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 With "Wait" In The Title

So, I was going to make this post a collection of "Wait" and "See" songs. But then I found too many "Wait" songs that I wanted to use, and so it became necessary to break this idea up into two separate posts. Not nearly as effective or clever, I know, but then again it wasn't really an "Opposites" post to begin with, so I can kinda make up the "rules" as I go, can't I? Nevertheless, enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  Mumford & Sons  ~  "I Will Wait"

2)  Cookie Monster  ~  "Me Want It (But Me Wait)"

3)  Rebecca St. James  ~  "Wait For Me"

4)  Luther Vandross  ~  "Love Won't Let Me Wait"

5)  The Pussycat Dolls ft. Timbaland  ~  "Wait A Minute"

6)  Us  ~  "I Will Wait For You"

7)  Charlotte Gainsbourg ft. Beck  ~  "Heaven Can Wait"

8)  The Lion King Cast  ~  "I Just Can't Wait To Be King"

9)  Dash Berlin ft. Emma Hewitt  ~  "Waiting"

10)  Tiny Animals  ~  "Wait For Me"

11)  Fireflight  ~  "For Those Who Wait"

12)  SOJA  ~  "I Don't Wanna Wait"  (For some time now, I have unintentionally neglected the uniquely wonderful genre of music that is reggae – time to change that!)

13)  Joe Nichols  ~  "I'll Wait For You"

14)  Paula Cole  ~  "I Don't Want To Wait"

15)  Kenny G ft. Lenny Williams  ~  "Don't Make Me Wait For Love"

Songs By Bands With Animal Names, Vol. 1

I just decided this morning to start a new mini-series of posts featuring songs by bands with animals in their names. Once I got into it, I realized there were way too many of these for just one post. So I've decided to break it down by the types of animals. This post will include canines, felines, and hooved animals. I don't know yet how many of these posts there will end up being, but there will definitely be more. A wide variety of musical styles, both old and new, are represented here. Enjoy!


THE CANINES


1)  Three Dog Night  ~  "Eli's Coming"

2)  Temple Of The Dog  ~  "Hunger Strike"

3)  Fleet Foxes  ~  "White Winter Hymnal"

4)  Snoop Dogg  ~  "I Wanna Rock"

5)  Skinny Puppy  ~  "Pro-Test"

THE FELINES


1)  Cat Power  ~  "Cherokee"

2)  Cat Stevens  ~  "Moonshadow"

3)  The Pussycat Dolls  ~  "Stickwitu"

4)  White Lion  ~  "When The Children Cry"

5)  John Cougar Mellencamp  ~  "Jack & Diane"

6)  Stray Cats  ~  "Rock This Town"

HOOVED ANIMALS


1)  Zebrahead  ~  "The Juggernauts"

2)  Sparklehorse  ~  "Gold Day"

3)  Caribou  ~  "She's The One"

4)  Gov't Mule  ~  "Beautifully Broken"

5)  Giraffes? Giraffes!  ~  "When The Catholic Girls Go Camping, The Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme"

6)  Buffalo Springfield  ~  "For What It's Worth"

7)  Spacehog  ~  "In The Meantime"

8)  Zebra  ~  "Who's Behind The Door?"