What's that? Haven't bought those Chrissie presents yet? Here's your guide to the best last-minute music gifts this festive season.
FOR TEENS:
If you have a teenage girl then make sure you get the Titanium album All For You _ she's probably in love with one or all of
the members of the Kiwi boyband. The album itself is pretty decent and has an international flavour to
the pop sound. Even the odd teen boy will enjoy these tunes.
FOR HER:
Aaradhna's latest offering Treble and Reverb is a faultless 15-track album packed with soul, some old-school sounds and an amazing voice. Perfect for her.
She'll love the new Bruno Mars album Unorthodox Jukebox, but might not appreciate the lyrics on Gorilla, which
we won't share with you here.
FOR HIM:
Green Day's trilogy of albums Uno!, Dos! and Tre! will provide a much-needed burst of post-Christmas lunch energy.
Can't manage three? Go for Dos!, which has the pick of the tracks with Stray Heart. Those whose men prefer less frantic music might want to give Lana Del Rey's Paradise Edition of Born To Die. And if they don't take to the soaring beauty of Ride, or the sultry Blue Velvet, they can sit around looking at the nice picture on the cover.
FOR MUMS:
And mum may not like opera, but she'll appreciate the album cover featuring the nice young men of Il Volo _ Italian operatic pop teenage tenors. If your mum's partial to a bit of Robbie Williams, don't miss his new one Take
The Crown. Or what about every mum's favourite redhead _ Mick Hucknall having a crack at American Soul. Good luck, Mick.
FOR DADS:
Any album that includes Gimme Shelter, Paint it Black and Sympathy for the Devil is worth having. No matter how old your dad is, he's sure to appreciate the mega-slice of the Rolling Stones that is Grrr! _ a three-disc compilation of 50 Stones songs. Those so inclined could even ignore Disc 3 and the unfortunate 80s section of their long career. And buying Celebration Day from fellow old-timers Led Zeppelin could earn you a Whole Lotta Love.
FOR OLDIES:
It's been a while since there have been this many great options for lovers of fine, old-time tunes. This year saw the
release of John Rowles' If I Only Had Time anthology. And you'd need a bit of time to listen to all 53 tracks over two discs. Eddie Low's Icons includes his takes on My Way and Knockin' On Heaven's Door. And you'll be able to compare his version of Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow with Dennis Marsh's on Sounds Of The Pacific, a collection of Pacific Island music and country tracks performed with a Pacific vibe. And if none of that takes your fancy, what
about Kiwiana Goes Pop, 44 nostalgia-inducing Kiwi songs, jingles and theme-tunes, including Country Calendar, Ches`n' Dale and My Old Man's An All Black.
CHRISTMAS ALBUMS:
And it wouldn't be Christmas without the obligatory Christmas albums _ and again, there's something for everyone. From Rod Stewart's Merry Christmas, Baby, including a duet with Mary J Blige on We Three Kings (!) and Cee-Lo Green on the title track, to Cee-Lo's Magic Moment, featuring Rod Stewart (him again) and Christina
Aguilera. Other festive releases include Cee-Lo and Christina's The Voice buddy Blake Shelton raising a glass with Cheers, It's Christmas, teen fave Christina Perri with It's a Very, Merry, Perri Christmas (ho ho ho), Colbie Caillat with Christmas in the Sand and Michael Buble with the imaginatively titled Christmas [Deluxe Special Edition].