What's New In 2007?

the best and brightest new Christmas releases

Support www.hipchristmas.com! Shop at Amazon, Apple Music, and more...

I'll be honest: I've bitten off more than I can chew. In the last couple of years, I've reorganized my entire Christmas section, built a huge Artists & Albums index, expanded my Songs & Singles index, written a heap o' reviews, and built a Christmas Jukebox with over 300 songs. But, like the layers of an onion, I keep uncovering new, wacky yuletide treasures - records, CD's, whatever - I can't resist.

So, I have thousands of Christmas CD's cluttering up my office - far more, certainly, than the few hundred or so reviewed herein. They gather dust, waiting to be catalogued and reviewed in my usual obsessive-compulsive manner. Rather than throw this year's crop of holiday goodies atop that languishing pile, I'm giving you, faithful reader, a list the best and brightest rockin' Christmas CD's for 2007 (below).

New Albums

This year's class is led by old school rockers like Davie Allan, Darlene Love, Canned Heat, and the Smithereens - even pretty boy Rick Springfield and 70's schlockmeisters Captain & Tennille. In this century, Double Crown Records unleashes another volume of surf-n-garage Seasonal Favorites. Perhaps the biggest news, though, is Maverick frontman Raul Malo's Marshmallow World - the first full-length seasonal effort from either Raul or the band.

A raft of reissues head down the pike - from artists as prominent as Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald and Hank Snow - but the most exciting one comes from Jamaica, where legendary producer Joe Gibbs' Reggae Christmas finally gets issued on CD.

New Singles

I've also discovered new tracks by former Stray Cat Brian Setzer ("Take A Break Guys"), pop punks Patent Pending ("She’s A Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas"), and British indie amalgam The Black Arts ("Christmas Number One") - all available through Amazon MP3 Downloads. (Last time I looked, the Brian Setzer was free!)

I also found The Killers' single, "Santa, Don't Shoot Me," Billy Bob Thornton's "My Dreams Of Christmas" (no, really), and a reissue of Keith Richards' "Run Rudolph Run". Meanwhile, garage specialist Norton Records has unleased another holiday 7-inch with The Black Lips' "Christmas In Baghdad," and the Tom Tom Club have finally released their 2002 Christmas recordings on CD (and 7-inch red vinyl!).

Needless to say, I found plenty to get excited about... So, what have I missed? Drop me a line...

Randy Anthony

[top of page]