Brandon's Buzz

I know nothing is less fun (or appetizing) than a passel of Christmas tunes playing the week after the holiday, but if you missed any of last week’s yuletide tunes, and you’re still interested in catching up with them, below is a quick recap. (PS: Today’s Teena Marie tribute will likely be this week’s one and only dispatch from the Hive. My best-of lists for 2010 will be posted later in the week, as will a handful of other goodies that I’ve been holding on to, and the Hive will be back online on Monday, January 10.)

MONDAY: Carnie & Wendy Wilson — “Hey Santa!”
(from Hey Santa!) —

TUESDAY: Jose Feliciano — “Feliz Navidad”
(from Now That’s What I Call Christmas! The Signature Collection) —

WEDNESDAY: Wynonna Judd — “Ave Maria”
(from A Classic Christmas) —

THURSDAY: Faith Hill — “Where Are You Christmas”
(from Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
[Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]) —

FRIDAY: Cyndi Lauper — “Home On Christmas Day”
(from Merry Christmas… Have a Nice Life!) —

SATURDAY: Everything But the Girl — “25th December”
(from Amplified Heart) —

Teena Marie — “Lovergirl” (from Greatest Hits) —

Tell me why I don’t like Mondays: my original plan was for the Hive to go silent this week, as I am on vacation until Friday, and I have a couple of long-germinating posts in the pipeline (not to mention the Buzz’s annual year-end best-of lists, which will be up later in the week). But having awoken this morning to the devastating news that the terrific Teena Marie was found dead in her home yesterday (of what, thus far, are undisclosed causes), I knew immediately that plan had to change. Because of her breathtaking facility for the intricate vagaries of fabulous funk, the magnificent Marie was caught between two worlds for most of her underappreciated career: because she was a white girl, the R&B side tended to regard her as a cute anomaly, not much more than a novelty; and because her sound was steeped in stirring soul, the pop side too often pitted her against the more radio-friendly likes of Janet, Mariah, and Whitney in a fight Marie could never win. (There’s a reason that the latter trio are all well-known, single-name divas, and that reason has precious little to do with talent, honey.) Still, an entire generation of us ’80s acolytes are in mourning at this early hour, and though I regret that such a sad event has precipitated this trip down mem’ry lane… thanks, Teena, for taking me back for a minute, one final time.