Gordon Lightfoot Book, Music and More!

The sumptuous, post-Edwardian world of Downton Abbey is well suited to Yuletide celebration. Christmas specials of the popular award-winning TV series are already an annual tradition, which makes this double album the perfect stocking stuffer for fans of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. Many of the 45 tracks are sung by the likes of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Choir of Kings College. And the Budapest City Orchestra performs an extended festive-suite version of the series theme. But the songs that will most excite Downton followers are those sung by cast members. Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora) delivers a jaunty “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.” The American actress, who fron...

Earlier this year, Morrison revealed his Broadway roots with Where It All Began, a collection of songs from his favorite musicals. Now the star of TV’s Glee shows his fondness for seasonal songs. Working with producer Phil Ramone, he recorded six tracks with a 60-piece orchestra at Capitol Records where Frank Sinatra made his best albums. “That’s why we called it A Classic Christmas,” Morrison explains, “because it’s very classic in the way they used to record.” Crooning his way through Yuletide nuggets like “Let It Snow” and “O Holy Night,” Morrison injects a fresh sound into those well-known songs. He even brings the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect from Will Schuester, his super-positive G...

With her four-octave range and taste for emotive r&b, it’s easy to see why Lewis became known as England’s Mariah Carey. The 28-year-old star rose to fame in 2006, after winning the third season of The X Factor. Since then, she’s sold over 28 million records and experimented with new styles like dubstep and electronica. Now Lewis has released a Motown-style album and it’s a bona fide holiday treat. “Every year in my house I play a lot of Motown music, especially at Christmas, and especially Phil Spector records,” Lewis explained, “so that’s where the influence comes from.” Technically, there’s only one song drawn from that tradition: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” originally record...