This fresh crop of new and upcoming vinyl albums available at Barnes & Noble includes holiday albums from Yo-Yo Ma and Pentatonix, reissues of Loreena McKennitt’s first two albums, the soundtrack to the upcoming Peanuts animated movie, and two Disney compilations that will gather the whole family ’round the turntable. Some of these albums are Barnes & Noble exclusives that aren’t available anywhere else, and a couple of them are pressed on limited-edition colored vinyl, so pick them up now, while supplies last.
We Love Disney
This compilation sees pop stars from everywhere on the musical spectrum take on classic Disney songs, and it turns out to be quite a melting pot; NE-YO, Gwen Stefani, Ariana Grande, Jhené Aiko, and Fall Out Boy are just a handful of the artists contributing to this album. Stefani’s version of “The Rainbow Connection” captures the same wide-eyed sweetness as the original, and Fall Out Boy’s take on “I Wanna Be Like You” actually makes a lot of sense as a Fall Out Boy song. Jessie Ware’s version of “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella is not only one of this record’s best tracks, it’s something of a personal triumph for Ware, who has taken some heat from critics in the past for her Disney-like voice.
Disney Legacy Collection Compilation
Collecting the best songs from Disney’s impressive roster of animated musicals has to be a daunting task, but the Disney Legacy Collection intends to do just that. This exclusive LP digs up songs from The Aristocats, Pocahontas, The Lion King, Toy Story, and Pinocchio, among others, and is as much a chance for underrated songs to get their due as it is a celebration of beloved classics. “Thomas O’Malley,” from The Aristocats, has a natural swing and a Sinatra-esque, big band feel, similar to the jaunty and more orchestral “Rotting Along to Pleasure Island” from Pinocchio. And for a film that isn’t held in the same high regard as many of its peers, Pocahontas has one of the best songs on this compilation with “Just Around the Riverbend.”
Elemental, by Loreena McKennitt
McKennitt’s first album, released in 1985, is notable for two reasons. The first is that it’s really, really good. The second is that it’s really, really good in a way that first albums usually aren’t. A lot of very talented singers take a few albums to find their own unique voice, but McKennitt basically arrived with hers right from the start. Her clear, sharp soprano takes center stage here, backed by sparse arrangements that blend Celtic melodies and instrumentation with new age ambiance. Standout tracks include “Kellswater”; “Stolen Child,” which is based on a poem by William Butler Yeats; and “Lullaby,” which references a poem by William Blake, and was originally written for a Stratford Festival of Canada production of Blake.
To Drive The Cold Winter Home, by Loreena McKennitt
McKennitt’s second studio album, released in 1987, isn’t a holiday album so much as a winter music album, drawing on her memories of the church songs and carols she heard as a child. As one might expect, this album also features simple arrangements, and was recorded in a series of three great halls (two Canadian, one Irish) to capture a bigger, more communal sound. This approach really works, bestowing warm echoes and natural reverb on most of the songs here. Speaking of, McKennitt’s vocals on “In Praise of Christmas” are bright enough to win over the most belligerent humbug, and “Let All That Are To Mirth Inclined” is beautifully haunting, with bells as the only accompaniment to McKennitt’s ethereal voice.
Songs of Joy & Peace, by Yo-Yo Ma
This massive double-LP is a Christmas album in which Yo-Yo Ma collaborates with an impressive list of guest artists (including James Taylor, Allison Krauss, and Dave Brubeck) for 22 tracks of holiday cheer. Many of the songs here are traditional winter holiday songs like “Dona Nobis Pacem,” “The Wassail Song,” and “Joy to the World,” but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few pop surprises sprinkled in to keep things lively. This album features two songs written by Beatles members—George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun” and John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over),” which he wrote with Yoko Ono—and Diane Krall cameos on a lovely rendition of “You Couldn’t Be Cuter.”
Peanuts Movie Soundtrack
Peanuts continues its legacy of great music with the official soundtrack for the upcoming The Peanuts Movie, released on vinyl exclusively for Barnes & Noble. The classic Peanuts melody “Linus and Lucy,” as performed by the Vince Guaraldi Trio, starts the soundtrack off on the right foot, and Meghan Trainor’s new single “Better When I’m Dancin’”, written specifically for the film, carries that momentum forward. Flo Rida contributes his bouncy, house-inspired “That’s What I Like,” which turns out to be a perfect fit, and we get two more Vince Guaraldi songs—“Skating” and “Christmas Time Is Here”—before Christophe Beck’s impressive film score takes over.
That’s Christmas to Me, by Pentatonix
Pop a cappella group Pentatonix released their second holiday album, That’s Christmas to Me, last year, and now it’s being released on exclusive blue vinyl just in time for this year’s holiday season. Pentatonix have received much critical acclaim for their crisp vocal melodies and unique arrangements, both of which are on display here; their version of “Sleigh Ride,” which features some frankly incredible beatboxing, is the most fun version of that song since the Ventures turned it into a surf standard. Speaking of instrumentals, “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy” might be the crown jewel of this album. The group’s melodies, riffing, and vocal percussion bring this song to life in a way that traditional instruments haven’t for a long time.
Banjo Banjo, by Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn
Along with being husband and wife, Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn are two of the best banjo players walking the face of the earth right now, so it’s a real treat whenever they team up on a project. Banjo Banjo is just such a project, with three live tracks and three studio recordings, including a cover of Europe’s synthrock classic “The Final Countdown.” That song, along with the live recording of “Shotgun Blues,” best captures Fleck and Washburn’s formidable skills and shared sense of fun. “Shotgun Blues” is just a wonderful song all around, with a rustic intro that blends perfectly with Washburn’s imperfect-but-confident voice.