BTS’ V, Victoria Monét, Ben Folds and More

If holiday music dueting with David Bowie for 1977’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” didn’t kill Bing Crosby (wait, he did die weeks later), the Ghost of Crooning Christmas Past gets to rolls around in his tinselly grave for this silken, stringed ballad take on his 100 million-plus-selling single, now with V from BTS. V is an old-school jazz fan, and gets what it means to follow along, pensively, sonorously and seamlessly with Bing as if he were the millennial Bob Hope in a K-pop “Road to” musical comedy. Nice harmony breaks between them, too – inorganically manufactured as they are – during the song’s final seconds.

This holiday release is sonically unique and downright inspiring – and not in a religious manner (although the swirl of spiritual, ritualized soul is its strings and brass). After winning 2024 Grammys for Best R&B Album and Best New Artist, Monét reminds listeners that, beyond her dulcet tones, the power of her music lies in its lushly produced, live instrument-rich melodies that always hint at old world sophistication and modernity. With all that in mind, Monét and her orchestra re-focus “Jaguar II” as a Montavani-meets-Maurice-White holiday celebration with newly-named tracks such as “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)” now titled “Stop (Askin’ Me 4Gifts)” and “Cadillac (A Pimp’s Anthem)” into “Cadillac Christmas.”

What does Universal do for an encore after 2023’s smash holiday chart No. 1 success of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree?” Call in Grammy-winning producer Auero Baqueiro, pull in a fresh, chirpy AI model to sound like the 13-year-old Lee, add a newly translated Spanish-language vocal, and boom. Sure, it’s cold and calculating to reproduce Lee en caliente, but that doesn’t make this “Noche” any less “Buena.”

If you have justthismuch room left in your heart for one more thing “Kelce” in 2024, let it be brother Jason’s holiday song collaboration with fellow Philadelphia Eagles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. Under the guidance of producer and The War on Drugs drummer Charlie Hall and exec producer Connor Barwin, “Party” is the third (and reportedly final) Christmas album from the Philly Specials’ brain trust. The P-Specials crew go out with a bang, enlisting emotive power-pop songwriters such as Ron Sexsmith and vocalists such as Stevie Nicks to duet, heartily, with Jason Kelce on “Maybe This Christmas,” and Boyz II Men to jump on “It’s Christmas Time (in Cleveland Heights)” with Jason and Travis Kelce.

Jones’ holiday four-track-pack is a winner on several counts. Along with showing off the soulful siren’s sassier and more humorous side with “My Presence is a Present” and the tasteful, sensual “Santa is Me,” the deeply emotional singer and Disney actor solely penned three of this EP’s songs – a talent she alluded to as a co-writer on her 2022 “What I Didn’t Tell You” mini-album’s selections.

One of the dearest and outright teary-eyed things about listening to the seven original songs composed by pianist-vocalist Ben Folds for his first holiday-themed album is how – from the waltzing of his eighty-eights through melancholy, salted caramelly melodies to the smartly forlorn romanticism of his lyrics – everything here sounds JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER BEN FOLDS ALBUM. And that’s spectacular. Folds may enjoy walking his dog through a silent night’s snow on “Me and Maurice,” yet its solitary nature is ever-so-sadly spine tingling. The same goes for his slow, pixie-ish duet with actress Lindsey Kraft on “We Could Have This.” Waterworks. If you think spring really hangs you up the most, listen to what Ben Folds’ winter wonderland has in store for your psyche.

Clarion-clear jazz/cabaret/theater song vocalist Monheit has increasingly added the spicy sounds of the Latin/Brazilian continuum to her music (her eponymously-titled 2024 album features several of her own new co-writes with Brazil’s Ivan Lins). Following through, however, with a softly, swinging Latin-laced take on “Silver Bells” shows some real cajónes on the part of jazz’s most underrated singer. A nice hot surprise in an already frozen winter.

If you didn’t realize that Journey’s soaring one-time frontman Steve Perry already released two volumes of Christmas favorites, traditional and not-so-much, don’t feel bad. Perry likes to croon under the radar, literally and figuratively, as he sub-dudes his way through “Let It Snow” and a dearly yearning “Maybe This Year.” For the sake of ring-a-ding swing, Perry belts out a snazzy cover of Bobby Darin’s” Call Me Irresponsible” with his late father Ray Perry along for the sleigh ride.

On a roll after having been nominated for a Grammy Album of the Year nod for 2024’s “Djesse – Volume 4” the alt-jazzy Jacob Collier takes his soft, shushy vocals and lush, close harmony thing to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Silent Night” recorded in front of a crowd at London’s Abbey Road Studio 2.  Every bit of this remarkably tender piano and vocal show (Collier’s open throat balladry on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” will bring tears to your eyes) and interactive audience singing was cut live to vinyl as it occurred, and can be viewed here, if you spent all your money this December buying gifts.

This Black, bisexual, Oklahmoma-raised, Brit expatriate forever made uneasily uncategorizable music existing between post-hardcore (RIP his Stay Inside band), acoustic folk and jazzy, rocky hip-hop on his two solo albums. This “Xmass” single, however, finds Strange on a lo-fi vintage rock and soul trip (think Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway holiday classics) waiting for his loved one to call before barking out this doomy phrase – “It’s Christmas at the end of the world.” Damn, that’s one rough holiday Strange is envisioning.

After his decade-plus away from making music, it’s great to hear almost-“American Idol” Aikens’ strong breathy voice once more. Having clean-cut Clay sing out on fireside holiday ballads such as “Do You Hear What I Hear” and the uplifted likes of “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” offers just the right amount of Christmas chills. Plus, Aikens zestfully takes on Bacharach/David’s hit for Perry Como, “Magic Moments,” which positions Clay as the harbinger of cardigan-snug cool.

You say you hate carolers, but adore plush, manly harmonies sung in praise of Christmas? Then enjoy the charming and virally sensational vocal trio (to the tune of 459k followers and 7.1 million likes on TikTok, 140k Instagram followers, and 41.9k YouTube subscribers) T.3. The Broadway-by-way-of Penn State harmonists, Liam Fennecken, Jim Hogan and Brendan Jacob Smith, not only pay tribute to their post-barbershop quartet heroes, The Beach Boys, by making a surprisingly raw, live-to-tape cover of Brian Wilson and Mike Love’s “Little Saint Nick,” but their holiday EP also finds them taking a crack at writing their own Christmas original with the Stylistics-worthy soul of “FaLaLaLonely.”

Usually, nervy guitarist and vocalist Kurt Vile is an answer to the question “What if the three male members of Sonic Youth were folded into one person.” However, on 2023’s “Back to Moon Beach” EP, and now this newly released Christmas video, Vile is a mild-mannered, hippie-ish synth-pop papa singing alongside his daughters Awilda and Delphine Vile about the virtues of hanging out with the man in the red suit. Cute.

After their October album “Oh Brother,” real life brahs Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith stick with that album’s country-rocking, White Stripes-meet-the Band vibes and find lonely romance in (or amongst) the holiday pines.

It’s weird thinking that rapper, vocalist, beatboxer, looper and all-around funky noisemaker Reggie Watts’ gig leading James Corden’s late night band has been done for 18 months now. When you hear him giddily psycho-babbling atop “Christmas Time Is Here” and roasting the chestnuts out of “White Christmas,” Watts’ comedic-not-comedic soul-brother-number-one persona comes shining through the din of a million frosty holiday nights to come.

If you still favor the Funny or Die rendition of “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly impersonating Bowie and Bing to a T, hearing Reilly sing-speak his way through this Alfonso Cuarón-directed Disney short’s soundtrack is a sweet holiday treat. To wintry epic songs such as “The Spirit of Christmas” and “It’s Christmas Today” penned by composer Daniel Hart (of “Pete’s Dragon” fame), Reilly’s “The Folk Singer” narrator owes more than a little debt to Burl Ives in “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” And just like his Bing Crosby imitation, Reilly is about honoring Ives’ spirit rather than (Northern) light.

Part of me wants to be churlish and say that the “comedy” part of this comedic Christmas album isn’t that funny. I’ll be nice, though. It’s the season for nice. And luckily, for Fallon and his fans, the “SNL” alum and “Tonight Show” host has cred with hip musical personalities (thank the Roots?!) and Top 100 songwriters like Ido Zmishlany and Gian Stone so that when he drops something like “Holiday Seasoning” and its new “Deluxe” version with nine new tracks, it’s actually cool. Along with the Roots making two appearances (on “Hey Rudy” and “New Year’s Eve Polka (5-4-3-2-1)” with “Weird Al” Yankovic), Fallon duets on original songs featuring Justin Timberlake, Dolly Parton, Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion, and for the brand new “Holiday,” the Jonas Brothers & LL Cool J.

Earthen ethereal “Jar of Hearts” hitmaker Christina Perri continues her reach into hosanna-high success after her 2023 “Songs of Christmas” album, joining forces with the serenely wistful, huuuugely emotive pop-music-making Brit for this “Kid”-around holiday cut. Scott’s feel for spiritually-themed lyrics (2022 hits “Biblical” and “Heaven”) finds childhood bliss in the natural glow of the season, and the twosome settle into a soulful vocal groove.

The Slovenian kings of industrial electronica – with the help of the ambient music-makers in Silence –  turn the seasonal Irving Berlin classic into something worthy of seasonal affective disorder with its warped, detuned-synthesizers, slow melancholic melody and its overall deafening chill. Laibach’s addition to the Christmas music canon may not be merry or bright, but it is haunting and beautiful in Bowie-“Low”-like fashion.

At first glance, you’ll think that country-pop’s best friends did something hokey with its first Christmas album so that they could sell it on separate red and green vinyl. Instead, the duo hiccup their way through one disc of traditional favorites like its whiskey-touched take on Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song,” with the second album flush with originals such as the title track co-written by Nashville songwriter Dave Barnes, who happens to have two of his own Christmas albums under his wide, Santa-buckled belt.

Dreamy-sounding “Icy Girl” rapper Saweetie is actually holding off her much-anticipated, full album debut, “Pretty B*itch Music,” with two, gauzily soft, rapturously whispered Christmastime bangers, the latter of which, “Big Santa,” features the holiday appropriate line “I gotta big bow on my body – unwrap me.”

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s famine-fighting, big sounding holiday smash hit will always have that famously ’80s tone of neatly arranged Fairlights and syn-drums – that was a huge part of its appeal besides its volunteer vocalists Boy George, Jody Watley, Bono, George Michael, Sting, Simon Le Bon, Paul Young, what looks like all of Bananarama and Spandau Ballet and even some of (cue devil horns) Status Quo. Producer Ure’s original 1984 version gets a subtler, warmer mix from Trevor Horn – the master of the Fairlight – who also merrily manages to coral additional participants from Band Aid 20 (Thom Yorke playing piano, McCartney playing bass, Chris Martin singing) and Band Aid 30 (vocalists Jess Ware, Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran and One Direction) into his new-found sound.

The folksy, two-part harmonies of Eagle Rock, CA’s Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale get a twist on holiday nostalgia when the Everlys of the 21^st century return to playing the instruments of their childhood, cello and clarinet, and go for what they say is “the saddest, most beautiful Christmas songs we could think of.” And it’s true – in their banjo plucking hands and warbling voices, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” sound pretty darned sad. And pretty. And sad.

While Peruvian-Dutch singer-songwriter Madi Diaz’s magical mixed-bag musicality can be summed up the title of her 2024 album “Weird Faith,” this season’s “Kid on Christmas” hosts another vibe entirely. Co-written with Carrie K (Noah Kahan) and Charlie Martin, high-warbling Diaz finds that “something happens when it snows” and that thing is bittersweetly intimate, boozy and spare.

To go with Netflix’s documentary present “Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped” (with guests such as Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant), Sony drops George Michael’s wistful midtempo holiday hit with a latter-day, previously-unreleased live version of the song from Wembley Arena in December 2006) in all formats, including a Snowflake white vinyl version. It’s not likely that you’ve forgotten how catchy “Last Christmas” is from this month’s on-repeat playing, but its real earworm impact doesn’t hit you until after you see and hear “Unwrapped.”