the countdown on christmas eve: favorite christmas albums 12 - 7

it's christmas eve -- the one night of the year when children can't wait to go to bed. that is with the exception of a few intrepid young souls who are determined to stay awake, hidden away, waiting to catch a glimpse of Santa's arrival. alas, even with this determination, they inevitably fall asleep and have to be carried to bed by their equally as tired parents, who likely have spent hours assembling, battery-ing, and wrapping present after present.

and on this christmas eve, we get ever closer to my top favorite christmas albums. today it's numbers 12 - 7 and i believe, with a only a few exceptions, that at least one song from this group of albums and tomorrow's has already appeared on the blog this month. so on to the final 12.

12.  the season - jane monheit

ms. monheit is one of those incredible singers who, while known and respected among fans of jazz  and classic standards, is not as famous as she should be given her immense talent. she has both an amazing voice and is a peerless interpreter of songs. i think i have all of her albums, and whenever i listen to one, it is like receiving a special gift. imagine my delight when i found out that one of my favorite singers was doing a holiday album, and speaking of gifts, this album, with it's lush arrangements and that phenomenal voice, is among one of the best one could ever receive. as with the other albums remaining in the countdown, there are an abundance of riches here from which to select songs to share. knowing i can't choose the whole album, i'm doing my best to narrow the selections down to two, and, if you like what you hear, itunes is only a few clicks away.

this christmas
i love the winter weather/i've got my love to keep me warm

11.  these are the special times - celine dion

i was just noticing that this section of the countdown has quite its fair share of some of the great vocalists of our time. certainly, few would dispute that this artist has a definite place in that category. her christmas album is everything you could want from one of the genre. a great variety of songs infused with ms. dion's beautiful voice is a combination that can't be beat. don't let the position on the countdown belie how fantastic this album is. on another given day, this album could easily have been placed a few notches higher. listening to these songs i've selected may even make you wonder why i didn't.

these are the special times
another year has gone by 

10.  star bright - vanessa williams

i so love this album. imagine taking christmas classics and re-interpreting them so that they have this modern r&b sound that would be quite at home in a swanky nightclub. that's the primary approach of this album, and this artist carries it off so very, very well. there have been a couple songs already shared this month that involve angels. here are two more.

hark the herald angels sing
angels we have heard on high 

9.  christmastime - michael w. smith

i really enjoy when an artist of today produces a christmas album that is reminiscent of the classic christmas albums by such artists as nat king cole, andy williams, perry como and johnny mathis.  there are quite a few examples of this approach represented on this countdown, and i am really grateful that michael w. smith chose to take it with this second of four christmas albums he has made over the years. enjoy these two selections from another truly great holiday album.

the happiest christmas
christmastime

8.  this is christmas - luther vandross

with songs that are both powerful and moving, this album is a delight for the ears from beginning to end. if there's an album you want to have to set the perfect mood for a christmas eve night with your significant other, you could do much worse than having this one in your playlist. here are two of the standouts. cue the goosebumps.

with a christmas heart
every year, every christmas

7.  merry christmas - mariah carey

so here's the last album of today's set of my favorite christmas albums and what an album to close out on. we all know mariah as a great singer, but i'm not sure that people fully appreciate what a talented songwriter she is. she brings that talent to this album by co-writing all of the original songs in this collection. i've selected two of those songs that are likely familiar to many of you. with both expect a great musical experience.

all i want for christmas is you
jesus born on this day

so tomorrow is christmas and the final six albums of the countdown. enjoy your evening and take it easy on the egg nog and cookies.