For the upcoming holiday season Mannheim Steamroller is hitting the road to celebrate 25 years of great Christmas music.  It was 1984 when the band released its seminal Christmas album, Mannheim Steamroller Christmas.  It's now a must-have for any fan of Christmas music.

Mannheim's holiday trek is a 58-city jaunt around the United States.   Mastermind Chip Davis has created two Mannheim ensembles.  One will play venues on the West Coast and in the Midwest while the other performs on the East Coast and in the South.

The tour began Nov. 12 in Missoula, Montana and will conclude New Year's Eve in Sioux City, Iowa.

Tickets are available for Mannheim Steamroller concerts in Boston, Houston and Indianapolis just to name a few.

Mannheim has released 11 Christmas albums.  All but three have gone platinum and all but three have reached number one on the New Age Albums chart.

Great Christmas music must have at least one of four characteristics.

One characteristic of great Christmas music is that it needs to be old or sound old.  Christmas is all about tradition.  Therefore Christmas music needs to sound like it comes from a previous generation--a much older generation.  

That's why Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole dominate Christmas music and current artists don't.  Most of the time when a singer tries to update a Christmas song it fails miserably.  Christmas music isn't meant to sound modern it's meant to sound nostalgic.

A second characteristic of great Christmas music is, especially if it's not old, it should be instrumental (no singing).  That's how artists like John Tesh and Kenny G wind up in people's CD collections.   

Instrumental Christmas music leaves lots of room for error and they don't need to sound like they were recorded when your grandparents were teenagers.   Even below average instrumental Christmas music is infinitely better than someone singing "Joy to the World" like they're on American Idol.  

A third characteristic of great Christmas music is you can sing along to it or sing it a capella.  Christmas music needs to be catchy.  This is the one category contemporary singers can make inroads into the Christmas music genre.  

For instance, Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a holiday standard but you don't want her anywhere near "Silent Night."

And finally, a fourth characteristic of great Christmas music, or more appropriately, the fourth category of Christmas music, is Mannheim Steamroller.  

When asked if I want to listen to Christmas music, I say yes as long as it's old or instrumental or catchy or Mannheim.

You can make the case that the Steamroller contradicts our Christmas music analysis.  We prefer to say that they are the exception that proves the rule.  

Whether they are updating a Christmas carol with New Age instrumentation or faithfully reproducing a Victorian-era ballad, Mannheim Steamroller knows how to do Christmas music and they know how to do it well.

Christmas music fans can catch Mannheim Steamroller at New York's Beacon Theatre on Dec. 3.  The ensemble will also be making stops in San Antonio and San Francisco.

George Strait is set to launch his Twang Tour Jan. 22, 2010 in Baltimore.  The "King of Country" is teaming with the "Queen of Country," Reba McEntire, for an arena tour of the United States.

The Twang Tour is set to visit 18 cities next year including New Orleans, Orlando, and Phoenix.  The tour is scheduled to conclude April 10 in Des Moines.

George Strait is selling concert tickets in support of his 26th studio album, Twang, which dropped in August.

Like most of Strait's offerings, Twang topped both the Billboard 200 and the country album charts.

Twang's first single was "Living for the Night."  The track was co-written by his son Bubba and hall of fame songwriter Dean Dillon.  

The album's eponymously titled second single was released in October.  It was written by Jim Lauderdale, Kendall Marvel, and Jimmy Ritchey.  Strait recently performed the song at the 2009 CMA Awards.  

The album Twang, produced by Tony Brown, has received mostly positive reviews.  The collection's final track, "El Rey" has been universally lauded as some of Strait's best work.

Generally the reviews state that Twang is your typical George Strait album--a couple of great tracks surrounded by high quality filler.  The opus is further described by terms like "within his comfort zone," "just a few surprises," and "tried-and-true formula."

It's up to Strait fans to process those comments and decide whether they are indeed negative or positive.  No performer can rest of his laurels but no performer has more laurels than Strait--57 number-one singles and 33 multi-platinum albums.  

He may be riding on his past accomplishments, and fans may attend his concerts not so much for the promise of a great show but for honor of saying they saw Strait in concert.  

Even if that's true it's quite alright.  After all, Strait is 57-years -old.  There's no way he can be doing the same type of things that Taylor Swift is doing or even Kenny Chesney.  

So is Strait's "typical" really such a bad thing?  If he is using a "tried-and-true formula" isn't that formula highly successful?  

Furthermore, isn't it about time we stop parsing the career of a performer who's made it ten-times over and just enjoy his 30-plus years of making great country music?

Fans will able to appreciate the living legend next year when George Strait and Reba McEntire visit Las Vegas.  George Strait and Reba McEntire will also make treks to Kansas City and St. Louis.

As for his tour-mate, Reba is supporting her August 2009 release "Keep On Loving You."  It's her 25th studio album.

The king and queen of country music have combined to sell over 120 million albums.  Strait is the eighth best selling recording artist of all-time in the United States and Reba is the seventh best selling female recording artist of all-time in the United States.

They have recorded so many classic country songs you'll need tickets for Strait and McEntire in Atlanta and Strait and McEntire in Portland just to hear them all.

Fans can also get tickets to see George Strait and Reba McEntire in Kansas City.  That's the penultimate show of the Twang Tour.  The concert is scheduled for April 9 at the Sprint Center.

"I can't wait to get back out there and perform some of my new favorites from Twang along with hits the fans already love," says Strait. "And with my friend Reba, we will make it a really spectacular night."

Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is on tour.  He's playing a slew of shows between now and the end of April.  Fans can catch the Comedy Central star in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix and Toronto.  

The comedian will also be selling tickets for Jeff Dunham shows in Australia and the UK.  

I know what you're saying, "aren't you burying the lead."  The words "ventriloquist," "comedy," and "tour" were all used in the same paragraph.

Relax, the time-space continuum, as well as comedy, is fine.  It's just so happens that Jeff Dunham is both extremely hilarious and can throw his voice.  Thanks to him, a "funny ventriloquist" is no longer an oxymoron.

For those that have seen the 47-year old ventriloquist, say at a Jeff Dunham show in Buffalo or a Jeff Dunham show in Pittsburgh, know what I'm talking about.  For those that haven't seen Duham live, what are you waiting for dummy?

You can catch the irreverent comedian and his cast of dummies on the road this winter and spring in places like Hartford, Reno, and Tacoma.

Some of Dunham's hilarious characters include Walter, Peanut, Bubba J, and Achmed the Dead Terrorist.  Sure, Dunham has been called racist, vulgar, and immature but who hasn't?

If you're still having a hard time wrapping your head around paying to see a ventriloquist, here are three great reasons to see Dunham live.

Last year on Forbes Celebrity 100 list of top entertainers, Dunham was the third highest ranked comedian.   His $30 million income was only surpassed by Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld.   Yes, that's right.  Dunham out-earned "cool" comedians like Lewis Black, Dane Cook, David Cross, Louis CK, and Sarah Silverman.

Secondly, Dunham's DVD, "Very Special Christmas Special" set ratings records for Comedy Central and clips have garnered more than 350 million hits on YouTube.

Finally, the October premiere of "The Jeff Dunham Show" was the most watched debut in Comedy Central history.  The show was viewed by more than 5.3 million fans.  If you include the same night replays the viewership jumps to 7.9 million.  

More people watched Dunham's comedy show than watched his guest appearance on a recent episode of 30 Rock.

Dunham's Comedy Central show doesn't have a message.  It doesn't try to be pithy, or edgy, or pioneering.   As he says it "has no socially redeeming value whatsoever."

The critics hated it and they called people who watched it, or wanted to watch it, stupid.  Those are harsh reviews but they don't seem to bother Dunham.

"You're not going to learn anything," Dunham said of his show. "All you're going to do is have a big goofy time and escape your problems for a while."

So Dunham provides escapism humor and he looks like the manager of the cellular department at the Best Buys in Stockton.  That alone is enough to garner the ire of comedy snobs—yes, there are comedy snobs.  

However, Dunham really had the dander of comedy snobs long before he was selling out arenas and producing a highly rated Comedy Central program.  No, Dunham was hated by comedy snobs the second he picked up a ventriloquist dummy and starting throwing his voice.  

That's because comedy snobs hate ventriloquism.  To them it's anathema to their narrow minded view of what is, and what isn't, funny.

Furthermore, comedy snobs are petrified when people stick arms up dummies' back sides.  They worry that they might be next.

So seeing Dunham perform live is really a blow to comedy snobs everywhere.  And what's better than sticking it to comedy snobs?

Bachata supergroup, Aventura, is set to launch The Last The Tour on Nov. 20 in Chicago.  But is this 20-date U.S. tour really the last for this international music sensation?

Probably not.

There were rumors going around that this was the final hoorah for band.  The fact that they named their album, as well as their upcoming tour, "The Last" certainly didn't help.  Not to mention the band hinted at calling it quits in the "Intro" track of their latest offering.

However, it appears that Aventura is not breaking up.  They are just leaving their label, Premium Latin Music.  Of course, hinting that a breakup is on the horizon is a great way to sell some Aventura tickets and move a few albums.  

Aventura is set to launch The Last The Tour Nov. 20 in Chicago at the Allstate Arena.  That concert is followed by shows in Washington D.C., Atlanta, and Boston.  

The last stop on The Last The Tour is Feb. 1 at New York's Madison Square Garden.  Two previous dates at MSG, Jan. 20 and 21, are already sold out.  

Other sold out shows include the Nov. 27 show in Atlantic City (but not the Nov. 29 show) and the first of two Aventura concerts at the Staples Center in Los Angeles (Dec. 15 and 16). 

Geographically, the tour is concentrated on the East Coast, Texas and California.  Besides the concert in Chicago, the only other dates outside the aforementioned parameters are a Dec. 10 show in Las Vegas and a Dec. 11 show in Glendale, Arizona.

Aventura fans can also catch the band in Florida. On Dec. 18 Aventura will perform in Orlando and Aventura tickets will be available for a show in Miami scheduled for Dec. 19.

Aventura is comprised of lead singer Anthony "Romeo" Santos, guitarist Lenny Santos, bassist Max "Mikey" Santos, and singer Henry Santos Jeter.   Anthony and Henry are cousins and Mikey and Lenny are brothers.

The band formed in 1994 in the Bronx and the foursome released their first of five studio albums in 1999.  Their latest studio album, The Last, dropped June 9, 2009.

Aventura is known for a slew of hits like "Obsesión", "La Boda", "Ella y Yo", "Un Beso", "Los Infieles", "Mi Corazoncito", "El Perdedor", "Por Un Segundo", and "All Up 2 You." 

Recently, Aventura sang another one of their hits, "Su Vneno," at the White House during a celebration of Hispanic Heritage month.  President Obama and the First Lady were part of the audience.

Aventura plays a brand of music called bachata, which emanates from the Dominican Republic.  Basically, bachata is their version of country music.

The "bachata sound" features a Requinto (a higher-pitched lead guitar), rhythm guitar, electric bass, bongos and a güira (a percussion instrument).  Romance, heartbreak and passion are central themes of bachata music.  

Aventura has taken bachata and fused it with R&B, hip hop, reggaeton and pop.  This mixing of old and new, wrapped in a style and an appearance that appeals to young people, has made Aventura tremendously successful.  However, their style has not been embraced by traditional bachata fans.

This detestation is not just because Aventura mixes genres but because they have distanced themselves from their bachata roots (from the Dominican Republic). 

Aventura looks like your typical English-speaking rap group and in their younger days they looked like your average boy band.  They also sing in both Spanish and English.  

 

Their confidence probably doesn't help matters either.  They often call themselves "K.O.B. or "King of Bachata."

 

The rift between Aventura and traditional bachata fans is similar to the schism between traditional country western music and the new pop-country (think Alan Jackson versus Taylor Swift).

Whether you're a fan of Aventura, or you're new to their unique sound, now is the perfect time to catch them in concert.  Sure the rumors of their split are reportedly false and this is probably not their last tour, but it's best to leave nothing to chance.