If all you want for Christmas is some new holiday songs, help is here. This year has seen the release of dozens of fresh new tunes for the season ― including some that just might stick around and enter the holiday rotation every year.
R&B singer and songwriter Alicia Keys is out with her first-ever holiday effort, “Santa Baby,” released on Apple Music. And while the title track is her take on the Eartha Kitt classic, the album also shows off her songwriting skills with multiple originals, including “December Back 2 June”:
For a different take on the tune, she also released a stripped-down version showcasing her vocals and piano playing.
1980s pop icon Debbie Gibson released the original track “Christmas Star” last year. Now, she’s back with an entire album of holiday tunes ― including “Heartbreak Holiday,” a duet with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block:
Retro rocker Chris Isaak dropped his newest holiday album, “Everybody Knows It’s Christmas,” which pays tribute to the sound of the legendary Sun Records, the studio that birthed Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.
The disc is a mix of covers and originals, including “Almost Christmas,” a new track about some last-minute holiday panic:
Teen garage rockers the Linda Lindas went viral last year for their anti-hate anthem, “Racist Sexist Boy.” Now, they’re bringing their pop-punk approach to the holidays with “Groovy Xmas”:
Violinist Lindsey Stirling released her second Christmas album in October. Given that timing, the wild video for “Snow Waltz” mixes this Christmas-tinged tune with a Halloween look:
Old Crow Medicine Show celebrates Christmas in Nashville with “Trim This Tree,” a rockin’ Americana track full of spiked eggnog, Dollar Tree decor and even some Goo Goo Clusters:
Old Crow Medicine Show will also spend the season raising cash for the Room in the Inn homeless shelter in Nashville.
Singer-songwriter Molly Burch released two standout new tracks that showcase her distinctive voice: the upbeat “Cozy Christmas” and the far moodier “December Baby”:
“Mad at Disney” singer Salem Ilese dropped a playful new track called “Secret Santa” in which she steals the gig from St. Nick to get the one thing on her list:
Indie/Christian rockers Switchfoot show off the band’s harmonies in “California Christmas” from their new disc, “This Is Our Christmas Album.” True to the name, the tune shows off some strong Beach Boys influence:
It’s not the only tune with that title this year.
As highlighted on the essential Christmas A Go Go blog, Dutch singer-songwriter Judy Blank also has a retro-sounding new track called “California Christmas.”
“My goal was to write the 13th song on a Beach Boys Christmas album,” she told the blog.
Christmas A Go Go also surfaced this new gem from New York singer-songwriter Paola Bennet, “Christmas Will Work It Out”:
Christmas Underground, another great holiday music blog, spotted a new track by Chicago-based indie pop group The Walters called “Another Christmas”:
The Backstreet Boys released their first Christmas album. While much of it is covers, there are a handful of original tracks, including “Christmas in New York,” written by country music songwriter Gary Baker:
Australian pop star Sia re-released her 2017 Christmas album, “Everyday Is Christmas,” with some festive new tracks, including “Naughty and Nice”:
Country singer Lee Brice meets Santa in an unexpected place in his new track, “Santa Claus Was My Uber Driver.” Along with driving Uber, this Santa loves beer … hangs in Virginia Beach … and plays drums in a ’90s cover band:
Country duo Dan + Shay continued their recent tradition of a new tune for Christmas. This year’s is about a “Holiday Party” for two ― and they dropped a video along with the track:
For a more chill take on the season, check out the instrumental album “Pickin’ On Christmas” by Georgia-based guitarists Davis Causey and Jay Smith.
The duo originally recorded the album in 1998 as a gift for friends, but this year it finally gets a formal release. While most of the disc is guitar-based covers, the album includes an original track, “Following a Star”:
Grammy-winning children’s artist Joanie Leeds reunited with rapper and children’s artist Fyütch for another holiday effort after last year’s “Winter Wonderland,” this time with a full album of reimagined classics and new tracks.
“Oy Vey! Another Christmas Album” pays homage to the Christmas titles penned by Jewish songwriters, and includes an original track celebrating each day, “Every Day’s a Holiday”:
“Glee” alum Chord Overstreet is starring with Lindsay Lohan in the Netflix film “Falling For Christmas,” and naturally contributed to the soundtrack with the original tune “Everybody Loves Christmas”
Christian artist Ellie Holcomb’s latest effort, “Sing: Christmas Songs,” is a mix of Christmas classics and new tracks that accompanies her new children’s book, “Sounding Joy.”
The album and book were inspired by the song “Joy to the World.”
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