1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town – Bing Crosby – You better not pout but da Bing is sure letting the Andrew Sisters do a lot of heavy lifting on this version, gives them the best word to sing on the track “With little tin horns and little toy drums, Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums…” – B+
2. It Must Be Santa – Bob Dylan – The best song off Christmas In The Heart, Dylan’s existential dream of a croaking caroling, uses a squueze biox and a polka jaunt to paint a Santa picture… Ho ho ho – B+
3. Hurts Like A Heaven – Coldplay – Their finest moment is all propelled melodies to an anthemic bridge followed by an anthemic chorus – A
4. Come What May – Jarrod Dickenson – Full on love song by the oft time miserable folkie! – A
5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love – The greatest Christmas song of them all – A+
6. I’m In Love (demo) – The Beatles – Just Lennon and a piano, this song didn’t make it because it isn’t good enough but as a lesson on how Lennon used verbal hooks, it’s excellent – B
7. The Pearly Song – Richard Sherman – Sounds precocious – A
8. XO – Beyonce – This song has been on every playlist I’ve made since I heard it – A
9. One After 909 (Studio Outtakes/Takes 1 and 2) – The Beatles – Keep with the Let It Be take, if only for the guitar attack – B+
10. Mine (with Drake) – Beyonce – It’s a sign of how much I love Beyonce right now that this Drake as usual duet even thrills – A-