Company: Pandora Media Inc.
Item Reviewed: Pandora Holiday Stations

This holiday season I have tuned into Pandora for all my holiday music needs. And with all their new holiday channels I have found the right music for the right time, Classical Christmas and R&B and Pop Holiday for me when I am alone and Children’s Christmas when the kids are in the house. Here is a complete rundown on all the great holiday stations that Pandora has to offer:

The seventeen unique holiday genre stations include 11 that are back by popular demand and six new for the 2011 holiday season, and offer listeners a broad range of seasonal music to enjoy and personalize starting now and heading into the New Year.

• Children’s Christmas* – delight children with a collection of family favorites and holiday music just for kids perfect to listen to while decorating a tree or opening presents, and featuring artists like Sponge Bob Squarepants, Vince Guaraldi Trio, Connie Talbot and Kidz Bop Kids.
• Christmas – enjoy an extensive mix of traditional Christmas favorites and timeless holiday classics spanning the decades and genres for the season from a variety of artists like Nat King Cole, Mariah Carey, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon and Vince Guaraldi Trio.
• Christmas Blues – listen to all of the best Blues hits from 50’s Rock n’ Roll to the most recent releases by B.B. King, Charles Brown, Keb Mo’ and Elvis Presley.
• Classical Christmas – hear a relaxing compilation of classical holiday pieces featuring orchestras, soloists and simply beautiful Christmas choirs from Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops Orchestra, Antonio Vivaldi, The Cambridge Singers and George Winston.
• Contemporary Christian Holidays* – experience the biggest Christian pop and gospel artists performing holiday classics including this year’s highly anticipated new releases from artists like Amy Grant, Toby Mac, Michael W. Smith and CeCe Winans.
• Country Christmas – savor Country holiday favorites and discover new seasonal releases from Country stars such as Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Toby Keith and Alan Jackson.
• Electronic Holidays* – dance to a mix of all the classic holiday favorites remixed by some of today’s top names in Electronic music including Kaskade, Thunderball, Juan Atkins and Afrodisiac Soundsystem.
• Folk Holidays – play a collection of holiday instrumentals from the finest Folk acoustic guitarists from the 70s to today like James Taylor, John Fahey, Sarah McLachlan and Stephen Bennett.
• Hanukkah – celebrate Hanukkah with hits from Pacific Pops Orchestra, Margie Rosenthal, Ot Azoj Klezmer Band and Erran Baron Cohen.
• Indie Holidays* –Indie fans can get in the spirit this season with holiday classics performed by Indie artists as well as Indie Christmas originals from artists like Low, Weezer, Bright Eyes and Sufjan Stevens.
• Jazz Holidays – enjoy a tasty mix of instrumentals and vocals with a mellow holiday vibe interpreted by Jazz artists from yesterday and today like Ella Fitzgerald, Chris Botti, Ramsey Lewis and Vince Guaraldi Trio.
• Navidad Latina* – tune in to a mix of Latin holiday classics by a wide variety of artists spanning the decades in the Latin genre, including Gilberto Santa Rosa, Celia Cruz Y La Sonora Matancera, Willie Colon and Luis Miguel.
• Peaceful Holidays – create a serene soundtrack for your holiday celebrations with favorites by the world’s most popular modern instrumentalists including Jim Brickman, Mannheim Steamroller, John Tesh and Tim Janis.
• R&B and Pop Holidays – listen to a festive mix of R&B and Pop holiday classics from the cast of the hit show, Glee, Brian McKnight, Mariah Carey, Michael Buble and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
• Rockin’ Holidays – play a wide variety of Christmas tunes from Oldies to today’s hits, sure to keep you rockin’ through the season from artists like Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, Brenda Lee and The Eagles.
• Swingin’ Christmas – swing into the holiday season with Christmas classics featuring the Big Band, the Rat Pack and a new generation of swinging music stars including Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Harry Connick Jr.
• Tropical Holidays* – sit back and relax with a mellow collection of Hawaiian, Reggae and Exotica sounds from artists like Jimmy Buffett, Don Ho, Joe Gibbs and Arthur Lyman.

*New holiday genre station for the 2011 holiday season

This holiday season give the gift of music to the loved ones on your list.

via Pandora One Upgrade

Few things evoke more holiday spirit than festive Christmas songs. On A Family Christmas, Putumayo offers a collection of yuletide favorites by a fascinating array of artists that every family is sure to enjoy while trimming the tree or sharing a holiday dinner.

Seattle-based Johnny Bregar delivers an acoustic rendition of the time-honored “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” recorded especially for this album. Sleigh bells jingle in singer-songwriter Martin Sexton’s stripped down version of “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Incorporating quirky vocals with a jazzy flare, California-based Big Bad Voodoo Daddy adds its signature retro-swing style to the Louis Armstrong hit “Is Zat You Santa Claus?,” bringing to mind images of Santa stealthily delivering presents to an eager household. And Leon Redbone’s heartwarming interpretation of the holiday standard “Let It Snow” will keep you cozy on the coldest of Christmas nights.

Tracks include:

• Johnny Bregar – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
• Martin Sexton – Holly Jolly Christmas
• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy – Is Zat You Santa Claus?
• Leon Redbone – Let it Snow
• Deana Carter – Winter Wonderland
• Sam Bush – Sleigh Ride
• Kate Rusby – Here We Come A-Wassailing
• Brave Combo – Jolly Old St. Nick
• Debbie Davies & Matt Perrine – Mele Kalikimaka
• The Christmas Jug Band – Boogie Woogie Santa Claus
• Lars Edegran and his Santa Claus Revelers – Frosty the Snowman

My kids are used to me playing Swing music and we just loved the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy track. But this whole album was one of the most enjoyable Christmas collections I have heard in a very long time and I can’t wait to share it with my family and friends during all of the wonderful holiday parties that will be coming up. Definitely a great family Christmas album that I recommend to everyone!