DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. Each year, the holiday season brings new Christmas music, and rock critic Ken Tucker has been listening to it all to select the songs he's enjoyed the most. This year's picks include new holiday albums by Ben Folds and the country group Little Big Town, as well as a duet from a very famous pop star and a very famous football player. Here's Ben Folds with his new song, "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE BELL THAT COULDN'T JINGLE")
BEN FOLDS: (Singing) A Christmas bell was crying. Then Santa heard it say, I just can't seem to jingle, and I can't go on the sleigh. And Santa soon discovered...
KEN TUCKER, BYLINE: There are two ways to go when recording Christmas music - devout or irreverent. By devout, I don't mean somberly religious as much as I mean sincere and respectful. Few pop performers do devout sincerity more assiduously than Ben Folds, whose earnest tone is ideal for holiday songs. Folds has a new album called "Sleigher," as in Christmas sleigh. Though, I'm sure, given his puckish sense of humor, he meant the title to echo the name of the thrash metal band Slayer - spelled differently - and authors of albums such as "Reign In Blood." Ben Folds, by contrast, wants to reign in heaven, blessed to sing his new would-be Christmas standard called "Christmas Time Rhyme."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CHRISTMAS TIME RHYME")
FOLDS: (Singing) Christmas morning in the back of the old family Ford with my feet dangling, wondering when they might grow to the floor. Pumpkin pie wrapped in foil and gifts wrapped in newspaper, ringing the bell of my grandmother's door - all the memories that the seasons store. Hey.
TUCKER: The sentimentality that is inherent in much country music gives it an ideal base upon which to build holiday music. And the four-member country act Little Big Town has now created "The Christmas Record," a straightforward title for a briskly sung collection that mixes standards with original material, such as their single "Glow."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GLOW")
LITTLE BIG TOWN: (Singing) These hills, these rows could use some snow. Let it be Christmas. Your bright, your cheer boxed all year. Let it be Christmas. That shine, that shimmer deep inside of you, find that magic. Let the light in you show. Let it go. Let it glow. Let it glow. Let it glow.
TUCKER: One of Little Big Town's better choices of country covers is their version of a song I wish more people listened to at this time of year - Merle Haggard's lovely song, "If We Make It Through December."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "IF WE MAKE IT THROUGH DECEMBER")
LITTLE BIG TOWN: (Singing) If we make it through December, everything's going to be all right. I know it's the coldest time of winter, and I'll shiver when I see the falling snow. If we make it through December - got plans to be in a warmer town come summertime, maybe even California. If we make it through December, we'll be fine.
TUCKER: My final selection of new Christmas music is a duet between a very famous pop star and a very famous football player. No, no, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have not cut their version of "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." I'm talking about Travis' brother, Jason Kelce, and his duet with Stevie Nicks doing Ron Sexsmith's beautiful holiday song, "Maybe This Christmas."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS")
JASON KELCE: (Singing) Maybe this Christmas will mean something. Maybe this year, love will appear deeper than ever before.
STEVIE NICKS: (Singing) And maybe forgiveness will ask us to call someone we love, someone we've lost, for reasons we can't quite recall. Maybe this Christmas...
JASON KELCE AND STEVIE NICKS: (Singing) Maybe there'll be an open door. Maybe the star that shone before will shine once more.
TUCKER: That surprisingly effective Kelce-Stevie duet is part of an album called "A Philly Special Christmas Party," a Philadelphia Eagles charity fundraiser. Thinking back to the start of this review, all of my new examples are devout, not irreverent. Maybe next year, someone will come up with a new novelty Christmas hit. But as it stands, this year is well served by some very soothing music.
BIANCULLI: Rock critic Ken Tucker reviewed new Christmas music from Ben Folds, Little Big Town and Jason Kelce and Stevie Nicks singing a duet on "A Philly Special Christmas Party."
On Monday's show, actor and comic Ronny Chieng. He was brought to "The Daily Show" by Trevor Noah and became a field correspondent. Now he's one of the rotating correspondents who anchor the show. He co-stars in the new series "Interior Chinatown" and was in the film "Crazy Rich Asians." He has a new Netflix comedy special. I hope you can join us.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO'S "WINTER WONDERLAND")
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(SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO'S "WINTER WONDERLAND")
BIANCULLI: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our senior producer today is Roberta Shorrock. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham, with additional engineering support by Joyce Lieberman, Julian Herzfeld and Diana Martinez. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Nyakundi and Anna Bauman. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. For Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley, I'm David Bianculli.
(SOUNDBITE OF MARCUS ROBERTS TRIO'S "WINTER WONDERLAND") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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