CLARKSON. Delineates contrasting emotions in first Yuletide collection.
Red exudes passion, energy and action—and, in Kelly Clarkson’s first Christmas album, “Wrapped in Red,” she uses what the color “thematically” represents to showcase her exceptional range and versatility: “It depicts deep emotions, whether it’s love, lust, envy, pain or beauty!”
The first-ever American Idol delineates those contrasting emotions in her chart-topping collection—from her arresting cover of Imogen Heap’s call for peace, “Just For Now,” and the brassy midregisters of the playful “Run, Run, Rudolph,” to the self-penned carrier track, “Underneath The Tree,” which recalls the swinging sensibility of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
You’ll be entertained by the swooning “4 Carats,” which sends up Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby” and Madonna’s “Material Girl.”
In “Silent Night,” she creates an a cappella-laced, three-part harmony with fellow country-music vixens, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood, then recalls the salvific prophecy of Jesus’ birth in the eerily enchanting ecclesiastical hymn, “Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,” with grace—and dangerous foreboding!
Johnny Mathis released his first Christmas album 55 years ago. With “Sending You A Little Christmas,” the voice of the 78-year-old crooner is as warm and supple as ever: His solos (the catchy-as-heck “This Christmas”) are just as alluring as his magnificent duets with Billy Joel (“The Christmas Song”), Jim Brickman (“Sending You A Little Christmas,” a must-hear), and Susan Boyle, whose pristine pipes are astutely utilized in “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
BOYLE. Sings with a “digitized” Elvis Presley in “O Come All Ye Faithful.”
Boyle sings not only with Mathis (When A Child Is Born”), but also with—hold your breath—a “digitized” Elvis Presley (“O Come All Ye Faithful”) in her second Yuletide collection, “Home For Christmas,” whose nostalgia-coated tunes are right up her alley.
Choice cuts: “The Lord’s Prayer,” “Miracle Hymn” (the theme song of “The Christmas Candle,” which marks her acting debut), and “In The Bleak Winter,” which immortalizes the 52-year-old talent-search alumna’s ethereal voice as it hovers over a harmonizing chorale.
In “A Family Christmas,” YouTube sensations The Piano Guys bring back the New Age-meets-folk music sensibility of William Ackerman and the much-missed musicians from Windham Hill, as evinced by piano-and-percussions-fueled tunes like “Christmas Morning,” “Carol of the Bells” and “Still, Still, Still,” with Katherine Nelson humming over its melody.
Jewel shrewdly blends folk, country, classical and pop music in her second holiday album, “Let It Snow,” as she puts her delicate, lyric-soprano voice to great use in exquisite renditions of “Panis Angelicus,” “It’s Christmastime,” “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear,” “What Child Is This?” and harmony-rich “Blue Crystal Glow.”
If you’re partial to sassy singing, irrepressible hooks and stunning servings of melisma, you won’t find a more ravishing album in the rhythm and blues genre than Tamar Braxton’s “Winter Loversland.” You don’t want to miss the explosive vocal showcase in “Away In A Manger,” and the fun-filled “Chipmunk Song,” sung a cappella with her sister, Trina.
Mary J. Blige’s first Yuletide collection, “A Mary Christmas,” is notable for her whimsical rendering of “My Favorite Things” and the tragic undercurrents conveyed in “Mary, Did You Know?”
But, what sets the album apart is the 42-year-old songstress’ duet with Barbra Streisand, in “When You Wish Upon A Star”—a feat that boosts her stock further as a seasoned performer!