8 New Holiday Albums

We all need a little Christmas, as Angela Lansbury once told us. And we all need a little more new holiday music, too, because there are only so many times we can hear Nat King Cole sing "The Christmas Song." So besides Carole King, what's new for 2011? Here are a few standouts broken down by possible recipients, if you're handing out CDs as early holiday presents.

For your aunt, the frank-ophile

Michael Bublé, Christmas
You expect the 36-year-old jazz-pop sensation to indulge his Sinatra fixation, and at times he's a dead ringer for Frank in the late 1940s. But the mimicry doesn't stop there. Joining with The Puppini Sisters, he apes Bing's classic sides with The Andrews Sisters. When Shania Twain shows up, they imitate the Drifters' version of "White Christmas" down to the letter. But Bublé might just be the first man in history to tackle Eartha Kitt's seductive "Santa Baby."

For your son, who crushes on indie-pop princesses

She & Him, A Very She & Him Christmas
Thanks to her hit New Girl sitcom, Zooey Deschanel has become America's sweetheart, but that doesn't mean she isn't still the poster girl for indie rockers with a soft spot. As half of the duo She & Him (with M. Ward), she's recorded a set of Christmas standards that couldn't be more traditional. No one will mistake Deschanel for Ella Fitzgerald, but your boy might get lost gazing in those blue eyes on the cover just as easily as falling into a snowdrift.

For your sister, the eccentric anglophile

Kate Bush, 50 Words for Snow
How could someone as cool as Bush make a Christmas album? She hasn't, exactly; the songs are strictly winter-themed. With wispy, piano-based epics that range in length from seven to 13 minutes and sound like they might have been improvised on the spot, the veteran English artiste surely appeals to specialized tastes, as ever. But adventurous sorts will warm up to her rambling duet with Elton John on "Snowed In at Wheeler Street."

For your brother, the Bruce-aholic

Clarence Clemons, The Undiscovered Clarence Christmas Songs
Bruce Springsteen's late saxophonist cut two holiday tunes back in 1981 that sat on the shelf until this fall. The original of the two, "There's Still Christmas," isn't any less sugary for featuring the Big Man's baritone. But no E Street fan could resist the lure of Clemons' "Chestnuts."

For mom, who's a patsy for Patsy

Mandy Barnett, Winter Wonderland
It's too bad Patsy Cline never recorded a Christmas album. Or did she? You'd swear there is such a thing if you hear this late-'50s "Nashville Sound"-style collection from Barnett, who's won acclaim across the country for starring in the one-woman show Always … Patsy Cline. It's sure to drive the traditionalists in your house "Crazy."

For your kissin', country-crazed cousin

Joey + Rory, A Farmhouse Christmas Album
This husband-and-wife team have been a favorite among country fans since finishing third on CMT's Can You Duet?, and they're the rare act to emphasize original material, including sweet-natured, light-hearted fare like "Let It Snow (Somewhere Else)" and "What the Hell, It's the Holidays." Among the three old chestnuts they do deign to include is the recession anthem, "If We Make It Through December," where they're joined on the last verse by originator Merle Haggard.

For your Broadway-loving sister-in-law

Jersey Boys, Seasons Greetings: A Jersey Boys Christmas
If she dug Jersey Boys on the Great White Way, she might want to hear the show's cast singing "White Christmas." Producer Bob Gaudio (a founding member of The Four Seasons) ensures some aural fidelity to The Four Seasons' style, but his efforts won't make you forget that Frankie Valli and the real boys cut a much better holiday effort of their own back in the '60s.

For your Bieber fever-infected grandchild

Justin Bieber, Under the Mistletoe
Lyrics like "Ima be under the mistletoe/With you, shawty with you," may be a slight giveaway that the teen heartthrob is emphasizing new material over standards, although he does duet with Usher on an R&B take of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song." The non-shawties among us may favor tracks that bring in elder statesmen like guest stars Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and country's The Band Perry.