Sick of the same old Christmas songs, over and over and over again? Â
This holiday season is already shaping up to be a banner year for original tunes, from big names and indie artists alike.Â
Dolly Parton took time from helping fund the effort to create a coronavirus vaccine to craft her first new Christmas album since 1990.Â
The dozen tracks on “A Holly Dolly Christmas†are evenly split between covers of tunes such as “All I Want for Christmas Is You†(performed with “Tonight Show†host Jimmy Fallon) and Parton originals such as “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas,†a duet with Michael Bublé:
Leslie Odom Jr. ― who originated the Aaron Burr role in the Broadway sensation “Hamilton,†dropped his second holiday effort in four years with “The Christmas Album.â€Â
He said on Twitter that 2016′s “Simply Christmas†quickly became a fan favorite.
“Of all that I’ve done and created post-Hamilton, I hear about the Christmas album almost more than anything else,†he wrote.
His new record is mostly covers, but includes a handful of originals including “Snowâ€:
Norway’s Bendik Braenne teamed up with Emilie Nicolas, also of Norway, for the wistful Christmas tune “White Highwayâ€:
Carrie Underwood released the first Christmas album of her career, “My Gift.â€
The disc is heavy in classics such as “Silent Night,†but also features a duet with John Legend for the original track “Hallelujahâ€:
Legend released his own holiday album, “A Legendary Christmas,†last year.Â
British pop star Robbie Williams put together a defiant holiday tune “Can’t Stop Christmas†that pretty much sums up a year of coronavirus shutdowns and quarantines.Â
“If you’re wondering what I’d like,†he sings, “socks and sanitizer will do fine.â€Â
The track is a new addition to the re-release of Williams’ 2019 holiday album, “The Christmas Present.â€
A number of indie artists have also released coronavirus-tinged holiday tracks, and the Christmas A Go Go website has collections of them here, here and here.Â
Christmas A Go Go also spotted this track from New Ron, a virtually unknown pop-rock duo consisting of Kevin Harvey and Zac Lavender:
Lil Nas X puts his own spin on a futuristic Santa in the wild video for his new track, “Holiday,†which jumped into the Billboard Top 40 right after its release:
The Goo Goo Dolls released “It’s Christmas All Over,†with the title referring to a cover of the Tom Petty holiday classic, “Christmas All Over Again.â€
The disc also features a pair of new tracks, “You Ain’t Getting Nothin’†and “This Is Christmasâ€:
Reggae-dance hall artist Shaggy released his own holiday effort, “Christmas In The Islands,†putting a Caribbean spin on classics such as “I’ll Be Home For Christmas†and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.â€
The record also features a host of rousing originals, including “Holiday In Jamaica†with Ne-Yo and Ding Dong:
British indie artist Willie J. Healey’s “Merry Christmas†has a generic title, but an almost dreamlike quality in this track spotted by Christmas Underground:
Canadian duo Tegan and Sara are as awesome as ever with their LGBTQ-friendly tune “Make You Mine This Season,†done for the “Happiest Season†soundtrack:
Taylor Mac released a disc based on the annual “Holiday Sauce†extravaganza, featuring originals, covers and some unique mashups, such as this mix of The Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties†with “Little Drummer Boyâ€:
Meghan Trainor brings Earth, Wind & Fire in for a celebration in “Holidays,†one of six original tracks on “A Very Trainor Christmasâ€:Â
The record also contains an assortment of standards, including Trainor’s take on “Holly Jolly Christmas.â€Â
Keedron Bryant achieved national recognition over the summer at the age of 12 with his protest anthem “I Just Wanna Live.â€Â
Now 13, he’s released Christmas EP “The Best Time Of Year,†which includes the optimistic original forward-looking tune “This Yearâ€:Â
Kurt Russell returns as Santa in the Netflix film “The Christmas Chronicles 2.â€Â
The first flick featured a show-stopping prison number with Russell’s Santa backed by Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul for a take on “Santa Claus Is Back In Town.â€Â
The sequel contains an original tune, “The Spirit of Christmas,†penned by Steven Van Zandt and performed by Russell and Darlene Love:Â
Houston’s Micah Edwards laments the end of the holidays in his retro-flavored R&B track “December 26â€: Â
And from the “if only this were real†category, Chris Stapleton did a mock ad for a quarantine-themed holiday record for Jimmy Kimmel:Â
Calling all HuffPost superfans!
Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost’s next chapter