Michael Jay Feinstein (born September 7, 1956) is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of and an anthropologist and archivist for the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs. Feinstein is also a multi-platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated recording artist. He currently serves as Artistic Director for The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.

Here Nashville's cast nails a collection of holiday classics for a real-world LP. The album moves with the sonic diversity of contemporary country radio, from string-filled ballads to—in the case of "Christmas Coming Home"—a Bo Diddley-esque syncopated stomp. Sam Palladio's gently sung take on Joni Mitchell's "River" is quietly moving, and Aubrey Peeples' saucy "Merry Christmas Baby" breaks the boundaries of country altogether, exaggerating the horn riffs and guitar flourishes of old-school rock ‘n’ roll.

Collectables presents 24 more of the greatest holiday hits of all time. All songs are the original hits by the original artists that made them great. Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Bing Cosby, Brian Wilson, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Barry Manilow, Luther Vandross, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kenny Loggins, Buster Poindexter, Englebert Humperdinck, Donny Osmond, John Denver, The Manhattan Transfer, Gladys Knight, Kenny Vance, Bobby Vinton and Aretha Franklin.

The Ultimate Christmas Album, Vol. 6: WCBS FM 101.1 is another eclectic collection of pop holiday tunes from the '50s, '60s, '70s, and '80s, including Wham!'s "Last Christmas," the Beach Boys' "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," and Andy Williams' "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!." Aretha Franklin's "Winter Wonderland," America's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and Connie Francis' "White Christmas" are some of the other highlights from this scattered compilation, which somehow mixes different sounds and eras into a festive celebration.

This funky little holiday gem from 1964 was originally released on Sue Records and was actually Jimmy McGriff's highest charting album, rising to number 15 on the pop charts that year. Naturally his gritty Hammond B-3 playing is front and center here, given wonderful support by drummer Jimmie Smith, guitarist Larry Frazier, and Rudolph Johnson on soprano and tenor saxophone. The whole affair is surprisingly energetic and spunky, and tracks like the hard-charging "Christmas With McGriff," the sleigh bell-embedded "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," and the lively "Hip Santa" are all wonderful examples of upbeat soul jazz. Even the version of "Jingle Bells" that closes the set is funked up, riding a chugging rhythm and a bed of sleigh bells into the yuletide night. McGriff could have easily gone through the motions on this holiday session, and that he obviously didn't makes Christmas With Jimmy McGriff even more endearing.

Between 1957 and 1968, Ray Conniff had 28 albums in the American Top 40. He started out at Columbia Records as their home arranger, backing artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, and Johnnie Ray, with his orchestra and was eventually offered the chance to do his own record. We Wish You a Merry Christmas is packed with traditional holiday tunes that Conniff and his (25) Singers wove into a series of medleys. This album has a retro studio sound, which, upon listening, may conjure up images of Lawrence Welk singers strolling the stage, dressed in matching holiday garb. Sometimes melodramatic ("Ring Christmas Bells"), other times, bright and exuberant ("Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!"), it's good, clean fun for the whole family and a solid addition to any Christmas catalog.

The Italian ensemble I Virtuosi di Roma's long tradition of performing classics of the Italian Baroque pioneered in many ways the contemporary revival of early music. When its founder, Renato Fazzano, passed away the group disbanded, but a regrouping of sorts took place in the early 80s with eight members of the original group. The new ensemble, which calls itself I Solisti Italiani, has continued the Fazzano legacy, emphasizing line and grace in presenting particularly the works of Vivaldi.

Jan Mulder is a pianist and composer who has become one of the stable of top-selling music stars in the United Kingdom, Europe, and America. He has composes and arranges on a daily basis for solo albums, frequently recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, which have achieved gold and platinum status. His award-winning inspirational CD series, "Love Divine", is popular in over 20 countries, and features one Christmas album with a guest track by Andrea Bocelli.

The Muppets have sung with so many people over the years, from Elton John to Tony Bennett, yet it has always seemed like their performances with John Denver were somehow the perfect match. Christmas Together is a delightful–what else?–sing-along collection of Christmas favorites as performed by Denver and the Muppets ensemble. While the usual suspects have more than their say here–Kermit, Miss Piggy–the standout piece is "Twelve Days of Christmas." What could be better than a Muppet a day? Denver leads the critters through a tender "Silent Night," which comes couched in a medley that closes with a rousing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." "Deck the Halls" is equally raucous–about as raucous as Muppets can get. Listen for the subtle lyric adaptations and the witty exchanges between Denver and his minstrels. Definitely not just for kids.

Recorded in 1985, The Spirit of Christmas finds Ray Charles performing a variety of holiday favorites with vocal assistance from the Raelettes and an appearance by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. The ten tracks mix standards and originals, including "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and the ballad "That Spirit of Christmas," which was featured in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The Spirit of Christmas is perfect background music for any holiday celebration.

Stile Antico's 2015 release on Harmonia Mundi, A Wondrous Mystery, is a sublime collection of Renaissance choral music for Christmas, presented in a pleasant mix of familiar German carols and a mass, with tracks interspersed for the sake of variety. This makes sense in consideration of the group's broad audience, which may know such popular hymns as Michael Praetorius' Ein Kind geborn in Bethlehem and Es ist ein Ros entsprungen, or Johannes Eccard's Übers Gebirg Maria geht and Vom Himmel hoch, yet be somewhat at a loss with the motet and Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis by Jacobus Clemens non Papa, a composer beloved by early music specialists but not exactly a household name for lay listeners. However, the a cappella performances are consistently beautiful and soothing throughout, and the quietly joyous mood of the music fits the album's title perfectly. The 12-voice choir's blend is well-balanced and transparent, and the ambience of All Hallow's Church, Gospel Oak, London gives an ideal resonance for the group's small size and close miking.

Building on her well-represented holiday catalog, Christmas with Judy Collins is essentially a reissue of the folk artist's 2000 release All on a Wintry Night, padded with two additional songs. All 14 tracks from Wintry Night are featured here in their original sequence with the addition of a new single, the western-tinged "Angels in the Snow" leading off the album, and a stirring, largely a cappella version of "Amazing Grace" closing it out. Fans of Collins' rich, warm voice will enjoy some of the more stripped-down arrangements, which feature her singing to a simple piano accompaniment on lesser-known carols like "In the Bleak Midwinter" and "Cherry Tree Carol." On the other hand, the dated synthesizer sounds on tracks like "Come Rejoice" and "Good King Wenceslas" sound rather homogenous and the spoken intro over the faux-strings of "Away in a Manger" is far too heavy-handed to take seriously. Fortunately, the bulk of the album's 16 tracks favor the more minimalist arrangements keeping Collins' lovely voice at the forefront without much distraction.

In some parts of our Planet Earth, the last day of winter is 19 March, 2016. Song For A Winter's Night honors the last night of winter. This compilation was released in 2006 through Sony Music and BMG, featuring songs relating to the holiday season along with cold chilling moments that are slowly fading away into the ever-present sunset, amen. It is a taste of the raisin of the new season.

Steve Tyrell has attracted enough attention for his two regular albums, A New Standard and Standard Time, that he is almost beyond journalists' usual tack of describing a new singer's voice by who he sounds like; pretty soon, they'll be saying that other singers sound like him. But it remains true that if you have never heard him but you are familiar with Dr. John, your first reaction upon hearing him is likely to be that you are listening to Dr. John. Well, maybe a younger Dr. John, and one whose accent isn't quite as swampy. But the basic elements – the grit and gravel in the tone, the slurred, deep South phrasing – are much the same.

A fine collection of vintage Christmas songs from a host of the biggest names.