Idiot Glee's James Friley is a modern day crooner whose voice recalls the time-tested standards of names like Sinatra, Crosby, and Bennett. So a compilation of Christmas standards just in time for the holidays seems more than appropriate.
This ain't no Mariah Carey cheese either. True to the originals, Friley, with the help Ashley Crawford, puts his stamp on colorful songs like Elvis' “Blue Christmas” and Bing's “White Christmas” (see what I did there?). The outcome is retro-modern (did I just make your head explode), by which I mean they sound like they could've been recorded in the same era they originated, but without all the analog tracking usually needed to attain such tones. That's because it all resides in his silky smooth tenor.
The compilation features six tracks in all, which Friley was giving away for free on his Bandcamp page. Unfortunately, it's already been downloaded the max amount of times, so now you'll have to drop a whopping $2 to get them all, or ¢.25 each. Something we recommend. Curiously, I wonder if he has to pay royalties for selling cover songs he wanted to make free? Stream “Baby, It's Cold Outside” and “Blue Christmas” below, and you can listen to the rest here.
