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On the heels of the highly anticipated CD, Andrea is gearing up for a special string of holiday concerts in the U.S., kicking off in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on November 28th. Additional stateside promotional activities around the release of My Christmas will also include high-profile TV appearances, as well as the stunningly beautiful Public Television special of the same name, airing nationally this holiday season.

Tour dates include:

November 28 — Bank Atlantic Center, Ft Lauderdale, FL
December 3 — Air Canada Center, Toronto, Canada
December 5 — IZOD Center, East Rutherford, NJ
December 10 — SaveMart Center, Fresno, CA
December 12 — MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
December 13 —  Honda Center, Anaheim, CA

Andrea’s heart-warming new CD, coupled with his special live concerts are destined to make My Christmas the ultimate holiday musical event of the year. Both will feature traditional carols and favorites in English, with a few
selections also featuring Italian and German. The lush, beautiful arrangements and Andrea’s unmistakable vocals both on disc and on stage are unmatched. With one of the world’s most recognizable voices in music, Andrea Bocelli
continues to defy categorization, age barriers and labels of all kinds. A global household name, he has sold over 60 millions albums to date.

My Christmas Tracklisting:
1. WHITE CHRISTMAS/BIANCO NATALE
2. ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH
3. SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN
4. THE CHRISTMAS SONG with Natalie Cole
5. THE LORD’S PRAYER with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
6. WHAT CHILD IS THIS with Mary J. Blige
7. ADESTE FIDELIS
8. TANNENBAUM
9. JINGLE BELLS featuring THE MUPPETS
10. SILENT NIGHT
11. BLUE CHRISTMAS with Reba McEntire
12. CANTIQUE DE NOEL
13. CARO GESU’ BAMBINO
14. I BELIEVE with Katherine Jenkins
15. GOD BLESS US EVERYONE

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In other news, Straight No Chaser has announced plans to release “CHRISTMAS CHEERS,” a new full-length holiday album this fall. The release will feature a new batch of holiday classics reworked in Straight No Chaser’s inventive and original style. Next week, the group will perform some of these new arrangements in a live concert set to air on PBS this holiday season as part of the PBS December Pledge Drive. More details on the album and PBS concert coming soon.

Straight No Chaser recently released “SIX PACK,” an EP of six non-holiday cover songs ranging from “Rehab” to a medley of “I’m Yours” and “Over The Rainbow.” The physical and digital EP can be ordered exclusively through the group’s website, www.sncmusic.com.

Taking off from the runaway success of “The 12 Days Of Christmas,” “HOLIDAY SPIRITS” saw Straight No Chaser re-energizing holiday classics such as “The Christmas Song,” “Silent Night,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with their captivating and powerful vocal arrangements. Fueled by appearances on “ABC World News Tonight,” “CNN Headline News,” and the “Today” show, among others, the album spent 14 days in the #1 slot on Amazon, and 5 days at the top spot overall on iTunes. The group’s now famous version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” peaked in the top 10 on the Christmas radio chart and reached the top 15 at Hot AC. On their first-ever headline tour in December 2008, Straight No Chaser sold out shows across the country.

Founded at Indiana University in the fall of 1996, Straight No Chaser’s goal was to expand the boundaries of the traditional college a cappella group. From the start, they viewed themselves more like a local band that just happened to use their voices as their instruments. As original member Randy Stine comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a cappella on the modern pop landscape.

The 10-man group performed at campus events and sorority functions, and soon found themselves headlining their own concerts. Within two years, Straight No Chaser was touring nationally. They opened for artists like Lou Rawls, performed at Chicago Cubs and White Sox games, and blew away a sold-out Carnegie Hall crowd at the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.

In 1999, the graduating members of Straight No Chaser chose their replacements, ensuring that the new tradition they had created would continue on with successive generations of IU undergrads. Then, in 2006, the unexpected happened — Indiana University decided to host a reunion concert for the original members. In honor of the event, Randy Stine posted footage from one of their 1998 concerts online.

To the group’s surprise, Straight No Chaser’s version of “The 12 Days of Christmas” — interpolating Toto’s “Africa” — became the hottest viral video of the holiday season, eventually receiving more than 10 million views online. Among those millions of viewers was Atlantic Records Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman, who tracked the group down and promptly signed them to the label.

The birth of Straight No Chaser’s second life is a story of talent, drive, and some very good luck. But their goal remains the same as it was back in their college days. As Stine says, “We want the audience to not miss the instruments, be surprised by what we’re doing, and in the end, appreciate the songs in a whole new way.”

For up-to-the-minute news and information, visit www.sncmusic.com, and www.myspace.com/sncmusic.

(ITINERARY BELOW)

STRAIGHT NO CHASER
ON TOUR FALL/WINTER 2009
Tickets on-sale Aug. 14 unless otherwise noted by *
Additional dates to be announced soon.

SEPTEMBER
24 Bloomington, IL Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
25 Wabash, IN Honeywell Center
26 Elyria, OH Stocker Arts Center

OCTOBER
23 Klamath Falls, OR Ross Ragland Theater
25 Eugene, OR Hult Center for the Performing Arts
26 Vancouver, BC The Clutch
27 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
29 Medford, OR Craterion Performances
30 Napa, CA Napa Valley Opera House

NOVEMBER
5 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse
7 Milwaukee, WI Potawatomi Casino* (on-sale date TBD)
8 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Café
11 Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theatre* (on-sale Aug. 21)
12 Belleville, ON Empire Theatre* (on-sale Aug. 21)
13 Montreal, PQ Cabaret Juste Pour Rire* (on-sale Aug. 21)
14 Schenectady, NY Proctors Theatre
15 Buffalo, NY University at Buffalo Arts Center
18 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
22 Bel Air, MD Amoss Center
27 Seattle, WA Nordstrom Recital Hall
28 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts Theatre* (on-sale Aug. 23)
29 Los Angeles, CA Wiltern Theatre* (on-sale Aug. 23)

DECEMBER
1 Canton, OH Palace Theatre
3 Louisville, KY Brown Theatre
4 Piqua, OH Edison Community College
5 Indianapolis, IN The Murat Centre
6 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
8 Iowa City, IA University of Iowa, Hancher Auditorium
9 Arkansas City, KS Cowley College
10 Bartlesville, OK Bartlesville Community Center
11 Junction City, KS C.L. Hoover Opera House
12 Lawrence, KS Lied Center
13 Chicago, IL Park West
15 St. Louis, MO Harrah’s VooDoo Lounge
17 New York, NY Nokia Theatre Times Square
18 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
19 Boston, MA Berklee Performance Theatre
21 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
22 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
23 Raleigh, NC Progress Energy Performing Arts Center

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The album’s title cut, “A Cherry Cherry Christmas,” reportedly is filled with references to many of Diamond’s greatest hits. The song was newly written and recorded by Diamond specifically for the 2009 holiday season.
Among the album’s classic tracks will be Diamond’s take on “Amazing Grace,” as well as his renditions of holiday standards including “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “White Christmas,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Joy to the World” and a medley of “Deck The Halls/We Wish You A Merry Christmas.”

The Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has sold more than 125 million albums worldwide, was recently named the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year.

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Now That’s What I Call A Country Christmas

Track Listing

The NOW That’s What I Call Music! series is a joint venture from EMI Music North America, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Group. To date, the NOW series has generated sales of over 200 million albums worldwide, and has sold 73 million copies in the United States.

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Susan Boyle is to appear in a Christmas TV special according to reports. The Scottish singer was runner-up in this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.

It has been rumoured that Susan will perform in front of celebrities for a festive “An Audience with Susan Boyle”.

The 48-year-old will sing tracks from her debut album, according to the News of the World.

Susan will also talk about her life before and after winning the talent contest in an hour-long show.

The programme is being tipped as ITV’s biggest winner in the Christmas ratings battle.

A source told the newspaper: “Everyone is really excited about the show.

“With the huge worldwide appeal of Susan, the show could be screened right across the globe and potentially be one of the biggest ratings successes for ITV ever.”

Susan’s debut album is expected to go straight in at number one with the advance sales alone.

This article is powered by Well Contented Ltd

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The one-hour special, which will take place in Hudson’s hometown of Chicago, will follow the star as she “relives her childhood Christmases with musical performances shot on location at the small neighborhood church where she brought the congregation to its feet week after week; the music academy where she studied; and other Chicago sites,” ABC said in a press release.

Hudson will also visit with family and “childhood friends and others whose influences have been instrumental in her rise from humble beginnings to Hollywood stardom.”

“I am thrilled that Jennifer chose ABC to be the home for her very first holiday special,” said Vicki Dummer, senior vice president, Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment Group. “I can’t wait to hear her take on Christmas classics as we discover what she loves about her hometown of Chicago.”

No specific airdate or time has been announced yet for the special.

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That’s right — on Diamond’s upcoming ‘A Cherry, Cherry Christmas,’ the singer rocks a pretty hilarious and dead-on cover of Sandler’s ‘The Chanukah Song,’ the actor-comedian’s list of famous Jews that features such witticisms as “Paul Newman’s half Jewish, Goldie Hawn’s half too/put them together, what a fine-looking Jew.” Diamond even addresses the dearth of Chanukah songs at the beginning of his version, saying, “There are so many beautiful Christmas songs around and so few Chanukah songs, so I thought we’d try this one for you.”

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Midwinter Graces is an album that has been in the making for the past 40 years. Raised in the Baltimore area under the watchful eye of her Methodist minister father, Tori grew up playing holiday carols at Sunday services and Christmas Day celebrations in her father’s church. These were the songs that gave a young Tori her first taste of music, and now almost 40 years later Tori gets her own chance to reimagine classics like “What Child, Nowell” and “Star of Wonder.” Tori will also add her own bittersweet bliss to the season with originally tracks like “Pink and Glitter” and “Our New Year.”

For Midwinter Graces, Amos has again teamed up with long time collaborators Matt Chamberlain on drums, Jon Evans on bass, and Mac Aladdin on guitars. Tori has enlisted the help of a Big Band and an Orchestra with stunning John Philip Shenale arrangements to create Tori’s new seasonal classics.

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“Christmas from the Heart” is David’s second studio album and first Christmas effort. This record will include “Joy to the World” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” among other Christmas favorite tunes. Featured guest in the album is YouTube singing sensation Charice.

Beside prepping to release a Christmas set, David Archuleta is also working on a pop effort to follow up his self-titled album “David Archuleta”. The runner-up of “American Idol” season 7 has started recording session for the album last summer while he was touring with Demi Lovato. There haven’t been any working title and release date announced for this album.

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Bob Dylan singing Christmas carols? That’s about as good of an idea as mixing peanut butter with battery acid.

This album is painful in ways we cannot describe. It will, of course, become a cult classic (a la Leonard Nimoy singing Proud Mary or Rosanne singing the national anthem). People will no doubt collect it.

But no one in their right mind — save those who torture in third world prisons — will ever give it air time.

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The Spirit of Christmas contains ten songs from the original album: “What Child Is This,” “The Little Drummer Boy,” “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “This Time of Year is Near,” “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” “That Spirit of Christmas,” “All I Want for Christmas,” “Christmas in My heart,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Christmas Time.” Also included is a non-album never-before-released bonus track, Frank Loesser’s “Baby It’s Cold Outside” in a duet with Betty Carter.

As usual, Charles has surrounded himself with top musicians. Freddie Hubbard (trumpet/flugelhorn) and Rudy Johnson (tenor sax) appear both on “What Child is This” and “All I Want for Christmas.” The Raeletts provide their signature vocals on “The Little Drummer Boy.” And both Kevin Turner and Jeff Pevar contribute guitars throughout.

Ray Charles is a 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist and #10 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Artists of All Time. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee (1986) has sold more than 10 million albums in the SoundScan era alone.

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The choice Sinatra performances celebrated here were meticulously and thoughtfully selected to include both traditional and rare holiday tunes. Among the non-traditional are “Christmas Memories,” by ace arranger and long-time Sinatra collaborator Don Costa with lyricists Alan & Marilyn Bergman and “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” written by the legendary composers Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen. Jimmy Webb’s “Whatever Happened to Christmas” and “Mistletoe and Holly,” co-written by Sinatra himself will undoubtedly add to Sinatra’s special place among seasonal favorites. Cahn and Van Heusen also wrote “The Christmas Waltz” the renowned ballad that Sinatra first recorded in 1957.

Sinatra additionally offers Harry Simeone’s “The Little Drummer Boy”, Johnny Marks’ “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” (which set to music the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and the beloved “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” written in 1934 by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie.

For this collection, the Irving Berlin standard, “White Christmas” is sung by Frank’s friend Rosemary Clooney, who co-starred in the 1954 film White Christmas. Also included are Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire”), which he composed at just 20 years old, “as well as Tony Bennett singing “A Child Is Born” with jazz pianist Bill Evans, and “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” Frank Loesser’s famous and amusing duet from the ’40s (an Oscar-winner from a 1949 Esther Williams film) sung here by the incomparable duo of Ray Charles and Betty Carter.

Track listing:

All songs sung by Frank Sinatra unless otherwise indicated:

1. The Christmas Waltz
2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
3. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) – Mel Tormé
4. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
5. The Little Drummer Boy
6. A Child Is Born – Tony Bennett & Bill Evans
7. Mistletoe and Holly
8. An Old Fashioned Christmas
9. White Christmas – Rosemary Clooney
10. Whatever Happened to Christmas
11. Baby It’s Cold Outside – Ray Charles & Betty Carter
12. Christmas Memories

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Titled Halford III – Winter Songs, the singer’s first solo album in more than seven years will not only feature Christmas favorites like “Oh Holy Night” and “Come All Ye Faithful” – set to original arrangements – but will also contain several tracks written by Rob especially for the season. The first of these, “Get Into The Spirit”, will debut on radio and at RobHalford.com on September 29.

Joining Rob on the album is his solo band, the appropriately named Halford, which features a virtual who’s who of heavy metal musicians (six-string workhorses Roy Z. and Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitars, Mike Davis on bass, and Bobby Jarzombek behind the drum kit). Since Halford’s last studio album, 2002’s Crucible, Rob and the band have released a career-spanning retrospective (2007’s Metal God Essentials, Vol. 1) and a live DVD (2008’s Halford Live at Rock in Rio III).

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Charlie Daniels & Friends is slated for November 23rd at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. Joining The Charlie Daniels Band will be CMA Female Vocalist GRETCHEN WILSON and Gold-selling artist PHIL VASSAR. More incredible acts will be added to the special evening’s line-up as the event approaches.

The Charity event raises money for the Christmas For Kids, Inc. organization. The Christmas For Kids Organization has been in existence for over 25 years providing special children the opportunity to celebrate the holiday season. Each year, the organization brings the spirit of Christmas to hundreds of children throughout Middle Tennessee allowing them to participate in festive activities organized just for them. Other events like the Tour Bus Show raise money by allowing visitors to tour the home-away-from-home of more than sixty stars. Fans may actually meet many of the artists who bring their buses to the Hendersonville Wal-Mart from 5:00-9:00 p.m. The date for the Tour Bus Show is Monday, December 14, 2009.

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His record label, Surfdog, is re-releasing Setzer’s “Christmas Rocks! The Best of Collection” on Oct. 13. It includes the Stray Cats frontman’s take on “Jingle Bells,” ”Jingle Bell Rock” and the previously unreleased “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

Surfdog also is releasing on Oct. 13 the new “Ultimate Christmas Collection,” which includes “Christmas Rocks!” as well as a DVD of the Brian Setzer Orchestra concert that aired on PBS stations during their 2006 holiday pledge drive.

Setzer has called Minneapolis home since marrying Twin Cities native Julie Reiten. He kicks off his seventh annual holiday tour Nov. 20 in Detroit.

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The 11-track CD, in addition to containing yuletide classics, will also feature five original songs for the season co-penned by lead members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush.

Plus, per the duo’s reps, with every Gold and Green purchase, fans will be given access to exclusive content such as downloads and the chance to enter special sweepstakes.

The act’s forthcoming Christmas-themed offering comes fresh on the heels of Bush and Nettles’ chart-topping CD/DVD combo, Live On The Inside, which was released just last month and quickly found favor with both country and pop music fans alike.

As for Green and Gold, the songs that will be featured on the disc are “Winter Wonderland,” “Nuttin’ For Christmas,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Holly Jolly Christmas” and “Silent Night,” as well as the duo’s originals; namely, “Coming Home,” “Dreams,” “City Of Silver,” “Maybe Baby (New Year’s Day),” title track “Gold And Green” and “Little Wood Guitar.”

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My Christmas is the ultimate holiday recording from Andrea Bocelli, who sings
traditional carols and favorites in English, with a few selections also
featuring Italian and German. The lush, beautiful arrangements are evident
throughout; highlights include “White Christmas,” “Oh Holy Night,” “Santa
Claus is Coming to Town,” “Jingle Bells,” “Silent Night,” “The Christmas
Song,” and “What Child Is This” among others.

“I have long dreamed of recording a holiday album that captures the beautiful
traditions of the holiday season. Every year these songs have brought
incredible joy to my family and I, and it is my hope to give back that same
joy by making this album,” commented Bocelli. My Christmas will also be a
major component of a PBS Great Performances special to air on Public
Television this December. The program will present both Andrea Bocelli and
David Foster together in a stellar Christmas program, to be filmed on
September 15th at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Additionally on the live front, Andrea is slated to perform three historic
classical concerts for the first time ever at New York City’s famed Carnegie
Hall on September 8th, 9th and 11th. A series of very special Christmas
concerts are slated for December; confirmed dates include November 28th at
Bank Atlantic Center in Ft Lauderdale, December 3rd at Air Canada Center in
Toronto, December 5th at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ, December
12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and December 13th at the Honda Center in
Anaheim.

An iconic figure in music who has sold over 60 million albums to date, Bocelli
continues to defy categorization, age barriers and labels of all kinds. In
concert or on the opera stage, he has worked with everyone from Luciano
Pavarotti and Placido Domingo to Bono. His memorable television appearances
on such events including The Grammy Awards, mentoring contestants on American
Idol, and the Official Ceremonies of past Olympic Games have propelled Andrea
Bocelli to a global household name.

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