New Christmas Songs 2013

Diana Krall’s smoky voice is perfect for turning any Christmas carol into a romantic serenade. The jazz star’s first Christmas EP was followed up a few years later with a sultry full-length holiday album.

Destiny’s Child followed in the footsteps of great soul artists like The Temptations and The Supremes when they released their one and only Christmas album in 2001. The girls put their unique stamp all over the holiday tracks they covered, renaming tracks, rewriting harmonies and even using the track Platinum Bells to spruke their range of manufactured dolls.

Producer David Foster is best known in association with the artists he has worked with: a who’s who of contemporary music including Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Josh Groban and Michael Jackson. As well as advancing the careers of others however, Foster has also made a name for himself as a songwriter, composer, arranger and pianist. Among more than twenty albums of his own work is David Foster’s Christmas Album, a unique collection of instrumental arrangements and visits from guest vocalists.

David Archuleta is yet another young singer thrown into the public eye by an appearance on American Idol. Like so many of his co-stars, Archuleta turned his talents to holiday cheer, releasing his first Christmas album in 2009.

Despite being born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, the music of Christian rock artist Dave Barnes is free of banjos and twanging western riffs. The vocalist and guitarist instead produces a brand of rock flavoured with blues and R&B influences. As a writer and performer of Christian music, a yuletide album is almost mandatory! Dave Barnes released his obligatory holiday collection in November 2010.

Former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, Darius Rucker emerged as a solo country star in 2008. It didn’t take long for him to get into the Christmas spirit, contributing a cover of Winter Wonderland to the 2009 album Country for Christmas. This was quickly followed up by Rucker’s own original carol, Candy Cane Christmas.

Pint sized singer Connie Talbot shot to fame when she appeared on Britain’s Got Talent in 2007. Her pure, bell-like voice and childhood innocence makes her a perfect candidate for Christmas music, with holiday themed albums making up a large proportion of her output.

With a deep and almost meditative musical style, any Christmas offering from British group Coldplay was bound to be something special. Though the band is yet to release a full length holiday album, their first seasonal single left many fans wishing for more Coldplay yuletide music under their Christmas tree.