"Getting Ready For Christmas Day," Paul Simon (Hear Music)

For something that started out as a marketing tool of Starbucks, the Hear label has notched quite a few big stars for its roster -- Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, Paul McCartney (and his lucrative solo back catalog) -- and now Paul Simon, whose 2010 Christmas song will appear on his next album. That's several months down the road, however, but in the meantime we have this, a mashup of the modern-day Simon with his idiosyncratic rhythmic sense and a 1941 speech about the holiday by the Rev. J.M. Gates, possibly the most prolific gospel recording star of the early days of the record industry. (You can download his original performances from Amazon, including his own original sermon with this same title.) The combination of Simon's writing and Gates' preaching creates a perfect artifact of these uncertain times, one you can still snap your fingers to as well. You can link to the paid download by clicking on the disc art, but the artist offers a free download as well.