 | Tapestry of Carols
Buy new: $19.98 / Used from: $65.66 Strong folk/classic arrangements that sound both fresh and antique, meticulous and handcrafted.
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 | The Story of Christmas by The Swingle Singers
Buy new: $15.99 / Used from: $13.62 Refined choral sound with some thoughtful contemporary songs in the mix, and a mind-blowing "Boar's Head Carol."
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 | Jessye Norman - Christmastide by George Frideric Handel
Buy new: $8.97 / Used from: $3.35 Elegant, reverent. Orchestrations are inventive without being gimmicky. Norman sounds exquisite, floating above a boy choir. Musical cross-references connect the songs in a satisfying progression.
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 | The Christmas Album by The Manhattan Transfer
Buy used from: $0.36 Johnny Mandel arrangements lean toward romantic lushness but are spiked with the tight, swinging energy of "Happy Holiday" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." I keep it out year-round.
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 | A Winter's Solstice II by Various Artists
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $2.96 The best of the largely instrumental series. Original tunes that blend well with other elegant seasonal fare. Warm, reflective, gentle, candlelit.
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 | Christmas by Singers Unlimited
Buy new: $8.97 / Used from: $7.95 Cleanly produced (the four singers sound like they are performing inside your head). Casual, pop-inflected swooping onto the notes. Nice to hear some of the underappreciated Alfred Burt carols.
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 | The Gift: Acoustic Offerings for the Holiday Season by Eric Tingstad
Buy used from: $13.36 Acoustic instrumentals that are gentle enough for background music, interesting enough for close listening.
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 | For Christmas by Peter Kater
Buy used from: $3.51 Solo piano. Gentle and modest, often edging toward what you'd hear in a hotel bar, but refreshingly and consistently unpretentious.
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 | Christmas with Chanticleer (Featuring Dawn Upshaw)
Buy new: $14.99 / Used from: $6.95 The guys vary their diction to match the wide-ranging musical traditions (classical, gospel, folk). A Tavener piece is uncharacteristically catchy and rhythmic. The Distler unfolds like rose petals.
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 | We Three Kings by The Roches
Buy used from: $23.80 Fun, fun, fun! Lots of tracks, hilarious Joisey accent on "Winter Wonderland." Two thoughtful, pretty original tunes.
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