A Baker's Dozen Of "White Christmas" Renditions

So, I've pulled 13 different versions of the same song for your holiday listening pleasure. Now it's up to you to decide which one you like best. I have my favorites among these – and ultimately, my single favorite – as I've noted here. But I'd love to hear your take on it too. Get used to this idea, by the way. I'm likely to do a couple more of these posts – all Christmas songs, of course! Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Rod Stewart  (Nice traditional take on a classic – isn't that David Foster on piano?)

2)  Michael Bublé & Kellie Pickler  (Classy cool with a dash of raucous redneck – not bad at all!)

3)  Cee-Lo Green  (Somehow Cee-Lo seems to make this song his own – well-done!)

4)  Lady Gaga  (Surprisingly subdued – plus, she wrote a new verse to it…and it's actually NOT nasty!)

5)  Tony Bennett  (Crooners and Christmas just seem to go together for some reason – a masterful jazz rendition.)

6)  Garth Brooks  (Hey, I found Garth Brooks on YouTube! I thought that was impossible! Nice version, too!)

Video wouldn't load properly –

 of course! – click link to view:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYfgWSF81TE

7)  Michael Bolton  (I'm not a huge fan of Bolton – I think he tries too hard at that blue-eyed soul thing – but I suppose this one isn't too bad.)

8)  Martina McBride  (I've always loved Martina's voice/music, and she doesn't disappoint here either – surprise, surprise!)

9)  Il Divo  (A little too slow for my tastes, but there's no denying that these guys are mega-talented.)

10)  Kelly Clarkson  (I wish this were an actual video, but whatevs… Kelly is, as always, fantastic on this song.)

11)  Glee Cast  (Not surprisingly, Darren Criss and Chris Colfer knock this one out of the park!)

12)  The Drifters  (Often-copied, never-duplicated – this is the group that originally recorded the doo-wop, Motown-style version of the song made über-famous on the Home Alone soundtrack.)

13)  Bing Crosby  (For my money, Crosby's is the quintessential version of what is truly a quintessential Christmas song. Many have performed it well, but no one does it better than Bing!)

"Open" & "Close" Songs

Another "Opposites" music post, you ask? Yes and no. Yes, given the fact that some of the songs with "Close" in the title refer to the word "Close" (hard "s"), meaning the opposite of "Open."  While other songs with "Close" in the title refer to the word "Close" (soft "s"), meaning the opposite of "Far." Does that make sense? Anyway, enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Taylor Swift  ~  "Eyes Open"

2)  Calvin Harris  ~  "Feel So Close"

3)  Creed  ~  "With Arms Wide Open"

4)  Lita Ford ft. Ozzy Osbourne  ~  "Close My Eyes Forever"

5)  Journey  ~  "Open Arms"

6)  Alex Clare  ~  "Too Close"

7)  Dixie Chicks  ~  "Wide Open Spaces"

8)  Fireflight  ~  "Stay Close"

9)  Gotye  ~  "Eyes Wide Open"

10)  Keith Whitley  ~  "Don't Close Your Eyes"

11)  Rhye  ~  "Open"

12)  Carpenters  ~  "Close To You"

13)  Living Colour  ~  "Open Letter To A Landlord"

14)  Common ft. Mary J. Blige  ~  "Come Close"

15)  Guano Apes  ~  "Open Your Eyes"  (Great name for a band – ha, ha!)

16)  Michael Bublé  ~  "Close Your Eyes"

17)  Alter Bridge  ~  "Open Your Eyes"

18)  Dierks Bentley  ~  "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes"

19)  Europe  ~  "Open Your Heart"

20)  Adam Lambert  ~  "Never Close Our Eyes"

"Lost" Songs

And...I'm back to doing "Opposites" music posts again. There were too many relevant "Lost" and "Found" songs to fit into one post, so this will be a two-parter. Obviously, the second installment will be "Found" songs. Enjoy!  ~  JH



1)  Christina Aguilera  ~  "You Lost Me"

2)  Linkin Park  ~  "Lost In The Echo"

3)  Air Supply  ~  "Lost In Love"

4)  Michael Bublé  ~  "Lost"

5)  The Temper Trap  ~  "Love Lost"

6)  Bastille  ~  "Things We Lost In The Fire"

7)  Anouk  ~  "Lost"

8)  P.O.D.  ~  "Lost In Forever (Scream)"

9)  Kenny Chesney  ~  "I Lost It"

10)  Delta Goodrem  ~  "Lost Without You"

11)  Beck  ~  "Lost Cause"

12)  Lianne La Havas  ~  "Lost & Found"

13)  The Head And The Heart  ~  "Lost In My Mind"

14)  Travis Tritt  ~  "If I Lost You"

15)  Debbie Gibson  ~  "Lost In  Your Eyes"

Songs By Guys Named Michael

So, there're not as many of these are there were of the Sara and Sarah songs yesterday, but I like to think I've made up for quantity with quality. Mostly. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Michael Jackson  ~  "Thriller"

2)  Michael Bublé  ~  "Everything"

3)  Michael Bolton  ~  "Said I Loved You...But I Lied"

4)  George Michael  ~  "Faith"

5)  Michael Kiwanuka  ~  "Home Again"

6)  Jason Michael Carroll  ~  "Livin' Our Love Song"

7)  Michael Franti & Spearhead  ~  "The Sound Of Sunshine"

8)  Michael W. Smith  ~  "Healing Rain"

9)  John Michael Montgomery  ~  "I Can Love You Like That"

10)  Michael Schulte  ~  "Carry Me Home"

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WimVatR0Vtg

11)  Michael McDonald  ~  "I Keep Forgettin'"

12)  Michael Penn  ~  "No Myth"

13)  Michael McArthur  ~  "Scream"

14)  Michael V. Doane  ~  "We Did It Right"

15)  Michael Grimm  ~  "You Don't Know Me"

"First" & "Last" Songs

More "Opposites" songs to distract you from this dreary Thursday. Some really good songs here. Take a listen.  ~  JH

1)  Barry White  ~  "You Are The First, The Last, My Everything"

2)  David Guetta ft. Taped Rai  ~  "Just One Last Time"

3)  Kylie  Minogue  ~  "Love At First Sight"

4)  Creed  ~  "One Last Breath"

5)  Roberta Flack  ~  "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"

6)  Michael Bublé  ~  "Save The Last Dance For Me"

7)  Lifehouse  ~  "First Time"

8)  Vanessa Williams  ~  "Save The Best For Last"

9)  Sade  ~  "Never As Good As The First Time"

10)  Electric Light Orchestra  ~  "Last Train To London"

11)  SOKO  ~  "First Love Never Die"

12)  Keane  ~  "This Is The Last Time"

13)  Fiona Apple  ~  "The First Taste"

14)  Céline Dion  ~  "The Last To Know"

15)  Foreigner  ~  "Feels Like The First Time"

16)  Etta James  ~  "At Last"

17)  Surface  ~  "The First Time"

18)  Steel Magnolia  ~  "Last Night Again"

19)  The Kelly Family  ~  "The First Time"

20)  Jeff Buckley  ~  "Last Goodbye"