New holiday music from your favorite “folks”

Thanksgiving is the traditional launch of the winter holiday season (and the day I am officially allowed to listen to seasonal CDs in public). This year, there are several new CDs worth looking into. Along with the New Christy Mintrels’ Merry Christmas – Volume II (which you can preview this weekend), a couple of my new favorites are Christmas Morning from Harvey Reid & Joyce Andersen and the rerelease – with bonus track – of NewGrange’s (a “supergroup” that includes Tim O’Brien, Alison Brown, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall) A Christmas Heritage. What else are we listening to? Neal & Leandra’s Angels and Fools and a few CDs that may not be down Folk Alley’s, well, alley, but I like them – Diana Krall’s jazzy Christmas Songs, the Barenaked Ladies’ Barenaked for Hanukkah EP and Hanukkah Rocks by the LeeVees (who are out on tour with BNL). So, what’s new with you?