The One With ICE!

Current Mood: Elated
Current Music:
"Angels We Have Heard on High" by ZOEgirl from WOW Christmas

Good morning, Sundayers!! None of you should be reading this right now...you should all be at church! Or at lunch with your friends AFTER church. Or chatting with your friends on the plaza while at church. So to sum up, GO TO CHURCH! ;-)

First off, a word about my gift to you today. I think that it is REALLY COOL!! It makes even a Texas computer feel all wintery. And that is tough for a measly screensaver. But that is not what makes me truly excited. Normally, screensavers come wrapped with other add on programs like extra toolbars or search assistants...blah, blah, blah. Those are mildly frustrating because you have to careful check and uncheck installation options to make sure you get only the screensaver and not the klingons.

Well, NOT WITH THIS ONE! *grins* With it, you get only the good stuff, so enjoy (because the next one may require a little bit of effort)!

So, for today, I decided to do something I haven't done in a while...the Top 10 Music Quiz...um...thing...It's where you stick all your music on random and write about the first ten songs, whatever they may be. I have done it twice in the past, but never about my Christmas music, so here goes!

Shuffling...

Song #1
"Christmas Time Is Here" by Sixpence None the Richer
Okay, right now I see that this was a stupid idea since a bunch of my Christmas songs of from compilation CDs. Oh well, I'll survive. This is obviously Sixpence's rendition of the Charlie Brown classic. The song is a little darker than most Christmas songs, but I still love it! And this version is prettier than most I have heard.

Song #2

"Christmas, Christmas" by Rushmore
Alrighty, so one day my sister walks into my room and says, "Here! You should listen to this Christmas CD. It's from a band of guys from my school and they're really good!" I, of course, relented and even told her I would update them in the CDDB.

Biggest mistake of my life. I'm serious! This HAS to be the single worst CD recorded EVER! It's THAT bad. In fact, I think you need to experience it yourself. Here is this song in all its melodically ear-screeching glory. Judge for yourself.

Song #3
"Jesus Born on this Day" by Mariah Carey
I bought this CD because of the song at the top of the Top 10 Player on the right --->All I Want for Christmas Is You (You're welcome, Jenn). I was pleasantly surprised by the album, because I am definitely NOT a Mariah Carey fan. Although, Heartbreaker is good. That's the only other song of hers that I can even name. Anyway, this song is good (Avalon's is better!), but the image of Mariah Carey singing about Jesus kinda puts me on edge. I normally skip it.

Song #4
"Kiss Me at Midnight" by 'NSYNC
Um...let me start off by saying that I am not, as a rule, an 'NSYNC fan. That being said, I really liked Celebrity. What. Who said that? Moving along...With the exception of the cheesy countdown at the beginning, I like this one. Mostly because it fills me with hope that the next time I say, "Kiss me at midnight," I won't get slapped. Wait. Too much information? Sorry. Back on target. The song is a little dated (but what of 'NSYNC's isn't), so it's not a listen in June kinda song, but I'll let it out to play (Haha, pun intended) in December.

Song #5
"Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid
I don't really know why I like this song so much. I guess I am just a sucker for those cooperative recordings. This song was recorded in 1984 by twenty or so recording artists. All proceeds were sent to aid in famine relief in Africa (get it? Band AID?) It's not even all that great of a song, but I love it! OH! I was researching this entry and I just found out that the song was re-recorded. The following artists participated (I capitalized those that set my ears aflutter) ---->KEANE, Paul McCartney, The Sugababes, Skye (Morcheeba), Robbie Williams, Dido, Bono, Jamelia, Justin Hawkins (Darkness), CHRIS MARTIN (COLDPLAY), Fran Healy (Travis), Beverley Knight, Busted, Ms Dynamite, Danny Goffey (Supergrass), Katie Melua, Will Young, NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, Snow Patrol, Shaznay Lewis, JOSS STONE, DANIEL BEDINGFIELD, Rachel Stevens, The Thrills, Roisin Murphy (Moloko), Lemar, Estelle, Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy), Feeder and Dizzee Rascal. Dang it! Another CD to buy!

Song #6
"Silent Night" by Michael W. Smith
I really like this song and this entire CD because it showcases not only Michael W. Smith's vocal talent, but his composition talent as well. A number of the tracks are instrumental arrangements by Smith and they are fantastic!

Song #7
"That Night" by the Sanctuary Choir and the Nashville String Machine
Okay, this CD is one of my Christmas favorites! And that is quite impressive, seeing as how I do not particularly like the Sanctuary Choir (the adult choir at First Baptist Church Dallas). But the arrangements are EXCELLENT! One of their songs is in the Top 10 Player, so have a listen if you haven't already.

Song #8
"Winter Wonderland" by Avalon
Can you guess what I am going to say? LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT! I mean, I love all things Avalon (whose new album, STAND, comes out in January! WOOT!!!), but their version of this song is so much fun! You can't help but feel Christmas Party-y when it's playing in the background (unless you are my father, who decided the other night that he only listens to "traditional" Christmas music - read "boring").

Song #9
"Away in a Manger" by City on a Hill (In this case, Derri Daugherty and Julie Miller)
Second only to Avalon, City on a Hill records my favorite CDs. See what I mean about cooperative recordings? I am serious. When I stick a City on a Hill CD into the player, it could reside there for weeks! This song in particular is so sweet, it makes me think of late Christmas Eve when everone has gone to sleep and the living room is lit only by the lights from the Christmas Tree. It incorporates the two most widely spread melodies of the song and some lovely bells tinkling in the bakground. Yeah!

Song #10
"Gonna Eat for Christmas" by Rosie O'Donnell and Gloria Estevan
Again, something of a cooperative recording. Gloria Estevan is Rosie O'Donnell's next door neighbor and best friend. Not only is this song itself a hoot, but listening to these two taunt each other with food is hysterical. I LOVE IT! For those of you who have no experience with this CD, it is Rosie and a bunch of different celebrities singing new arrangements of Christmas songs, and it ROCKS! It is Number 3 in my list of favorite Christmas CDs (Following Avalon's and City on a Hill's). This one I really think you should look into!

Okay, that's it! A tiny peak into my Christmas music library. I hope you found it enlightening!

P.S. I bought that Band Aid recording I was raving about. It is by Band Aid 20 (1984-2004, clever, aren't they?). It's GREAT! I am going to have to put it in the player!