Fed up with the usual Yuletide ditties from the likes of Bing Crosby and Dean Martin? Well, check out these alternative festive tunes and give yourself a cool cool Christmas..
CW Stoneking - On A Christmas Day With more double entendres than all the Carry On movies put togetherAustralian bluesman CW Stoneking's On A Christmas Day was a surprise (given its content) addition to the BBC's playlist last year and despite sounding as if it was recorded in Memphis back in the 1940s it first saw the light of day on King Hokum - his debut album from 2008.
Mabel Scott - Boogie Woogie Santa Claus Blues-diva Mabel Scott's offering for the Ho-Ho-Ho season is a classic slice of jump-jive that is actually from the 1940s and has been covered by a host of singers ever since. But this is the original and in my festive opinion the absolute best.
The Handsome Family - So Much Wine A morbidly joyous and touching tale of a Christmas breakdown courtesy of the Gomez & Morticia Addams of country music that should act as a warning to anyone tempted, shall we say, to overdo things over the holidays.
Tom Waits - Christmas Card From A Hooker in Minneapolis The best Tom Waits songs work just as well as a short story and this track from his glorious Blue Valentine album is no exception. There's no tinsel, no festive cheer and certainly no happy ending but sometimes that's just the way the yuletide log rolls at this time of year.
Low: Just Like Christmas This, on the other hand, is as uplifting as a massive lottery win and is the essential carve-the-turkey time track at Up With People HQ. Sleighbells, a catchy chorus and a weirdly hypnotic Hawaii Five-0 inspired drum-beat. What's not to like?
Source: Mark Rogers of music promoters Up With People
