Tidings of comfort and joy

AOL Music is streaming tons of Christmas albums free right now - I'm particularly digging the Hotel Cafe compilation Winter Songs, featuring all female singer-songwriters.

The first track is a duet between two of my faves - Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles. Sara's honey-soul alto on the bottom and Ingrid's sweet soprano on top is nothing short of perfect. Never mind that the song is a little depressing (as are lots of the songs on this cd - apparently female singer-songwriters find the holidays rough.) It's truly gorgeous.

Other standouts include KT Tunstall's unique interpretation of "Sleigh Ride," the laid-back warmth of Colbie Caillat's "Mistletoe," and the truly stunning a cappella rendition of "Silent Night" by Priscilla Ahn (this song was featured in the ER teasers last week.)

And you can listen to it all right now - for free! Happy holidays!

Xponentially awesome

Searching for a great mix of indie, new wave, classic rock and everything in between? I recommend the Xponential radio stream from WXPN - the University of Pennsylvania's unparalleled NPR music station. Recently played artists include XTC, KT Tunstall, Cake and David Bowie. Where else are you going to see all those names in one place?

While you're there, check out the concert archives for live sets from Rhett Miller, Martin Sexton, Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, the Guillemots... basically everyone I've been telling you to check out all year.

By the way, this is also where you can hear the "Folk Alley" channel I told you about a few posts ago...

Live Earth highlights

Finally got a chance to catch some of the Live Earth videos on MSN tonight. I was generally very impressed with the video and sound quality, though in true MSN fashion, the player is kind of a pain. (The links below will take you to the right concert, but then you have to toggle to the correct performance. There doesn't seem to be any way to link directly to the performance - argh.) Anyhow, here's what I'm particularly digging.

KT Tunstall performing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" in New York. Very acoustic and funky.

Jack Johnson performing "Mudfootball" in Sydney. Still my favorite JJ song. Love that bongo rhythm.

Joss Stone performing "Tell Me 'Bout It" in Johannesburg. Man, this girl can blow. It's nice to see her looking a little more put-together, too.

John Legend performing "Ordinary People" in London. I like the stripped down quality of this version. Simple and powerful.

The Police featuring John Mayer and Kanye West performing "Message in a Bottle." Seriously, does it get any cooler?