New 2017 Christmas Titles Bring Holiday Cheer

A number of artists have released Christmas-minded collections this holiday season, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Cheap Trick, Renaissance revivalist rockers Blackmore's Night, violinist Lindsey Stirling, singer Charles Billingsley and Los Angeles-based Us The Duo.

Artist: Cheap Trick
Title: Christmas Christmas (Big Machine Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Cheap Trick, The Beatles' holiday recordings
Tell me more: A holiday spirit pervades Cheap Trick's Christmas Christmas, but the bottom line is the 12-song disc still rocks with the exuberance of any album from the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. The material here is a mix of original and covers, all branded with Cheap Trick's signature blend of power pop and rock 'n' roll crunch. There are highlights aplenty, including a Sex Pistols-flavored "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)," a flat-out rocking cover of "Run Rudolph Run" (think ELO on steroids) and shimmering choral-styled "Our Father Of Life." Over the years there have been many covers of the Kinks' 1977 gem "Father Christmas," but Cheap Trick's 2017 version is the only memorable version this writer has heard since the Ray Davies-penned original was released 40 years ago. Information: CheapTrick.com.

Artist: Blackmore's Night
Title: Winter Carols (Minstrel Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Renaissance music, Ritchie Blackmore, the Corrs
Tell me more: While the music of Blackmore's Night is generations removed from the groundbreaking hard rock Ritchie Blackmore helped craft with Deep Purple and Rainbow, discerning music fans of all tastes will likely appreciate the Renaissance-styled sounds on Winter Carols. The two-disc set (the expanded 2017 title features three bonus tracks and is available on audio CD and digital formats) is simply outstanding, with singer Candice Night (whose wonderful vocals draw strong comparisons with Corrs singer Andrea Corr) using her winning soprano on moving versions of seasonal favorites including "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/Come All Ye Faithful," "I Saw Three Ships" and others. Information: blackmoresnight.com.

Artist: Lindsey Stirling
Title: Warmer In The Winter (Lindseystomp Music / Concord Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Lindsey Stirling, Pentatonix
Tell me more: The first-ever holiday album from Lindsey Stirling (Warmer in the Winter) is everything fans of the virtuoso violinist have dreamed of, with the 13-track set featuring a mix of instrumentals as well as selections where she is joined by guests for strong collaborations. Among the stellar instrumentals are Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," a swirling "Carol of the Bells" and Celtic-styled "I Saw Three Ships." There are several strong originals on the collection, including the title track "Warmer in the Winter" featuring Trombone Shorty and the tuneful pop song "Time to Fall in Love" bolstered by guest vocalist Alex Gaskarth (of All Time Low). Information: LindseyStirling.com.

Artist: Charles Billingsley
Title: It's Christmas Time Again (Crest Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé
Tell me more: Charles Billingsley's delightful It's Christmas Time Again is a bona fide trip down Memory Lane. Tapping into the traditional jazz and American Songbook approach spanning early icons such as Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to modern-day singers Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Bublé, Billingsley has the shining voice and artistic touch to blend artful music making with nostalgic yuletide cheer. The disc soars and inspires with an artful mix of buoyant material ("The Man With The Bag," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town"), powerful spiritual classics (a particularly stirring "O Holy Night," "Panis Angelicus") and more nuanced ballads ("It's Christmas Time Again," "December"). Billingsley closes out the set with an excellent version of the Beatles' tender "Goodnight." Information: charlesbillingsley.com.

Artist: Us The Duo
Title: Our Favorite Time Of Year (Alvarado Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Pentatonix
Tell me more: Fans of contemporary pop will want to hear the first Christmas album from Us The Duo (the moniker for husband-and-wife Michael and Carissa Alvarado). The aptly-titled Our Favorite Time Of Year features plenty of infectious tracks, including a breezy take on Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime," a ukulele-anchored "Jingle Bell Rock" (that showcases the couple's potent vocal harmony sound), a playful "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and a jazzy, reworked take on "Silent Night." Us The Duo will perform a mix of holiday classics and originals in Los Angeles at the Theater at the Ace Hotel on Dec. 9. Editor's note: Amazon Original albums and playlists are exclusively available to download on Amazon Music and stream on Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited. Information: Amazon.com/ustheduo.


The 2017 holiday season has also seen the release of new Christmas music titles featuring Frank Sinatra, Herb Alpert, Sia, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Fantasia.

Robert Kinsler

The Recording Academy Announces 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees

I am happy to see David Bowie's "Blackstar" and Radiohead's "A Moon Shaped Pool" nominated this year, as well as Sturgill Simpson's excellent "A Sailor's Guide to Earth," The Record Company's "Give It Back to You" and Kris Kristofferson's "The Cedar Creek Sessions." In terms of the most high-profile categories, there are many names and records here that leave me scratching my head. When I see so many great albums ignored it cements in my mind that the Grammys are 99% about what is popular, and not necessarily what is great or groundbreaking. It especially saddens me to think a great album like David Bowie's "Blackstar" was nominated so many times (in various categories) only because of the death of the artist earlier this year. Among the albums I would have loved to see be recognized: Cheap Trick's "Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello," the Monkees' "Good Times!," Dawes' "We're all Gonna Die," the James Hunter Six blues-soul standout "Hold On!," Marillion's "Fear," Emitt Rhodes' "Rainbow Ends," and Neil Young's "Earth." Here is the official media release about the nominations for 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards...

David Bowie's "Blackstar" is among the albums
nominated for multiple honors this year.

BEYONCÉ LEADS GRAMMY^® NOMINATIONS WITH NINE;
 DRAKE, RIHANNA, AND KANYE WEST EACH GARNER EIGHT 
 
ADELE, BEYONCÉ, JUSTIN BIEBER, DRAKE, AND 
STURGILL SIMPSON VIE FOR ALBUM OF THE YEAR AT THE 
59TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS^® ON FEB. 12, 2017, LIVE ON CBS

SANTA MONICA (Dec. 6, 2016) — The Recording Academy^® welcomes the class of nominees for the 59th Annual GRAMMY Awards^®. Top nominees are Beyoncé (9), Drake(8), Rihanna (8), Kanye West (8), and Chance The Rapper (7). Selected from nearly 22,000 submissions across 84 categories, the nominations reflect the range of artistic innovation that defined the year in music. As the only peer-selected music award, the GRAMMY^® is voted on by The Recording Academy's membership body of music makers, who represent all genres and creative disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers, mixers, and engineers.

"Just as we see emerging musicians experimenting, we're also seeing established artists resisting what's expected of them and, instead, embracing the creative freedom they've been afforded through their success, blurring the lines between music's mainstream and artistic edge," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy.

The dynamic range of this year's nominees is exhibited across several awards fields, including American Roots Music, R&B, Dance/Electronic Music, and Rock, but it's perhaps best showcased in the Album Of The Year category, which represents a mix of genres—pop, R&B, rap, and country. Looking at the recordings nominated for Album Of The Year, an even greater degree of musical advancement and sonic experimentation is revealed: the emotion-stirring vocals of Adele, who brings a soulful depth to a collection of classically fine-tuned pop ballads; Beyoncé's ability to paint a picture, layering poignant R&B vocals over a tapestry of sounds that range from blues-rock to hip-hop; Justin Bieber's growth as a songwriter and evolution as a pop powerhouse; Drake's continued genre-bending, which now invites island influences to his signature sound; and the definition-defying Sturgill Simpson who made many of us re-explore the vast territories that country abides.

"Every submission we receive for GRAMMY consideration represents intensely soul-baring, technically exacting creative work—no group understands what each recording embodies better than Recording Academy voters, who are professional music makers themselves," said Bill Freimuth, Recording Academy Senior Vice President of Awards.
 
Final-round GRAMMY ballots will be mailed Dec. 14 and are due Jan. 13, 2017. The Recording Academy will present the GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on the CBS Television Network from 8:00-11:30 pm ET/5:00-8:30 pm PT.
The following is a sampling of nominations from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields and 84 categories. For a complete nominations list, visit www.grammy.com. Congratulate nominees by following "Recording Academy / GRAMMYs" on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and use #GRAMMYs to join the conversation.

GENERAL FIELD
Album Of The Year:
25 — Adele
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Views — Drake
A Sailor's Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
 
Record Of The Year:
"Hello" — Adele
"Formation" — Beyoncé
"7 Years" — Lukas Graham
"Work" — Rihanna Featuring Drake
"Stressed Out" — Twenty One Pilots
 
Song Of The Year:
"Formation" — Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Hello" — Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
"I Took A Pill In Ibiza" — Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
"Love Yourself" — Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
"7 Years" — Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)
 
Best New Artist:
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
 
POP FIELD
Best Pop Vocal Album:
25 — Adele
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande
Confident — Demi Lovato
This Is Acting — Sia
 
DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC FIELD
Best Dance/Electronic Album:
Skin — Flume
Electronica 1: The Time Machine — Jean-Michel Jarre
Epoch — Tycho
Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future — Underworld
Louie Vega Starring…XXVIII — Louie Vega

ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Album:
California — Blink-182
Tell Me I'm Pretty — Cage The Elephant
Magma — Gojira
Death Of A Bachelor — Panic! At The Disco
Weezer — Weezer
 
ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album:
22, A Million — Bon Iver
Blackstar — David Bowie
The Hope Six Demolition Project — PJ Harvey
Post Pop Depression — Iggy Pop
A Moon Shaped Pool — Radiohead
 
R&B FIELD
Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Ology — Gallant
We Are King — KING
Malibu — Anderson .Paak
Anti — Rihanna
   
RAP FIELD
Best Rap Performance:
"No Problem" — Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz 
"Panda" —Desiigner 
"Pop Style" — Drake Featuring The Throne
"All The Way Up" — Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
"That Part" — ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West 
 
COUNTRY FIELD
Best Country Solo Performance:
"Love Can Go To Hell" — Brandy Clark
"Vice" — Miranda Lambert
"My Church" — Maren Morris
"Church Bells" — Carrie Underwood
"Blue Ain't Your Color" — Keith Urban
     
JAZZ FIELD 
Best Jazz Vocal Album:
Sound Of Red — René Marie
Upward Spiral — Branford Marsalis Quartet With Special Guest Kurt Elling
Take Me To The Alley — Gregory Porter
Harlem On My Mind — Catherine Russell 
The Sting Variations — The Tierney Sutton Band
 
GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD 
Best Gospel Album:
Listen —Tim Bowman Jr.
Fill This House — Shirley Caesar
A Worshipper's Heart [Live] —Todd Dulaney
Losing My Religion — Kirk Franklin
Demonstrate [Live] —William Murphy
 
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album:
Poets & Saints — All Sons & Daughters
American Prodigal — Crowder
Be One — Natalie Grant
Youth Revival [Live] — Hillsong Young & Free
Love Remains — Hillary Scott & The Scott Family   
 
LATIN FIELD
Best Latin Pop Album:
Un Besito Mas — Jesse & Joy
Ilusión — Gaby Moreno
Similares — Laura Pausini
Seguir Latiendo — Sanalejo
Buena Vida — Diego Torres
 
AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD 
Best American Roots Performance:
"Ain't No Man" — The Avett Brothers
"Mother's Children Have A Hard Time" — Blind Boys Of Alabama
"Factory Girl" — Rhiannon Giddens
"House Of Mercy" — Sarah Jarosz
"Wreck You" — Lori McKenna
 
SPOKEN WORD FIELD
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):
The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo — Amy Schumer
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In The Sandbox — Carol Burnett
M Train — Patti Smith
Under The Big Black Sun: A Personal History Of L.A.Punk (John Doe With Tom DeSavia) — (Various Artists)
Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink — Elvis Costello
 
MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA FIELD
Best Song Written For Visual Media:
"Can't Stop The Feeling!" — Max Martin, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick, Gwen Stefani, James Corden, Zooey Deschanel, Walt Dohrn, Ron Funches, Caroline Hjelt, Aino Jawo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse & Kunal Nayyar), Track from: Trolls
"Heathens" — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots), Track from: Suicide Squad
"Just Like Fire" — Oscar Holter, Max Martin, P!nk & Shellback, songwriters (P!nk), Track from: Alice Through The Looking Glass
"Purple Lamborghini" — Shamann Cooke, Sonny Moore & William Roberts, songwriters (Skrillex & Rick Ross), Track from: Suicide Squad
"Try Everything" — Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira), Track from: Zootopia
"The Veil" — Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel), Track from: Snowden
 
MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD
Best Music Video:
"Formation" — Beyoncé
"River" — Leon Bridges
"Up & Up" — Coldplay
"Gosh" — Jamie XX
"Upside Down & Inside Out" — OK Go
 
PRODUCTION, NON-CLASSICAL FIELD
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:
Benny Blanco
Greg Kurstin
Max Martin
Nineteen85
Ricky Reed 
 
About The Recording Academy:
Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers and recording professionals dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Recording Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on Twitter, "like" Recording Academy / GRAMMYs onFacebook, and join The Recording Academy's social communities on Google+, Instagram, Tumblr and YouTube.