Goo Goo Dolls "It's Christmas All Over"

 I aim to avoid petty, but not when it comes to music. I am a casual fan I will admit, but he was write, "Christmas is a rockin' time" and this enthralling missletune is a worthy addition to the Christmas Canon (Rock). The Goos manage to give this song a new energy, albeit staying true to the original, which I can say accounts for most of the covers but is not always a bad thing; the best being "Shake Hands with Santa Claus."

Robby sings with the Chipmunks in their version of "Christmas Don't Be Late," which is an oddly charming rendition; they both write good songs, but songs that Takac lends vocals for tend to stray from the bottle of "pop."

While "This Is Christmas" tends to bring visions of an angel city and a rush of endorphins for some, "You Ain't Gettin Nothin" features visions of presents instead of a sugar plum. The former song and its referential counterpart sing about the gravity of love, and the lengths they would take to see, or be the reason for, their smile. Their other original tune incorporates tough love for a kid, with a middle name of chaos, and may mirror the fun he has (without any of the trouble he causes). 

If original version praying for "Better Days", sung by Sydney McGorman in this version, was beckoning eye sweat, this one also will punch you in the gut. It straddles between sincerity and those poignant ads asking for donations; that is not to say it is not of good quality, it's just an observation.

The trio of traditional covers that precede "The Christmas Party" remind me of Scott Weiland's holiday declaration that it's The Most Wonderful Time of Year, and I would say that it can be, but their renditions never reach their potential of cool; like Weiland, they played it safe, yet sounded good enough doing it. Their collaboration with Union Square 5 was like hearing a different band, with a renewed vigor, and would have made the other covers more than good enough.

One last (original) tune about Christmas is one last acoustic number that continually states, "we don't need a reason to love one another again." It's enough for the Goos and Kudian Kai, and accompaniment to perform "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" in a brassy fashion.

The Monkees "Christmas Party"

 What kind of jerk invites himself to a Christmas Party uninvited just to criticize the hosts? I can be a jerk, but I am merely critiquing what I heard. I'm going to keep it short and sweet and start with one of the best compliments I can give. This may be the closest to a proper full-length Beatles (lite) Christmas record you are going to receive. 

I look forward to the original, or songs rarely covered, the most on a Christmas record because how many times has "The Christmas Song" or "Silver Bells" been reinterpreted? Roughly 13,208 for the former and 8,451 for the latter, respectively (information brought to you by Spotify)

While the cover of "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" did not have as much energy, or generate as much enthusiasm, as other versions I have heard prior to this it was pleasant enough. The same goes for their rendition of "Mele Kalikimaka." "Wonderful Christmastime" was my favorite in this tier of covers. The triplicate of covers ending the album were tied for my favorite. 

It was cool that they not only name-dropped, but then also played the King of Soul at their "Christmas Party," and I would surmise the songs would be selections from his Christmas album, which is a worthwhile addition to the Christmas Canon. 

While I like both songs, I find it peculiar that the second song replaces Jesus in the song that is inspired by the ever-present query that guides us to follow our better angels in "What Would Santa Do?" yet they have a song called "Jesus Christ." Both worthy of multiple listens, even if the latter can be repetitive, and stress the wrong date of birth.

Brett Eldredge "Mr. Christmas"

 While there is a generally accepted queen of Christmas, the title of Mr. Christmas is still vacant, or was.  Call it a self- fulfilling prophecy, but I cannot see another artist using this moniker, other than Brett Eldredge. 

While there are a lot of pleasant original tunes in his canon, and he has a good track record when it comes to his full-length albums, I wasn't the biggest fan of his debut holiday record. However, I appreciated the album for what it was. There was this Glow that seemed to surround him when he performed these classic songs, as well as the eponymous original. You could tell that he was enjoying every bit of it....

...so much that he compiled another collection of yuletide covers, with some new audio ornaments, to adorn this tree to support his case as Mr. Christmas. While I don't believe another record was necessary, I happened to appreciate this one more than its predecessor, and somehow forgot of his main competitor, Michael Buble, and his firm stamp on the genre with his pleasant covers and even better holiday originals.