We Call It Christmas, Little River Band (self-issued)

The long-running Down Under band shows up for 2007 with this new holiday collection, and it's actually not too bad, though it definitely fits in the "rock for grown-ups" genre. The traditional "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child" rocks things up nicely, the title song is a nice bluesy take on Keb'Mo's song, and they do serviceable versions of Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home," Neil Diamond's "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmastime." Noting for the record that the song choice seems to have been heavily influenced by Nashville, the town in which this album was recorded, but they manage to steer clear of actually making a country album, so they get points for restraint, too. Originally for sale only through their website, you can track hard copies and downloads to Amazon now.