In order to provide an antidote to the repetitive and heavy-handed music selections that seem to follow us and other music-lovers like a dark cloud over the holidays, we have put together this handy list of twelve holiday-themed tunes that never fail to warm a cold and bitter heart, no matter how many different versions of “Santa Baby” that hearts had to endure in one day.

The second volume of music from Sons of Anarchy, entitled ‘Songs Of Anarchy: Volume 2′ reveals the house band, known as The Forest Rangers, to be at the top of their game. This is a MustHave collection for many reasons, among them being song selection, performance, and album atmospherics.

The music world has seriously underrated the talents of Susan and Terry Jacks, known as The Poppy Family in two brilliant albums before they went their separate ways. ‘A Good Thing Lost’ is the best collection available of their work.

Our unreserved recommendation is this: see the documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’, buy the music and get to know this remarkable man with his fascinating songs. It’s the feel-good story of 2012.

Roxy Music combined intelligent lyrics with quirky sounds and polished performances that, frankly, set the standards for what was perhaps the pinnacle of adult-oriented rock. Their eight-album Box set ‘The Complete Studio Recordings 1972-1982′ offers the opportunity for reappraisal of one of the top bands of all time.

We proffer here our selection for the ten essential country albums of all time. While several are established classics, recorded decades ago, there are a few surprises here: some of the greatest country music was performed and recorded by unlikely sources: Ray Charles, Leon Russell, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Gram Parsons, to name a few. And there’s a newish release from 2010 that deserves your attention.