This Warm December, A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 1, various artists (Brushfire)

A charity compilation on behalf of children's music education featuring alt-pop-folkies, only this time it's dominated by guys, making this the male counterpart to the Hotel Cafe album. Five of the 11 cuts are originals, and the cover choices exhibit some original thinking, starting with Jack Johnson's "Someday at Christmas," the Stevie Wonder song, going on to Rogue Wave's version of the Who's "Christmas" and Neil Halstead's acoustic take on Fountains of Wayne's "The Man in the Santa Suit." Johnson's version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" from the Nettwerk compilations makes a return appearance here, and Mason Jennings does an acoustic "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Matt Costa performs his "All I Want For Christmas," an acoustic singalong song, G. Love brings his Philly funk to "Christmas Baby," ALO does their own "Christmas Time" in a full band arrangement, Money Mark's "Stuck at the Airport" is a season-appropriate tune you could play all year round, and Zee Avi breaks up the testosterone party with her sexy "No Christmas For Me." All told, a nice compilation from some up-and-coming acts.