A Baker's Dozen Of "Santa Baby" Renditions

Since my last post like this one garnered a grand total of one "vote" (oh, I'm not bitter!), I've pulled 13 different versions of ANOTHER great holiday song for your listening pleasure. As before, it's up to you to decide which one you like best. I have my favorites – more than just one this time, actually. But I'd LIKE to hear your take on it too. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Madonna  (Madonna, in her younger days, had the vocal chops and sex appeal to pull off this song with aplomb – this is an iconic version of a classic song!)

2)  Kylie Minogue  (What I said about Madonna just then, that goes double for this lady – except Kylie's not well past her prime, like Madonna is now)

3)  Ariana Grande ft. Liz Gillies  (Ariana's got a great voice, but the modernized instrumentation here takes away a lot of the charm and classic feel of the song.)

4)  Megan Nicole  (Self-made YouTube star Megan Nicole captures the essence and the sassiness of the song while keeping it sounding fresh and modern – well-done!)

5)  Kellie Pickler  (Some songs simply don't sound as good with a massively overblown country twang – I think this is one of them.)

Video wouldn't load properly – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LVffa5UDSQ

6)  Colbie Caillat  (I love, love, love Colbie Caillat, but…she's just too sweet for a song this sassy. When she croons, "I've been an angel this year," you actually believe her!)

7)  Taylor Swift  (She's plucky, spunky, and quite pretty, but – like Colbie Caillat – Taylor just seems too innocent for this song. Plus, the country-pop instrumentation on this one lacks the jazzy feel of the original.) 

8)  Glee Cast  (With her exotic good looks and sultry vocals, Naya Rivera is the perfect GLEE cast member to tackle this classic song!)

9)  Miss Piggy  (Everyone's favorite porcine diva is just right in this doo-wop-inspired rendition of a holiday classic. And it's awfully funny, too!)

10)  Shakira  (This is definitely one of the best modern versions of this song I've ever heard. Her voice, her look, that slight hint of an accent – it's just perfect!)

11)  Pussycat Dolls  (If anyone could wring all the subtle double entendres out of this song's lyrics and bring them to the forefront, it would be the Pussycat Dolls. The fact that they're singing the song to Snoopy Doggy Dogg dressed as Santa Claus – whom they refer to in the song as "Santa Bizzle" – just ramps up the weird factor that much more! #smh)

12)  Jenna Sousa  (If seeing and hearing a 12-year-old girl sing this decidedly adult-oriented holiday song doesn't make you more than a little uncomfortable, you might be a pedophile. Also, she kind of sucks at singing it.)

13)  Eartha Kitt  (Of all the excellent versions of this song that have been recorded in the ensuing years, none quite surpasses Kitt's original recording. This has gotta be – hands down – my favorite one.)

Songs By Talented Twenty-Year-Old Singers

It doesn't get any more random than this! As advertised, the following is a collection of songs by up-and-coming singers who just happen to turn 20 years old at some point during this year. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Shane Harper  ~  "Dancin' In The Rain"

2)  Victoria Justice  ~  "Gold"

3)  Emmelie de Forest  ~  "Only Teardrops"

4)  Alyssa Reid ft. P. Reign  ~  "Alone Again"

5)  Shiloh  ~  "Operator (Girl Like Me)"

6)  Miranda Cosgrove  ~  "About You Now"

7)  Ariana Grande ft. Mac Miller  ~  "The Way"

8)  Cher Lloyd  ~  "With Ur Love"

9)  Keke Palmer  ~  "The One You Call"

10)  Jasmine V  ~  "Jealous"

11)  Scotty McCreery  ~  "I Love You This Big"

Songs With Directions In The Title, Vol. 1: "Up" Songs

Okay, so since I'm obviously obsessed with doing music posts lately, why don't I just start a whole series of them? (This is where you say, "Hey, what a great idea!" Or don't. Whatever.) This is part one of what will be a five-part miniseries. The unifying theme is that each song contains a direction within the title, whether that be up, down, left, right, or all directions. First up – appropriately – songs with "Up" in the title. I've been compiling the songs for these posts for a while now, and I hope you'll enjoy seeing/hearing them.  ~  JH

1)  Ariana Grande  ~  "Put Your Hearts Up"

2)  Chris Brown  ~  "Don't Wake Me Up"

3)  Josh Groban  ~  "You Raise Me Up"

4)  Yellowcard  ~  "Hang You Up"

5)  Green Day  ~  "Wake Me Up When September Ends"

6)  Andy Grammer  ~  "Keep Your Head Up"

7)  Paula Abdul  ~  "Straight Up"

8)  J-Min  ~  "Stand Up"  (NOTE: If you can't make out most of the lyrics here, it's for good reason – it's in Korean. Still, it's a very good song – whatever they're singing about...)

9)  Paloma Faith  ~  "Picking Up The Pieces"

10)  The Afters  ~  "Lift Me Up"

11)  John Legend & The Roots ft. Common & Melanie Fiona  ~  "Wake Up Everybody"

12)  Laura Bell Bundy  ~  "Giddy On Up"

13)  Foster The People  ~  "Pumped Up Kicks"  (A quick bit of trivia for you: Christian singer Rebecca St. James is married to the bass guitarist in this band)

14)  Technotronic  ~  "Pump Up The Jam"

15)  Kelly Clarkson  ~  "I Do Not Hook Up"

16)  Ben Howard  ~  "Keep Your Head Up"

17)  Amelia Lily  ~  "Shut Up (And Give Me Whatever You've Got)"

18)  James Morrison ft. Jessie J  ~  "Up"

19)  Eliza Doolittle  ~  "Pack Up"

20)  Fever Ray  ~  "When I Grow Up"