... From All of Me, Vibeke (Pop Detective)

This is my first exposure to Vibeke Saugestad, a Norwegian singer-songwriter who's been active in bands since 1992 and went solo in 2001. This 2008 EP features five holiday originals, all or partly written by Vibeke, and you power pop fans will be excited to get your hands on this. It's quite the rock 'n roll workout, with four of the five being midtempo or faster. "A Christmas Carol (For the Losers in Love)" starts out a little reflective but picks up the beat quickly behind this tale of lost love on the holidays. "Jingle Jangle Christmas" is practically self-explanatory, "I Must Have Been So Good" opens the disc in grand style, with the gift of love, and "Mistletoe Kissing" is a galloping rave-up. The disc ends downtempo with a guitar ballad, "Christmas Is Calling Me Home." Only place I ran into this was at Not Lame, and it's worth whatever effort it takes to track it down. UPDATE: Click on the cover and grab it from Amazon.