I'm looking for a CD/album to download to get me in the Christmas spirit, but I'm struggling to find something to fit my tedious exacting requirements.
So:
- I'm not looking for a Slade/Mariah Carey/pop compilation as I have all the usual Christmas pop standards already, and the Phil Spector album.
- I really dislike crooners of the Frank Sinatra/Bing Crosby/Mickey Bubbles ilk.
- I have an instrumental carol compilation, which I love.
I have a "sung" carol compilation but* I'm not keen on the choral pronunciations and trilling "r"s that seems to be obligatory with this kind of thing.
- I want to be able to sing along and for my children to learn the songs and sing along too.
- It needs to be cheerful. I bought a Kate Rusby Christmas album last year as I really like her, but it was so downbeat and depressing that I couldn't bear it.
When I was growing up my parents had a Christmas album on wax cylinder vinyl which was very cheesy with lots of jingling bells but had all the Christmas songs you could think of on it, including the standard nativity stuff (Little Donkey, Away in a Manger, While Shepherds Watched and the rest), and lots of other carols as well as songs like Frosty the Snowman and White Christmas. There were two singers with nice clear normal voices. I really loved it. My parents have since chucked it and I can't find anything similar.
Crikey, this is long. If anyone has stuck with this post and has a recommendation for me other than to shut up I would be really grateful.