Anna Calvi is a tornado of talent whose recent album One Breath is rightly on a trove of Best of 2013 lists.  Calvi was an enfant-guitar wizard early-on in life in England who would later study classical music before being discovered as a talented rock-diva (with appropriate operatic vocal chops).

To get a feel for her guitar-playing, watch below as La Blogothèque captures Calvi ferociously playing her song, Love of My Life, off of One Breath at the Fontainebleau Palace, near Paris.  Afterwards, listen to other end of her range as heard in the newly-released, sizzling cover of lusty old Springsteen chestnut, Fire.

Top photo by Adriano Russo

Cat Power’s Chan Marshall is one of our most gifted interpreters of others’ songs (if you haven’t heard her The Covers Record or Jukebox, they are quintessential cover albums that you should get onto your Christmas list).  Here’s a little secret: we don’t watch a single commercial on television.  Despite this, we can’t stop watching and listening to Cat Power’s take on Have Yourselves a Merry Christmas in the iPhone commercial below.  Ms. Marshall’s had some tough Christmases over the years, which you sense in her version of the song.  She’s never been able to hide her heart on her sleeve.  Here’s to the happiest of holidays to one of the greats, Chan Marshall.  And also with you.

Fresh off their very special concert at the Lobero Theater here last week with the great Blake Mills sitting in (more on that later), watch below as the dauntingly-great Dawes perform their original, never-before-heard “Christmas song” Christmas Parties in which they commemorate drinking other folks’ beer and give a non-Christian vantage of the season.  Another beauty from one of our favorite bands.

Last night on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert continued his Christmas Carol Week by having The National and Gregg Allman join Colbert to sing Silver Bells. The National’s Matt Berninger kicked things off with his deep baritone and the voices of the ensemble melded nicely on the song.  Colbert, of course, interjected some spoken-word humor into the proceedings. Check it out below.

Neko Case has deservedly been showing up on this year’s Best Albums of 2013 lists (including ours, soon come) for her album The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.  Case and her great band will be featured on the January 11th Austin City Limits broadcast (with Jason Isbell).

Watch below as Ms. Case and crew deliver a driving, powerful version of the song Man off the album.  Apologies for the erroneous edit and abrupt end to the video.  Case completes a month-long European tour in Madrid tonight.

Neko Case on Austin City Limits “Man” from Austin City Limits on Vimeo.

Live on Letterman–the gift that keeps on giving.  Just in time for holiday giving, the folks at Letterman outdid themselves this week in securing the great Glen Hansard and his huge band for an 80-minute performance for their Live on Letterman series. We have been agog over Hansard’s live sets ever since catching him (embarrassingly, for the first time) and a large band in 2012 at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. To see what we saw and what you should catch the next time you have the opportunity, watch this outstanding performance below.  What we’ve learned is that Hansard gives everything he’s got every single time he performs; if you don’t believe us, watch as he exhorts and tears up (in the 24th minute) during the heart-rending Bird of Sorrow.

Along the way, watch Hansard wax about the Beatles, question the use of the phrase “Happy Holidays,” and perform songs from his last album Rhythm and Repose, and brand new EP Drive All Night.  During the set Hansard and his great, huge band perform Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting, the new Lonely Deserter, When Your Mind’s Made Up (from the movie/Broadway show Once), Bird Of Sorrow, Low Rising, another new song Her Mercy, Song Of Good Hope, Drive All Night, and, finally, Hansard’s popular hit Falling Slowly.

Happy Hansard Holidays!  (Apologies Glen.)

We would have given our left ventricle to have been in NYC on Tuesday at WFUV Radio’s Holiday Cheer concert at NYC’s Beacon Theatre.  At WFUV, Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) hosted the festivities while the likes of Glen Hansard (Once, Frames), Kathleen Edwards, St. Nick Lowe, and Beth Orton performed, all as bountifully backed by Calexico.

Recently the combo of Sam Beam, Glen Hansard, Kathleen Edwards, and Calexico delivered a rapturous cover of Fairytale of New York, the Pogues’ and Kirsty MacColl’s Christmas classic on Fallon.  Watch below as the voices of Beam, Edwards and Hansard combine perfectly on the song, lifted into the air by Calexico’s magical accompaniment.  Evidently, at WFUV Sam Beam described the song as “one that he envisioned Santa Claus writing to Mrs. Claus.”   Uh-huh.  Possibly.

The last time we heard the song performed live was approximately 25 years ago when Joe Strummer was leading the Shane MacGowan-less Pogues in San Francisco in a raucous, rousing rendition.  While that night was unforgettable, we’ll take Beam and Hansard combining with the ever-comely and gifted Edwards on this particular song any day of the week (Edwards plays the role of Kirsty MacColl much better than the lovely Strummer).  If ever a group of talented artists should combine into a super-group, it is Beam, Edwards and Hansard.  We hope we see and hear them together much more often in the future.  Watch on Fallon below. After, watch the Pogues’/MacColl’s original.

We aren’t much for parades (or clowns), so apparently we missed Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings con-joining with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts to perform Ain’t No Chimneys In The Projects from a float in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.   Thankfully, the only reason to watch that parade is now available in the form of an animated video for the song.

It’s been a tough time recently for Ms. Jones who has been going through cancer treatments after successful surgery earlier this year (our prayers for continued healing and good news for Ms. Jones!).  Watch below and listen to this ode to Jones’ persevering mother.   The song’s lyrics follow the video.

“When I was a child, I used to wonder
How Santa put my toys under the tree
I said, “Mama, can you tell me how this can be
When there ain’t no chimneys in the projects?”

Ain’t no chimneys in the projects (not in the ghetto)
Not in the projects
Ain’t no chimneys in the projects

Mama sat me down and said, “Baby, Santa Claus does magic things.”
As soon as you’re asleep, a chimney will appear
And in the morning you will see all he brings.
Don’t you worry that there ain’t no chimneys in the projects.”

Ain’t no chimneys in the projects (not in the ghetto)
Not in the projects
Ain’t no chimneys in the projects

Now I’m all grown and I see
It wasn’t Santa who got that magic done
Mama, now I know you were the one
There ain’t no chimneys in the projects

Ain’t no chimneys in the projects (not in the ghetto)
Not in the projects
Ain’t no chimneys in the projects”

In October Kentucky’s Cage The Elephant took over the Letterman Show stage (and Dave too) and unleashed an elephantine performance of new centerpiece song Come a Little Closer off of their latest album, Melophobia.  Last night the band showed up on Jimmy Kimmel and trumpeted another new anthem off the album, Take It Or Leave It.   After, watch as they reprise one of the best songs of the year, Come a Little Closer.  Cage The Elephant is obviously ready for the big top.