This one's kind of a funny story. A few years ago I heard what I thought was a Christmas song by my beloved Kirsty MacColl, the great British singer/songwriter who died in a boating accident back in 2000. Since she had recorded "Fairytale of New York" with the Pogues, it didn't seem unreasonable that she may have recorded other holiday music, so I just figured I had missed it when it originally came out. But when I finally tracked the song down, I discovered it was not only not by Kirsty, it was by a group with a male vocalist -- the Shoes -- a band a music-trading partner of mine my had been imploring me to listen to for years, with little success. (Keep in mind I worked with a woman for four years before I found out she was black -- thanks to an Ebony magazine subscription renewal on her desk.) AllMusic explains that the album it appeared on -- "Yuletunes: A Collection of Alternative Pop Christmas Songs" -- was organized by the Shoes back in 1991, inspired by the Beatles fan club Christmas albums back in the '60s. I've since gotten "Shoes' Best," but iTunes reveals I still haven't played it much. "This Christmas," however, rates right up there with "Fairytale," the Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" as well as my Frank Sinatra and Phil Spector Christmas albums. Listen why:
Buy on iTunes HERE.
