Throwback Thursday: the cheesiest Christmas albums you will probably still hear today

Tis’ the season for artists who are not really making anything new to do a “Christmas album” a.k.a. an album filled with mostly unoriginal covers that are recycled over and over again, for as long as department stores need festive background tunes. Maybe I sound bitter, but the fact that David Hasselhoff has his own Christmas albums, kind of says it all.

But if I had to admit one thing, it’s that once a Christmas album sees success, it generally never fades away. It could be a sense of nostalgia that ignites the CD player, or I could just give in and admit that everyone really genuinely loves these cheesy tunes. So here we have it, five Christmas albums have been, and will be, here for all your Christmases.

Michael Buble – Christmas (2011)

Unsurprisingly, this was Buble’s second Christmas album, the first being his 2007 five-track EP Let It Snow. Even more unsurprisingly, Buble had re-recorded some of the songs from Let It Snow for this full-length release, and added some collaborations with Shania Twain and The Puppini Sisters for good measure, following the old musical styles of The Drifters and a collaboration between Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters respectively. Basically, almost every iconic Christmas song is in this album, except that it’s mostly sung by a “new-age” Buble.

Josh Groban – Noel (2007)

When Josh Groban first rose to commercial popularity with his angelic tenor vocals in 2006, he fast became the apple of your parents’ eyes. He could do no wrong with such musical passion, as he was, after all, a brand of contemporary opera singer in his own right (even though he’s actually quite the comedian outside of music). With tunes interpreted as rather “holy,” it only seemed natural for this young talent to soon release a Christmas album. Trust me; play this album at any family gathering and your parents, aunts, and little nieces will probably be swooning over Groban’s untainted Noel.

Mariah Carey – Merry Christmas (1994)

This album – the pop singer’s very first Christmas album – can be described in one simple sentence: “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” It wasn’t just the best-selling holiday ringtone in the US following its phenomenal release back in 1994; no, the five-times certified Platinum record has never faded from the festive limelight since then. It’s been two decades, and it’s not over, because a new deluxe anniversary edition was just released in October this year.

Kenny G – Miracles: The Holiday Album (1994)

When it comes to cheesy tunes, saxophonist Kenny G fits right in. A definitive sound of the 1990s, Kenny G tweaks all of your favourite Christmas songs into his signature contemporary jazz style. If this album isn’t going to remind you of a Christmassy childhood, perhaps it will also knock you 20 years back into a time where shoulder pads and big hair were cool.

Frank Sinatra – A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra (1957)

Frank Sinatra’s swingin’ style is so iconic that you can’t go wrong with this album. One of the most sought after artists of the past – along with the likes of Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald – Sinatra is one of those icons whose style and music serves as a reference point for their modern peers (i.e. Michael Buble). Besides, there’s something about these music masters that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling every time you hear their jazzy vocals, those smooth riffs, and the light touch of a drum stick hitting a snare – whether or not it’s the holiday season.