Aaaargh!

Xmas music isn't exactly my favorite genre anyway. I freely confess, in fact, that most Xmas songs are so old and tired that if I never hear them again, I'll die happy. And gee, when one of the 'big' artists decides to make a CD of Xmas music, it's often a sign that the artist's career is in a death spiral. A CD of Xmas music sits uneasily on the demarcation line between 'active artist' and 'ancient has-been artist.'

So... Bob Dylan has recorded a CD of Xmas music. Listening to the excerpts on iTunes, it sounds like a parody album: "Hey, here's what Bob Dylan would sound like if he sold out and did an album of really clichéd and worn-out Xmas songs." If you have iTunes, go to the iTunes store, search for 'Bob Dylan Christmas', and take a listen to the tracks on "Christmas in the Heart." I howled with laughter over the first few I listened to, then it just sounded horribly sad...

Bob, oh Bob, how far you have fallen...

I also heard that Sting was doing a "Christmas" album, but thankfully that has turned out to be false. He does have a new CD out called "If On A Winter's Night" which is not Xmas music, but winter-themed music, much of it old folk songs. Now that's how to do a seasonal album. Listening to the tracks, there is some tasty stuff there. Don't know that I'll be asking for it for the holidays, but at least it's music I might be interested in hearing.