What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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"A Very Trainor Christmas" Meghan Trainor Epic Records Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor also released her first-ever Christmas album this year with "A Very Trainor Christmas." The release is packed with favorite classics along with a total of six new original songs. One of those, "Holidays," features Earth, Wind & Fire and dangles mistletoe from the disco ball as funky horns and a wild beat resound through Christmas Eve and into the morning. "Christmas Party" brings the entire family together, while "Christmas Got Me Blue" gets the lonely hearts dancing. Friends and family abound throughout the album, making for a sweet and sentimental addition to the holiday music catalog. "The Happiest Season" Soundtrack Facet Records/Warner Records The Hulu Original film "Happiest Season" is a holiday romantic comedy that hilariously captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family's acceptance, being true to yourself and trying not to ruin Christ- mas. Music from and inspired by the film presents a star-studded tracklist on the film's soundtrack. "The soundtrack's focus is on LBTQ women to pay tribute to the brilliant queer woman who co-wrote and directed the movie," says the album's executive producer and Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, Justin Tranter. In celebration of the queer community, all of the 11 tracks on the album feature LGBTQ+ song- writers or artists, including songs by Anne-Marie, Bebe Rexha, Brandy Clark, Carlie Hanson, Shea Diamond, Sia, Tegan and Sara and more. Sharon Van Etten Ahead of the holiday season, Sharon Van Etten released a pair of songs, "Silent Night" and "Blue Christmas." Van Etten's rendition of "Silent Night" is broody and minimalistic, emphasizing her muscular voice over droning synth. It was recorded in 2018 for the "The Letter," a short film by Eric Paschal Johnson. In Van Etten's cover of the classic "Blue Christmas," her voice prettily mulls over lulling, simplistic guitar. It originally appeared on a benefit album called "Do You EAR what I Ear" in 2009 for the Association to Benefit Children. Today, the two tracks are available to digi- tally stream anywhere for the first time. "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special" Soundtrack Disney Music Group/Walt Disney Records "High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special," premiered this weekend on the Disney+ streaming service. Ahead of the debut, the special's soundtrack was made available on all streaming services. The soundtrack brings together classic favor- ites and new compositions, as well as new songs from the highly anticipate second season. The series has been "Certified Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes as measured by a consensus of reviews by top critics and audience members, and recently received the 2020 GLAAD Media Award for "Outstand- ing Kids & Family Programming." Spotify Singles Driving more than 4 billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love. Austin duo Black Pumas, alternative indie/emo darlings Dashboard Confessional, and singer/song- writer and celebrated guitarist Patrick Droney were among 12 artists chosen to record holiday songs for 2020's "Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection" playlist. Black Pumas The Grammy-nominated Austin duo Black Pumas recently released their cover of the legendary R&B artist Lou Rawls' 1967 track "Christmas Will Really Be Christmas." "We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling," frontman Eric Burton says. "It's a message that needs to be heard right now." "It touches on a message that I think is poignant to today's times, that Christmas isn't really Christ- mas until everyone has peace and happiness," adds producer/bandleader Adrian Quesada. Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional tackled Elvis Presley's iconic "Blue Christmas" as part of the collection, which includes a wide range of artists across myriad genres, in hopes of connecting friends and family from afar as they listen. "I've always loved Christmas songs, and I've always loved Elvis. What better choice could I have made for our Spotify Single than 'Blue Christmas,'" says Chris Carrabba of the cover. "We delved into some seriously dreamy territory for our take on this classic Christmas song." Patrick Droney Patrick Droney offers his rendition of Mariah Carey's iconic classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You." The self-produced guitar-driven cover comes on the heels of Droney's brand new EP, "State of the Heart." "Mariah Carey pulled off an incredible feat writing 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' – a recording that has been an enduring staple from both a traditional and commercial standpoint," Droney shares. "It's an incredibly crafted pop song that also conjures the intimate sentiment of wanting to be with the one you love. I wanted to hone in on that intention and set it over a half time groove to really lean into that soulful- ness." 12 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 13-19, 2020 LISTEN HERE! Listen Here Continued From Page 11