Mrs. Mistletoe”
• Toad the Wet Sprocket: “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas”

The Cool:

• Deer Tick: “Christmas All Summer Long”
• Pomplamoose: “Deck the Halls”

Too Cool For The Room:

• Cage Against the Machine: “4’33″”

The Funny:

• Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour): “X-M@$”

Trying Too Hard To Be Funny:

• Jack Black and Jason Segel: “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy 2010″
• Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly: “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”

The Mediocrities:

• Coldplay: “Christmas Lights”
• Hugo Ferreira (Tantric): “Carol of the Bells”
• The Killers: “Boots”
• Katharine McPhee: “It’s Not Christmas Without You”
• Paul Simon: “Getting Ready for Christmas Day”
• Taking Back Sunday: “Merry Christmas I Missed You So Much”

If there is a God I’ll never hear these songs again:

• Big Time Rush featuring Miranda Cosgrove: “All I Want For Christmas”
• Buckcherry: “Christmas Is Here”
• Mariah Carey: “Oh Santa!”
• Wilson Phillips: “Christmastime”
• Jessica Simpson: “Happy Christmas”

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SHANNON COREY: www.shannoncorey.com Recently heard on MTV’s The Real World: Cancun and The Real World: DC, NYC based and RI native piano player/singer songwriter Shannon Corey truly reflects a beautiful new vibe of sensuous class. Having received the praises of fellow artists and critics alike, Shannon was named Keyboard Magazine’s Unsigned Artist of the Month, High Times Magazine’s Unsigned Artist of the Week and CD Reviews by You Pop Featured Artist. Her debut album ‘Unsaid’ was released in 2007 under Mother West Records, NYC, and ensured her an endorsement spot with Yamaha alongside artists such as Elton John and Michael Bublé. “Assured and nuanced, Shannon’s keyboard work speaks of both classical study and a great sensitivity to what any given songs needs rather than how many notes it can hold before exploding” – Keyboard Magazine. She recently released the EP ‘Overdue’ in September of 2009 where it was reviewed by Tony Deans of The Cheers Music as being “one the most emotional EP’s of 2009” and landed her the title ARTIST TO WATCH by RI’s Type 3 Media (http://type3media.com/2009/10/13/artist-to-watch-shannon-corey/). With a solo album in the works, a southern tour booked in late June and more TV placements to be revealed, “Shannon Corey will be an artist we can watch for a long time to come” – Type 3 Media.

CHRIS MERRITT: www.chrismerrittmusic.com Chris Merritt is a unique voice that cuts through the clatter with objectively good music from the heart. Chosen for the “Top Six” in Billboard Magazine’s Indie World Series and opening a show for rock legend Ben Folds in the same year, Chris is a stand-out performer, having played hundreds of shows across the U.S. and Japan. He cleverly blends the sounds of piano-driven rock, pop, rhythm and blues with personal stories of love-at-first-sight, his best friend’s sister, and being homesick to physics, corrupt governments and Miss Pacman. With plenty of wit and humor that’s distinctively his own, Merritt’s “voice and delivery draw you in to find out what happens next” – The Washington Post.

ROSS LIVERMORE BAND: www.rosslivermore.com Music is no stranger to Ross Livermore. And Ross Livermore is no stranger to music. They were introduced when he picked up a guitar at age 13 and taught himself how to play. They got to know each other better when he fronted a progressive rock band during his four-month stay in Sicily, where he wrote, performed, and recorded with the RAMZI Harabbi World Music Ensemble. Now, with Ross a staple on the local Boston music scene, they are constant companions. His highly creative music, often compared to the stylings of Ben Harper and Stevie Wonder, has received college radio play, and “Spaces In Between” was featured in a Jetty Surf Film.

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It’s no surprise that her new EP, Overdue, released on September 10, exhibits the same characteristics, but Corey’s skills have not remained static. There’s a discernible maturity in how she now approaches her songwriting and vocal performance. She’s really become quite good at not just simply knowing which notes to sing, but knowing how to sing them to accentuate the meaning and emotion of the music. Hopefully Shannon Corey will be an artist we can watch for a long time to come.

Biography

Infectious, heartfelt, and enchanting are not terms thrown around for just any artist, but for Shannon Corey, they are more than fitting. Drawing from personal experiences and classical training, Shannon’s soulful lyrics and captivating musical stylings truly reflect a beautiful new vibe of sensuous class. “…nothing but elegant vocals and piano, a storm cloud atmosphere, and a subtle, wistful sexiness.” (Michael Gallant Keyboard Magazine)

When it comes to musical experience, Shannon has more than enough to go around. At the young age of 3, Shannon began taking classical piano lessons on the Upper East Side of Providence and by 16, was composing her own music. “I started writing when I was fed up with playing classical,” says Shannon. “It was my high school best friend’s birthday so I wrote her a song and played it in front of the entire school. Everyone wanted a copy to give to their friends. I’ve been writing ever since!”

Photo by Kristen Pierson

The attention generated by her music at such a young age has only grown as the now 28 year-old singer/songwriter/pianist has come into her own. Recently featured on an episode of MTV’s The Real World: Cancun, Shannon’s music is now reaching a much larger audience than in her high school days.

Born in New York City and raised in Providence, RI, Shannon has found inspiration from such artists as Ben Folds, Fiona Apple, Joni Mitchell, and Tori Amos. After pursuing a college degree in musical theatre while living in Manhattan, Shannon decided to take the jump into the NYC singer/songwriter scene and has never looked back.

Releasing her debut album unsaid in January 2007, Shannon’s talent did not go unnoticed. Since the release, she has been named Keyboard Magazine’s Unsigned Artist of the Month, High Times Magazine’s Unsigned Artist of the Week, and was a Pop Featured Artist at CD Reviews By You. She also struck an endorsement deal with Yamaha, joining their roster of talented musicians.

With so much recognition from the music scene and fans eagerly awaiting another album, Shannon decided to go back into the studio and record the EP Overdue. The five-song disc, named after one of Shannon’s newest fan favorite songs, is appropriately titled. After two years of touring, writing, and composing, Shannon displays her growth as not only a musician, but as a singer. “The new EP is much more advanced by way of writing and vocals,” explains Shannon. “My voice has turned into something very different since unsaid; more emotional and influenced by artists like Jeff Buckley and Rocco DeLuca.”

Shannon’s vocals are not the only thing that has advanced since unsaid, however. On Overdue, her songwriting has also become more involved and experiments with time signatures, an influence she attributes to the band As Tall As Lions. “Let Me Out”, a new track from Overdue, is an emotionally driven song that has become a hit during live shows, and a live performance video is featured on her Facebook and personal website www.shannoncorey.com.

When describing the title track, “Overdue”, Shannon states that it is “catchy, but not typical”. “Overdue” is one of many songs that Shannon has poured her heart into, a trait that can be heard throughout the relatable lyrics. “Hold On”, one of the songs featured on

The Real World: Cancun, shares this attribute and exemplifies Shannon’s use of lyrics for emotional release. “I love being able to say things in a song that you can’t say to someone’s face,” explains Shannon. “I find it rewarding playing songs for people and then having them say, ‘I know exactly what you mean’.”

Armed with an infectious pop-rock-classical sound and a growing fan base, Shannon is building up her name in the music world. When asked what the future holds for her, Shannon’s response is simple, “I more than anything want to promote the music,” says Shannon. “Write, record, and tour. Hopefully get more placements on TV and Film, too.” With all of the groundwork Shannon has put forth so far, it will be no surprise to see these dreams come to fruition in a short time.

www.shannoncorey.com
www.myspace.com/shannoncorey

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