STACK #218 December 2022

FEATURE MUSIC

JIMMY BARNES BLUE CHRISTMAS (2022)

Christmas Every Day ) and Queen ( Thank God it’s Christmas ), and there’s even a riotous take on the Ramones’ Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight). But it’s not all rocking around the Christmas tree. There’s a tender rendition of Blue

meeting Santa at Doncaster Shoppingtown 50 years ago. No doubt about it: Gee Whiz, It’s Christmas! is an all-killer stocking-filler. JJ DELTA GOODREM ONLY SANTA KNOWS (2020, Deluxe Edition 2021) Opening on an uber-haunting version of the already spooky Carol of the Bells , it's immediately clear that Delta Goodrem knows what makes the Christmas classics tick. Fulfilling the cultural contract that says every Christmas covers album begets at least one original, Goodrem’s title track brings Bond

There was an amusing headline when Barnesy announced his first Christmas album: "Jimmy Barnes is screaming of a white Christmas". Yes, 31 years after the Tin Lids’ Christmas collection, Barnesy has finally unleashed his own set of seasonal songs. But he’s actually

Gee Whiz, It's Christmas! by Vika & Linda is out now on CD and white vinyl, via Bloodlines.

put the scream away, preferring to croon the classics songs such as Jingle Bell Rock , Santa Claus Is Coming to Town , Silent Night, Let it Snow! , and Little Drummer Boy . Yep, this is not an album of rarities. Barnesy is rockin’ around the tree with a set of Christmas crowd pleasers. The result

Christmas (a song Elvis crooned 65 years ago), a nod to the sisters’ gospel roots with The Staple Singers’ Last Month of the Year (featuring Linda’s daughter, Kiki, on backing vocals), plus one traditional Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem. But overall, this is a spectacular secular set of songs that will get the party started on Christmas Day. There’s even a cheeky celebration of Santa in (Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man with the Bag , and the album cover shows the sisters in their Sunday best,

theme pomp to Santa’s omniscience, casting the cheerful and beardful character as an inhuman polygraph capable of seeing into the hearts of all. Those participating in the Little Drummer Boy Challenge this

Blue Christmas

by Jimmy Barnes is out now on CD, and blue vinyl, via Bloodlines.

is fun for kids “from one to 92”. As Barnesy points out, even if you don’t have enough money to buy all the presents you want, you’ve always got songs to sing. And when you’re surrounded by family, that’s all you need. JJ PAUL KELLY PAUL KELLY'S CHRISTMASTRAIN (2021) Paul Kelly doesn’t do things by halves. Last year, a full 25 years after his Christmas classic How to Make Gravy , he delivered his first Christmas album, a 22-song set that’s epic, educational, festive, and fun. All are welcome on Kelly’s Christmas Train ,

Only Santa Knows by Delta Goodrem is out now on CD, black vinyl, and CD Deluxe Edition, via Sony.

year beware: there is a version here, but its choral arrangements are so rousing it may have you throwing away your shot at the title. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer brings the country swing out of its roots. There are sterling collaborations with late icons Gurrumul and Olivia Newton-John, while Santa Claus is Coming to Town is so rich you’ll swear Carols in the Domain had come early. Unlike Australia’s Other Favourite Daughter, Kylie, who is the queen of all reinvention, Goodrem is a traditionalist. But within the conventions, Goodrem finds great beauty. Stunningly produced, this might be the last Christmas album you’ll ever need. JC

[This is] probably the most eclectic Christmas collection ever released

probably the most eclectic Christmas

collection ever released. Waleed Aly reads a piece from the Quran. Lior leads a beautiful version of the traditional Jewish song Shalom Aleichem . Marlon Williams sings O Holy Night in M ā ori. Kelly records a couple of new Aussie crackers – Casey

Paul Kelly's Christmas Train by Paul Kelly is out now on CD, and black vinyl, via EMI.

Bennetto’s Swing Around the Sun and Chris and Wes Harrington’s Christmas . Alice Keath sings a verse of Silent Night in German. And before you know it, Kelly and Alma Zygier are wondering, What Are You Doing NewYear’s Eve? . There’s even a new version of Gravy . All aboard! JJ VIKA & LINDA GEE,WHIZ! IT'S CHRISTMAS (2022) When you heard that Vika & Linda had done a Christmas album, we bet you thought it would be a gospel set or a collection of traditional Christmas carols, yes? But instead, the sisters have got their glam on, with the focus on fun and modern Christmas tunes. As they sing in the opening track, Tom Petty’s Christmas All Over Again , “Christmas is a rockin’ time.” Vika & Linda tackle seasonal songs by Slade ( Merry Xmas Everybody ), Wizzard ( I Wish it Could be

Delta Goodrem

67