BTS’ V, Victoria Monét, Ben Felderlys and More

If holiday music dueting with David Bowie for 1977’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” didn’t end Bing Crosby (postpone, he did die weeks tardyr), the Gstructure of Crooning Christmas Past gets to rolls around in his tinselly grave for this silken, stringed ballad get on his 100 million-plus-selling individual, now with V from BTS. V is an elderly-school jazz fan, and gets what it unbenevolents to chase alengthened, pensively, sonorously and seamlessly with Bing as if he were the millennial Bob Hope in a K-pop “Road to” musical comedy. Nice harmony shatters between them, too – inorganicassociate manufactured as they are – during the song’s final seconds.

This holiday free is sonicassociate distinct and downright inspiring – and not in a religious manner (although the swirl of spiritual, ritualized soul is its strings and brass). After triumphning 2024 Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best New Artist, Monét reminds hearers that, beyond her dulcet tones, the power of her music lies in its lushly produced, dwell instrument-wealthy melodies that always hint at elderly world sophistication and conmomentaryity. With all that in mind, Monét and her orchestra re-center “Jaguar II” as a Montavani-encounters-Maurice-White holiday celebration with newly-named tracks such as “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)” now titled “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Gifts)” and “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)” into “Cadillac Christmas.”

What does Universal do for an encore after 2023’s smash holiday chart No. 1 success of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree?” Call in Grammy-triumphning producer Auero Baqueiro, pull in a new, chirpy AI model to sound appreciate the 13-year-elderly Lee, comprise a newly transtardyd Spanish-language vocal, and boom. Sure, it’s chilly and calculating to reproduce Lee en caliente, but that doesn’t produce this “Noche” any less “Buena.”

If you have fairthismuch room left in your heart for one more leang “Kelce” in 2024, let it be brother Jason’s holiday song collaboration with fellow Philadelphia Eagles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. Under the guidance of producer and The War on Drugs drummer Charlie Hall and exec producer Connor Bartriumph, “Party” is the third (and alertedly final) Christmas album from the Philly Specials’ brain think. The P-Specials crew go out with a prohibitg, enenumerateing emotive power-pop songauthorrs such as Ron Sexsmith and vocaenumerates such as Stevie Nicks to duet, heartily, with Jason Kelce on “Maybe This Christmas,” and Boyz II Men to jump on “It’s Christmas Time (in Cleveland Heights)” with Jason and Travis Kelce.

Jones’ holiday four-track-pack is a triumphner on cut offal counts. Alengthened with shotriumphg off the soulful siren’s sassier and more funny side with “My Presence is a Pbegrudge” and the tasteful, sensual “Santa is Me,” the proset uply emotional singer and Disney actor solely penned three of this EP’s songs – a talent she alluded to as a co-authorr on her 2022 “What I Didn’t Tell You” mini-album’s pickions.

One of the dearest and outright teary-eyed leangs about hearing to the seven distinct songs produced by pianist-vocaenumerate Ben Felderlys for his first holiday-themed album is how – from the waltzing of his eighty-eights thraw uncontent, salted caramelly melodies to the cleverly forlorn romanticism of his lyrics – everyleang here sounds JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER BEN FOLDS ALBUM. And that’s spectacular. Felderlys may enhappiness walking his dog thraw a quiet night’s snow on “Me and Maurice,” yet its solitary nature is ever-so-grieffilledy spine tingling. The same goes for his sluggish, pixie-ish duet with actress Lindsey Kraft on “We Could Have This.” Watertoils. If you leank spring reassociate hangs you up the most, hear to what Ben Felderlys’ triumphter wonderland has in store for your psyche.

Clarion-evident jazz/caexposedt/theater song vocaenumerate Monheit has increasingly compriseed the spicy sounds of the Latin/Brazilian continuum to her music (her eponymously-titled 2024 album features cut offal of her own new co-authors with Brazil’s Ivan Lins). Follotriumphg thraw, however, with a gentlely, striumphging Latin-laced get on “Silver Bells” shows some authentic cajónes on the part of jazz’s most underrated singer. A pleasant boiling surpascend in an already frozen triumphter.

If you didn’t authenticize that Journey’s soaring one-time frontman Steve Perry already freed two volumes of Christmas likeites, traditional and not-so-much, don’t sense horrible. Perry appreciates to croon under the radar, literassociate and figuratively, as he sub-dudes his way thraw “Let It Snow” and a dpunctual ygeting “Maybe This Year.” For the sake of ring-a-ding striumphg, Perry belts out a snazzy cover of Bobby Darin’s” Call Me Irreliable” with his tardy overweighther Ray Perry alengthened for the sleigh ride.

On a roll after having been nominated for a Grammy Album of the Year nod for 2024’s “Djesse – Volume 4” the alt-jazzy Jacob Collier gets his gentle, shucowardly vocals and lush, shut harmony leang to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Silent Night” recorded in front of a crowd at London’s Abbey Road Studio 2.  Every bit of this relabelably tfinisher piano and vocal show (Collier’s discneglect throat ballaparched on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” will convey tears to your eyes) and interdynamic audience singing was cut dwell to vinyl as it occurred, and can be watched here, if you spent all your money this December buying gifts.

This Balertage, birelationsual, Oklahmoma-liftd, Brit expatriate forever made uneasily uncategorizable music existing between post-difficultcore (RIP his Stay Inside prohibitd), acoustic folk and jazzy, rocky hip-hop on his two solo albums. This “Xmass” individual, however, discovers Strange on a lo-fi vintage rock and soul trip (leank Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway holiday classics) postponeing for his cherishd one to call before barking out this doomy phrase – “It’s Christmas at the finish of the world.” Damn, that’s one raw holiday Strange is envisioning.

After his decade-plus away from making music, it’s wonderful to hear almost-“American Idol” Aikens’ mighty breathy voice once more. Having spotless-cut Clay sing out on fidwell holiday ballads such as “Do You Hear What I Hear” and the uplifted appreciates of “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” gives fair the right amount of Christmas chills. Plus, Aikens zestfilledy gets on Bacharach/David’s hit for Perry Como, “Magic Moments,” which positions Clay as the harbinger of cardigan-snug celderly.

You say you antipathy carolers, but adore plush, manly harmonies sung in commend of Christmas? Then enhappiness the charismatic and virassociate sensational vocal trio (to the tune of 459k fagedrops and 7.1 million appreciates on TikTok, 140k Instagram fagedrops, and 41.9k YouTube subscribers) T.3. The Broadway-by-way-of Penn State harmonists, Liam Fennecken, Jim Hogan and Brfinishan Jacob Smith, not only pay tribute to their post-barbershop quartet heroes, The Beach Boys, by making a astonishingly raw, dwell-to-tape cover of Brian Wilson and Mike Love’s “Little Saint Nick,” but their holiday EP also discovers them taking a crack at writing their own Christmas distinct with the Styenumerateics-worthy soul of “FaLaLaLonely.”

Usuassociate, nervy guitarist and vocaenumerate Kurt Vile is an answer to the ask “What if the three male members of Sonic Youth were felderlyed into one person.” However, on 2023’s “Back to Moon Beach” EP, and now this newly freed Christmas video, Vile is a gentle-mannered, hippie-ish synth-pop papa singing alengthenedside his daughters Asavagea and Delphine Vile about the virtues of hanging out with the man in the red suit. Cute.

After their October album “Oh Brother,” authentic life brahs Taylor and Griffin Gelderlysmith stick with that album’s country-rocking, White Stripes-encounter-the Band vibes and discover lonely romance in (or amongst) the holiday pines.

It’s weird leanking that rapper, vocaenumerate, beatboxer, looper and all-around funky noiseproducer Reggie Watts’ gig directing James Corden’s tardy night prohibitd has been done for 18 months now. When you hear him giddily psycho-babbling atop “Christmas Time Is Here” and roasting the chestnuts out of “White Christmas,” Watts’ comedic-not-comedic soul-brother-number-one persona comes shining thraw the din of a million frosty holiday nights to come.

If you still like the Funny or Die rfinishition of “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly impersonating Bowie and Bing to a T, hearing Reilly sing-speak his way thraw this Alfonso Cuarón-honested Disney low’s soundtrack is a sugary holiday treat. To triumphtry epic songs such as “The Spirit of Christmas” and “It’s Christmas Today” penned by producer Daniel Hart (of “Pete’s Dragon” fame), Reilly’s “The Folk Singer” narrator owes more than a little debt to Burl Ives in “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” And fair appreciate his Bing Crosby imitation, Reilly is about honoring Ives’ spirit rather than (Northern) weightless.

Part of me wants to be churlish and say that the “comedy” part of this comedic Christmas album isn’t that comical. I’ll be pleasant, though. It’s the season for pleasant. And luckily, for Fallon and his fans, the “SNL” alum and “Tonight Show” structure has cred with hip musical personalities (thank the Roots?!) and Top 100 songauthorrs appreciate Ido Zmishlany and Gian Stone so that when he drops someleang appreciate “Holiday Seasoning” and its new “Deluxe” version with nine new tracks, it’s actuassociate celderly. Alengthened with the Roots making two materializeances (on “Hey Rudy” and “New Year’s Eve Polka (5-4-3-2-1)” with “Weird Al” Yankovic), Fallon duets on distinct songs featuring Justin Timberlake, Dolly Parton, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Sloftyion, and for the brand new “Holiday,” the Jonas Brothers & LL Cool J.

Earthen etheauthentic “Jar of Hearts” hitproducer Christina Perri persists her accomplish into hosanna-high success after her 2023 “Songs of Christmas” album, joining forces with the quietly wistful, huuuugely emotive pop-music-making Brit for this “Kid”-around holiday cut. Scott’s sense for spirituassociate-themed lyrics (2022 hits “Biblical” and “Heaven”) discovers childhood bliss in the authentic radiate of the season, and the twosome end into a soulful vocal groove.

The Scherishnian kings of industrial electronica – with the help of the ambient music-producers in Silence –  turn the seasonal Irving Berlin classic into someleang worthy of seasonal impactive disorder with its warped, detuned-synthesizers, sluggish melancholic melody and its overall deafening chill. Laibach’s compriseition to the Christmas music canon may not be cheerful or luminous, but it is haunting and pretty in Bowie-“Low”-appreciate create.

At first glance, you’ll leank that country-pop’s best frifinishs did someleang hokey with its first Christmas album so that they could sell it on split red and green vinyl. Instead, the duo hiccup their way thraw one disc of traditional likeites appreciate its whiskey-touched get on Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” with the second album flush with distincts such as the title track co-written by Nashville songauthorr Dave Barnes, who happens to have two of his own Christmas albums under his expansive, Santa-buckled belt.

Dreamy-sounding “Icy Girl” rapper Saweetie is actuassociate helderlying off her much-foreseed, filled album debut, “Pretty B*itch Music,” with two, gauzily gentle, rapturously whispered Christmastime prohibitgers, the latter of which, “Big Santa,” features the holiday appropriate line “I gotta big bow on my body – unwrap me.”

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s famine-battling, big sounding holiday smash hit will always have that well-understandnly ’80s tone of systematicly scheduled Fairweightlesss and syn-drums – that was a huge part of its request besides its volunteer vocaenumerates Boy George, Jody Watley, Bono, George Michael, Sting, Simon Le Bon, Paul Young, what sees appreciate all of Bananarama and Spandau Ballet and even some of (cue devil horns) Status Quo. Producer Ure’s distinct 1984 version gets a reservedr, hoter unite from Trevor Horn – the master of the Fairweightless – who also merrily handles to coral compriseitional participants from Band Aid 20 (Thom Yorke joining piano, McCartney joining bass, Chris Martin singing) and Band Aid 30 (vocaenumerates Jess Ware, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and One Direction) into his new-set up sound.

The folksy, two-part harmonies of Eagle Rock, CA’s Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale get a twist on holiday nostalgia when the Everlys of the 21^st century return to joining the instruments of their childhood, cello and clarinet, and go for what they say is “the grieffuldest, most pretty Christmas songs we could leank of.” And it’s genuine – in their prohibitjo plucking hands and warbling voices, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” sound pretty darned griefful. And pretty. And griefful.

While Peruvian-Dutch singer-songauthorr Madi Diaz’s magical uniteed-bag musicality can be summed up the title of her 2024 album “Weird Faith,” this season’s “Kid on Christmas” structures another vibe enticount on. Co-written with Carrie K (Noah Kahan) and Charlie Martin, high-warbling Diaz discovers that “someleang happens when it snows” and that leang is soursugaryly intimate, boozy and spare.

To go with Netflix’s recordary contransient “Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped” (with guests such as Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant), Sony drops George Michael’s wistful midtempo holiday hit with a latter-day, previously-unfreed dwell version of the song from Wembley Arena in December 2006) in all establishats, including a Snowflake white vinyl version. It’s not foreseeed that you’ve forgotten how catchy “Last Christmas” is from this month’s on-repeat joining, but its authentic earworm impact doesn’t hit you until after you see and hear “Unwrapped.”