Lopez Blogs

After it took me forever and a day to respond to the comments from the past few days, I thought I deserved a break so I diligently followed the latest amazing Christmas recipe from Donal "Industry" Skehan and although the yummy mince pies didn't look quite as professional as his, mine were little drops of heaven. Go me. Plus check out how charming Donal is at his book launch here! Anyway, onto a more mature take on Christmas if that's possible. Boobs, fart, botty. Guess not then...

1. Michael Buble ~ Grown Up Christmas List: I believe (though could be completely wrong) that Amy Grant first recorded this and it's been recorded by umpteen people ever since (or at least 3). Still, one of the delights of the year has been seeing how hot Michael still is (career wise of course :P) and this was cemented with his duet with Stacey on Saturday. This plea for unity and love at Christmas sounds just angelic coming from his pipes.
2. Amy Grant ~ The Night Before Christmas: Amy is one of those people who seems to always have a Christmas album and with good reason too - she does them rather well. This is just delicious and cute and totally encapsulates that childhood magic one feels as Christmas Eve draws to a close. Sometimes I think if people remembered that feeling more, the world would be a happier place :)
3. The Winans ~ Silver Bells: I have no real clue who the Winans are, but I just adore this soulful and laid back version of this song. It's smooth as satin and just an absolute joy to listen to over and over again...
4. Tevin Campbell ~ O Holy Night: Tevin was like the Chris Brown of his day (the "90s") but without the punchy fists or the bleating about why no one bought his album after the punchiness. And thank god, because that would have totally tainted my memory of his glorious version of this inspiring hymn. Yes Mariah does it equally well, but seeing as I'm featuring her next, I'm sticking with this soaring version for now...
5. Mariah Carey ~ Miss You Most: Fingers crossed (and if my creative juices keep flowing), I'll have a mammoth Mariah 'Merry Christmas' themed post for you on Sunday. In the meantime, this should tide you over. It's an incredibly sad song and one sung with elegance and grace. Quite lovely and instantly better than everything on Whitney's Christmas album (though Who Would Imagine a King comes close)...
6. The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl ~ Fairytale of New York: one of my ALL TIME favourite Christmas songs. It's a verbal spar off set against the backdrop of a more jolly new york city skyline and it's all jolly singable and amusing and they say things like "you cheap lousy faggot, happy christmas my arse" (which got homogenised in the Ronan Keating version to "you're cheap and you're haggard" which doesn't have the same ring to it at all. Boo you whores). Anyway, then the real beauty kicks in when it gets incredibly sad as Pogues teethy guy sings "i could have been someone" and Kirsty chides "well so could anyone/you took my dreams from me when I first found you". Teeth then just sounds so incredibly distraught at this revelation that it's hard not to tear up every single time. Utterly brilliant...
7. Jane Krakowski (Ally McBeal) ~ Run Run Rudolph: Most tv shows pop in a Christmas episode at some point. Ally Mcbeal devoted whole streaks of episodes with accompanying music to them - often 2 or 3 per season. And they were always a little bit brilliant. It was always needy Elaine who tried to outslut everyone and this was one of her finest efforts. Just listen to how she says "a little baby doll that can cry eat sleep drink and wet" Sluttastic!PS I seriously didn't know reindeer were real until i aired this view in conversation a couple of years ago :/ How foolish!
8. Straight No Chaser ~ 12 Days of Christmas: I mentioned this song last year when the choral group released their first Christmas EP. They are back with a new one this year which includes a studio version of their popular take on 12 Days... that luckily loses none of the magic of the live versions and still is a tour de force through Christmas, pop and harmonic convergence. Brilliant and definitely worth 8 of your american dollars!!
9. Jona Lewie ~ Stop The Cavalry: You know for years I had heard the distinctive background of this song playing in stores or on tv shows, and I sort of knew the song but had no idea of the lyrics or what it was called. Problem over as it featured on some festive music countdown last night and now I am obsessed with it. Can't stop playing it. Which is no good for poor Dazpants but even he is oom pah pahing along now. Ace.
10. The Beach Boys ~ Little Saint Nick: Only the crazy genius of the Beach Boys could make santa sound like he was on a beach somewhere getting some toasty rays while Mrs Claus rubbed suntan lotion on his back. But do that they did! (Huh?) And the world is thankful for it if only to get something that sounds summery mixed in with the christmas classics.
11. Jill Johnson ~ Christmas On My Own: Ah, the lovely PosterGirl introduced me to this song last year and it's a doozy. I think DJ Larry Flick would like it actually. It tells of a doomed romance and the chorus is just an absolute killer "well we first met in january/fell in love in february, march and april walking on air.../summer lasted til september, we said goodbye in November/here's another Christmas on my own" Sheer genius. I love it all year round. Which is slightly longer than her boyfriend loved her :(
12. Dannii Minogue ~ I'll Be Home For Christmas: Oh Dannii. You were so close. But at least now you don't have the ignomy of Stacey being beaten to number one by some rock crap (i'm not sure how i actually feel about that yet, other than i wish it was the pet shop boys beating Joe). Still, you'll always be able to be proud of the lovely torch song version of your festive promise to return to your loved one. And with your loved one being the model stud he is, i can't imagine it will be only in your dreams :)
13. Deborah Gibson ~ Christmas Without You: Another of my all time favourite Christmas songs, this is chiefly the lovely vocals of my favourite female artist, a piano and a heartwrenching tale of love lost. Why does it always seem so much sadder at Christmas? This will move even the hardest of hearts (or beat you into submission - I've blogged it every year since 2006!)
14. Delta Goodrem ~ Do You Hear What I Hear: Oh. I thought I liked this song but I just listened to it and I realised it's not this version I like. It's the Whitney Houston version - which at least seems to go somewhere rather than Delta meandering all over the place!
15. Sarah McLachlan ~ Winters Night: This is both a festive lullaby and just a wonderful creation of voices being the main instrument in the song. Lovely acapella harmonies, a restrained delivery throughout and a gorgeous message just shining through. Evocative lyrics practically paints the listener a Christmas card scene that is just that little bit special.
16. Sheena Easton ~ Christmas All Over The World: This is just one of those enormous songs that sounds like it should soundtrack the end of some massive Disney epic released at cinemas everywhere just in time to tug at the heart strings. Because that's exactly what this song does. Every time I think I'm out, Sheena pulls me back in. It's what she does naturally :P
17. Tommy Page ~ Christmas Feels Like Heaven: Usually I pair Tommy's different but same titled Christmas Without You next to the Deborah song. This year, I've picked one of his other festive offerings. It's a similar earnestly delivered straight forward pop song, but I just adore his vocals and the delivery is so sincere it's hard not to get sucked into the sparkle of the message he delivers...Plus as 5 weeks on top for the Pet Shop Boys latest It Doesn't Often Snow remix will testify, I love it when current Christmas tunes merge into old classics...
18. Jason Mraz ~ Winter Wonderland: Mr A-Z has really come on leaps and bounds in popularity with his latest album hasn't he? Some of his quirkiest and most loveable gems are the songs he has recorded inbetween projects such as this off kilter snowflake. An acoustic driven guitar number with Jason's warm vocals making it a winner all the way through. Love love love the be-bopping and addition of the piano in the middle 8. Smashing.
19. Maroon 5 ~ Happy Xmas (War is Over): How could I not include a seasonal offering from one of my favourite groups to emerge from the new millenium? It would be a crime against Adam! Starting off as a minimal piano version, it builds nicely though mainly because Adam's gorgeous voice powers it to a dramatic and powerful conclusion. (I do love the register drop as he approaches the first chorus)...
20. The Killers ~ Great Big Sled: People will often tell you that out of the four Killers Christmas songs inflicted on the world to date, the first one (this one) is by far the best. These people are in fact 100% correct, and though I love the others each in their own individual way, this is by far the greatest sum of their parts.
21. Annie Lennox & Al Green ~ Put A Little Love In Your Heart: I was watching the quite good movie Scrooged on Sunday, and of course this came on at the end and I had completely forgotten it existed. So of course once again, I am obsessed with it and can't stop playing it. It's just so feel good isn't it? Imagine if Will Young had done a duet with Leona Lewis on Sunday's X Factor to this song? It would've beaten Joe to the Christmas number one easily...

And if you want something really adult that always makes me chuckle, click here (NSFW or the under 18s!) Otherwise back tomorrow with the final fizzypop christmas chronicles, back Thurs with "it's christmas in a week and a day" and then Fri with a round up of all things Erasure and Christmas..