At long last, today comes news of a release date for Collin Herring's Past Life Crashing. The Fort Worth artist has reportedly battled a range of demons over the 2-1/2 years it's taken to finish the album. And in that time he's worked with at least two producers: Ken Coomer and Colin Cripps.

From today's press release:

Bitingly honest, insightful and emotionally evocative, Past Life Crashing conveys certain urgency in its description of life — songs about disintegrating relationships, booze fueled lament and the search for emotional sobriety — all drenched in Herring's marked reverb laden guitar crunch. …
 
Rife with song rewrites, production changes and misspent studio time, Past Life Crashing took a little over 2-1/2 years to finish. What came out of those years is an album that proves once again that to achieve true clarity in the midst of self-destruction one must invariably hit bottom.

I interviewed Collin and dad Ben Roi Herring about the early recording sessions at SXSW in 2006 (pictured at right).

Look for Herring's third album — and first since 2004's brilliant The Other Side of Kindness — to hit stores in March.

Sample tracks from The Other Side of Kindness:
"Back of Your Mind"
"Aphorism"
"Sinkhole of Love"
"Motorcade"
"Cauterize"
"Lazy Wind"
"Into the Morning"

Austin band The Gougers, whose A Long Day for the Weathervane is one of my favorites this year, are sharing some holiday cheer with the free download "Just Because It's Christmas". I think I could listen to Jamie Wilson's voice all day long.

More free Christmas-y goodness…

• Download your choice of Dean Martin's "Baby It's Cold Outside," Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song," or a remix of Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like A Star" and Clos du Bois winery will donate $1 to the hunger-relief organization Share Our Strength.
   
• Eclectic singer/songwriter gfire is sharing her outer space mix of "Cantique de Noel".
   
• If you haven't had a chance to pick up Raul Malo's Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites, you can listen to a range of full tracks on MySpace.
   
• You can stream The Decemberists' great cover of "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas".
   
• The rejuvenated NPR Music site has a nice rundown of new holiday albums, with a full track available from each. After sampling the list, we bought The Staple Singers' 25th Day of December and Mindy Smith's My Holiday, both of which make nice additions to our holiday playlist. I also have A Twismas Story lurking in a box somewhere at home, but have yet to excavate it for a full listening — but you simply must sample "Happy the Christmas Clown" … words fail me.

I may add to this as time allows.

The Old 97s are in studio working on their first full album since 2004's Drag It Up. To whet fans' appetites Rhett Miller et al. have released a new holiday single, "Here It Is Christmas Time." You can listen free on MySpace or iLike, or download on iTunes.

I've been immersing myself in holiday music for a couple weeks now, especially perennial favorites like Kelly Willis & Bruce Robison's Happy Holidays (their take on "Baby It's Cold Outside" is flirtatiousness at its best) and the benefit compilation To: Kate - A Benefit for Kate's Sake (Jason & the Scorchers give a delightfully modern twist to the staid standard "Oh Holy Night"). Added to our collection this year, Sufjan Stevens' 5 EP Songs for Christmas is also solidifying its spot on our annual playlist. And to mix it up a little during the workdays, I've been enjoying the indie rock WOXY Holiday Mixer from La La.

I'm not sure "Here It Is Christmas Time" will work its way into my favorites, but for now I welcome any new additions. Call me sentimental, but I simply love Christmas music.

On Thursday, the Recording Academy announced its nominees for the 50th annual GRAMMY® Awards. This year 29 Texas artists received a total of 34 nominations:

General category

• Record Of The Year: "Irreplaceable" – Beyoncé

Pop category

• Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Beautiful Liar" – Beyoncé (& Shakira)
• Best Pop Instrumental Album: "Roundtrip" – Kirk Whalum

Rock category

• Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Come On" – Lucinda Williams
• Best Rock Song: "Come On" – Lucinda Williams, songwriter

R&B category

• Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "All Night Long" – (Randy Crawford &) Joe Sample

Rap category

• Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group: "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" – UGK Featuring OutKast

Country category

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance: "Famous In A Small Town" – Miranda Lambert
• Best Female Country Vocal Performance: "Nothin' Better To Do" – LeAnn Rimes
• Best Male Country Vocal Performance: "Give It Away" – George Strait
• Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Days Aren't Long Enough" – Steve Earle (& Allison Moorer)
• Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Because Of You" – (Reba McEntire &) Kelly Clarkson
• Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Lost Highway" – Willie Nelson & Ray Price
• Best Country Instrumental Performance: "Mucky The Duck" – The Greencards
• Best Country Album: "It Just Comes Natural" – George Strait

Gospel category

• Best Gospel Performance: "With Long Life" – Israel And New Breed Featuring T-Bone
• Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "A Deeper Level" – Israel And New Breed
• Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album: "Everybody's Brother" – Billy Joe Shaver

Latin category

• Best Latin Pop Album: "Dicen Que El Tiempo" – Jennifer Peña
• Best Tejano Album: "Ram Herrera And The Outlaw Band 2007" – Ram Herrera And The Outlaw Band
• Best Tejano Album: "Before The Next Teardrop Falls" – Little Joe & La Familia
• Best Tejano Album: "Corazon De Oro" – David Marez
• Best Tejano Album: "35th Anniversary" – Ruben Ramos
• Best Tejano Album: "Vagar Libremente" – Sunny Sauceda
• Best Norteño Album: "El Amor Que Nunca Fue" – Conjunto Primavera
• Best Norteño Album: "Crossroads" – Intocable
• Best Norteño Album: "Detalles Y Emociones" – Los Tigres Del Norte

Blues category

• Best Traditional Blues Album: "Pinetop Perkins On The 88's – Live In Chicago" – Pinetop Perkins
• Best Traditional Blues Album: "Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas" – (Henry James Townsend), Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, (Robert Lockwood, Jr. & David "Honeyboy" Edwards)
• Best Contemporary Blues Album: "Is It News" – Doyle Bramhall

Folk category

• Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Washington Square Serenade" – Steve Earle
• Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Children Running Through" – Patty Griffin

Polka category

• Best Polka Album: "Polka's Revenge" – Brave Combo
• Best Polka Album: "Polka Freak Out" – Bubba Hernandez (& Alex Meixner)

The Staples Center in Los Angeles will host the awards show February 10.

Though 2007 still has a few weeks left, the new release calendar has pretty much slowed to a halt for non-holiday music. But it's never too early to look ahead. Here's a small sample of some of the intriguing CDs on tap for 2008:

• January 8: Marah, Angels of Destruction (Yep Roc Records)
  check out the full-album stream from these Philly favorites
   
• January 15: Trent Willmon, Broken In (Compadre Records)
   
• January 22: Lisa Loeb, The Purple Tape (Furious Rose)
  first CD of 1992 cassette-only debut includes bonus interviews and live performances
   
• January 22: Jason Ringenberg, Best Tracks And Side Tracks: 1979-2007 (Yep Roc Records)
  2-disc collection (full-album stream) includes pre-Scorchers band Shakespeare's Riot
   
• February 5: Mando Saenz, Bucket (Carnival Records)
  at last, a follow-up to 2005 debut Watertown
   
• February 19: Willie Nelson, title TBA (Lost Highway Records)
   
• March: Hayes Carll, title TBA (Lost Highway Records)
  major-label debut follows one of my favorite CDs, Little Rock
   
• July: Alejandro Escovedo, title TBA (Back Porch Records)
   

New release dates are, of course, subject to change.

Jesse Dayton has explored many styles throughout his recording career — rockabilly, punk, blues, honky-tonk, and straight-ahead rock'n'roll, to name just a few. Add country torch songs to the list with this fall's "Holdin' Our Own" and Other Country Gold Duets. Dayton and Brennen Leigh revive the crooning couple tradition that hit its zenith from the late '60s to mid '70s, channeling George and Tammy on "Somethin' 'to Brag About" and Johnny and June on "Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man." But the duo really shines on originals like "We Hung the Moon" and "Let's Run Away." Sometimes the approach is too cloying, with the affect overshadowing the artistry. But overall, it's an entertaining throwback that puts a modern spin on the golden age of AM country radio.

(3 out of 5)

Listen: "Let's Run Away," "We Hung the Moon," "Somethin' to Brag About," "Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man"

Buy: Amazon