Holiday

Tanya Tucker’s new Christmas song couldn’t be better, let alone more timely.

The lyrics of “Merry Christmas Wherever You Are” can only be described as uplifting, like the lyrics of all classic Christmas songs. The song can also be interpreted as a love song since it refers to being separated from a loved one. It is now digitally available.

Ironically, the song, written by Mack Vickery and Jerry Laseter, was in Tucker’s proverbial drawer for a while.

Pitom’s Blasphemy and Other Serious Crimes is an album with a distinctive sound that pays homage to Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday of repentance. “PITOM” in Hebrew means “Suddenly,” which is an apt title for an album filled with penetrating sounds that musically reflect the psychological and divine forces that are associated with the holiday. Pitom’s lineup includes guitarist and bandleader Yoshie Fruchter, bassist Shanir Blumenkrantz, who also produced the album, violinist Jeremy Brown and drummer Kevin Zubek.

The Isaacs’ new holiday album Christmas is not that much different from any other collection of Christmas standards. It follows the standard formula of classic Christmas songs peppered with a few originals from the family group. It’s certainly not anything original from the Isaacs since it’s their third Christmas album.

Former SWV member and current gospel/soul singer Coko has released a holiday album. The album, A Coko Christmas, is nine tracks of new and old put together with Christmas cheer. It's unfortunate that out of the nine tracks, only four are new.

The new tracks are produced well. Each song is a good break from the traditional Christmas songs. They all have a great, positive message. The song, "Give Love on Christmas Day," features former American Idol contestant George Huff, and it's nice to see his continued success. His smooth voice complements Coko's shrill voice.