Christmas Music with a Twist

Traditional renditions of Christmas music are enjoyable to listen to at this time of year -- but I find I need a little more. My playlist through the year is extremely varied, taking me around the world every day, and I want that kind of variety even in my holiday music. So I searched for some less traditional collections, and was delighted with what I found.

If you're a fan of Cajun music, then you should check out Merry Cajun Christmas and Merry Cajun Christmas 2. They are compilations by many Cajun artists, including Michael Doucet of Beausoleil. I'll warn you, some of the tracks are pretty corny. But most are just familiar tunes with a Cajun twist.

One of my most recent finds is bo-Ho-Ho-hola by Jimmy Keane & Pat Broaders, which I covered in this blog post.For a limited time, you can get a digital copy of the recording for just five bucks. Follow the album link above to learn more.

High on my list is Django Bells by the Gypsy Hombres. The songs they play are all traditional tunes...but with a gypsy swing flair. I tend to turn up the volume for these tracks because they make me smile. The album appears to be out of print, but you can download MP3s for a reasonable price.

My husband introduced me to David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas. There's some swinging on this CD too, and beautiful instrumentals of familiar carols and songs. And you get to hear Grisman sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" like Donald Duck. Not your usual fare!

When it's high-energy goofiness I need, I turn to Brave Combo. It's Christmas, Man! is full of all the clever lyrics and musical goofiness that they've led us to expect. "Must Be Santa" and "Santa's Polka" are two of my favorite tracks.

Celtic music is one of my first traditional music loves, and I enjoy having that in the holiday mix as well. Unfortunately, most of the albums I have are by 'various artists' and have completely generic names like Celtic Christmas, so finding them to recommend to you is nearly impossible. The one I could successfully track down is Celtic Christmas II. However except for The Wexford Carol, none of the tracks are of familiar holiday music. The artists are stellar though: Phil Cunningham, James Galway, Capercaillie and Carlos Nunez to name a few. It's lovely to listen to in a mix of holiday music.

Do you have a favorite holiday album with a traditional music twist? Please share!