Holiday 2021 Albums
One thing is for certain is that this holiday season, country music has staked its claim. Another big change this holiday season is the shift from a heavy ladies presence, with bulk of this seasons albums coming from male artists. This is the first season in 5 years that I’ve added a lot of male artists onto my Holiday playlist over the past five years. It was a nice change to finally have more male voices pop up in the car. Regardless one showstopper a female artist took the top prize with the most must have tracks of the holiday season, more on her later.
Back to the topic of country leading the charge this holiday album season. Bad news for Penatonix, who realized their 7th holiday album in less that 10 years. Can we just agree that Penatonix has officially been moved to Manheim Steamroller status. Don’t get me wrong, I am bored just as much as you are that Michael Bublé’s Christmas, has officially been on the top 10 holiday albums list for 10 years. It’s that perfect! But not as played out as Penatonix.
I know I said there were many country names on this years release list but my first shout out, finds her roots in country. It’s been 8 years since her last Holiday Album. We all said COVID was going to change a lot of relationships and how better to celebrate a new chapter in her life, than dropping a good holiday divorce song. Kelly Clarkson’s When Christmas Comes Around album is a stunning add for the holiday season and the first single drop “Christmas Isn’t Cancelled (Just You)”, is a do-op dream. “Christmas Eve” is a great for dancing and great add to your holiday party soundtrack. I added this one to my list back in October and still loving it. Overall if you look at the trackless of the album, it’s an ode’ to all the Christmas goers who have gone through a divorce. “Rocking Around The Christmas Tree” is a classic rhythm. I really wanted “Santa, Can You Hear Me” to be the big holiday anthem for the 2021 season but sadly half of the song you can barely understand the lyrics that Clarkson and Grande are singing. But I definitely adding this song to my 2021 additions to my Holiday playlist. Another great song on the album is her duet with Brett L Rick Eldridge who also has a holiday album coming out this season. “Under the Mistletoe” is definitely a holiday party playlist song. “Christmas Eve” is my front runner for the top holiday song of the season. Lastly, I originally dumped on her rendition of WHAM’s “Last Christmas” but then I listed to it 2 more times and I was feeling the lounge singer arrangement of the song. Giving Clarkson, Jazz Finger waves for another awesome album.
“Christmas Isn’t Cancelled (Just You)”
“Rocking Around The Christmas Tree”
Now I am not going to lie, this seasons album’s covers are washed with a lot of handsome gentleman (as this posts cover image suggests.) This evident in Brett Eldridge’s, Mr. Christmas album cover. Eldredge kicks off this holiday big band style with two tracks I added to my Holiday Playlist, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and the title track “Mr. Christmas” which is a far cry from the songs original honky tonk stylings of Joe Diffie’s 1995 “Mr. Christmas”. The album is also home to some fun not so usual tracks like “Cool Yule” which I added to my playlist. The album titled song Lr Christmas is of the newest holiday tunes to hit the holidays in a while. Eldredge fun lyrics are nothing like the honkytonk stylings of Joe Diffie’s Mr. Christmas from 1995. For this familiar with Eldredge, his roots lie Country, but with this album those roots fall to the side. Another playlist add is “Jingle Bells” even though it’s a stock arrangement, his voice transfers you back to your childhood. Same goes with another song I added “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”which has a few note orchestral references to West Side Story. I also added Eldridges beautiful version of the holy him, he faithful oh come all ye faithful. Last but not least, I also added Eldredge’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” which is just simply beautiful. It’s one of those songs you wish to see performed in person one day.
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
Josh Turner goes full country with this holiday album King Size Manger. First impressions from this album was pretty positive. I typically don’t have a lot of country on my Holiday playlist but this one sticks to country roots while enjoying some classic hymns for the holiday season. The first song that I really liked was “What He’s Giving Me” a duet with Pat McLaughlin. I really wanted to enjoy his country rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Christmas”, but the base that pounds throughout the song just destroys the positive feeling you typically get from the song. The same goes for his joyful rendition of “Go Tell It On the Mountain”, where the chorus lines were repeated one too many times. I did find one song on the album that I did add to my Holiday Playlist, “Malay Kalikimaka” is a duet with two artists is a wonderful guitar track for the holiday. Turner tried his take on “Silent Night” and I have to give it a C+. Having the back up singers sing along with him kind of killed the poetic side of the song, I just wanted to hear his voice color.
Keeping with the country hunks theme, Brett Young and his Friend Sing, his Christmas classics are the strongest album titles of the season. Young’s duet with Sam Fischer, “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is beautiful, had me wishing Sam Fisher come out with his own holiday album next season. I added the track to my holiday playlist. Young’s duet with Maggie and Tae for a “Let it Snow, Let it Snow is a fun song but not playlist worthy in my book. I was excited to see the chipmunk Song on track list sadly song isn’t worth a full listen. I really wanted to like his version of Have Yourself a Merry Christmas with Darius Rucker but the song just did not land for me.
“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”
Last year Rob Thomas released a holiday duet single with Abby Anderson but it didn't make it on my list because I was not a fan of the pairing. This season Thomas put together a pretty decent holiday album. Sadly I didn’t find many songs on his That Spirit of Christmas album, worth adding to my Holiday playlist. I was excited to see Ray Charles classic“That Spirit of Christmas” but Sadly the duet with BeBe Winans was very one-sided. I wish Bebe had actually done this song solo. I was also excited to see Ingrid Michaelson on the album but the duet seemed to be A mishmash of references. For example there are sections of the song that were totally lifted from “I can’t stop loving you“. There was one fun song on the album “Small-town Christmas“ if you’re looking for a fast pace song for your holiday party list this is a good one. I just wish I could’ve added something from this album but sadly none of them stuck out for me.
Ok, lets get back to some action packed albums. Holy tinsel! Did Kristin Chenoweth just drop a Carpenters cover on her holiday album, Happiness is Christmas. Yes she did! Chenoweth gave us a near perfect “Merry Christmas, Darling”, and doing Karen great justice. I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since Chenoweth’s first holiday album titled A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas was released. Though this album has a shorter track list, it’s definitely stronger on content. “Have Yourself A Merry Christmas” and “Merry Christmas , Darling” were added to my holiday playlist quickly. Hearing Chenoweth hit those notes with “We Are Lights” is amazing. Another song or him that I added to my playlist this year was “The Little Road to Bethlehem". But the crowning single on the album was her opening track “Happiness is Christmas” which was a mashup with “Christmas Time is Here”. It’s a fun song and definitely worth adding to your holiday playlist.
“Have Yourself A Merry Christmas”
“The Little Road to Bethlehem”
“Happiness (Is Christmas) / Christmas Time Is Here (Medley)
Deluxe Albums are abundant this holiday season, I thought it was hilarious that Meghan Trainor won the best holiday album cover by Billboard last year. Just proving Billboard is still be run by a group of white men. Trainor added three more songs to her 18 traCK list from her 2020 release. Sadly all three new songs, #1, #2, & #3 on the track list just add to the same sound originally released. I will say if there was dial down on the bass it would have been a better album.
Carrie Underwood added three songs to her 2020 album My Gift and all three songs actually pack a pretty good punch into the album. “Favorite Time of the Year” is one of those songs that just want to walk faster or workout to, I know, who works out to Christmas music. Me! okay! Another song you might like was the special song she performed during her holidays special last December, “Let There Be Peace/Something in the Water”. Hallelujah is still one of her best songs, release last year. But I didn’t add any of the three new tracks for 2021 to my playlist.
Ingrid Michaelson wins the Deluxe Edition Album award in my book. She added 5 new songs to her 2020 Song’s of the Season album. Three tracks are duets and I am happy to report all three songs were added to holiday playlist and I strongly suggest you do as well. “Christmas Valentine” with Jason Mraz is a great song but “Winter Wonderland” with Allie Moss & Winkler, just hits it out of the park. Then comes her duet with one of my all-time favorite holiday voice, Zoey Deschanel with “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year." That songs is MUST ADD in my book. All three are amazing.
Darren Criss hits the holiday classic button mashup with his first single of his holiday album titled A Very Darren Chrissmas “Happy Holidays” mashup single release. It was very big band opener to his album, I even added it to my playlist. “St. Patrick’s Day” was an interesting choice for the album, Criss does sounds amazing on the track. Dare I say better than John Mayer who wrote the song. I think his album cover is a good hint at this album. Chris seems to take on multiple personalities/voices vocal stylings throughout the album. I was excited to see “River” and “Somewhere in My Memory” on the track list but sadly it was a huge letdown with Chris butchering both songs. At first listen, I thought a backup version Chris Colfer was singing with Darren on “Somewhere”, sadly no. I really wanted to like this album based off of the tracklist. Overall I think there was several songs that were just not clicking. The album seem to be all over the place in terms of production.
“Happy Holidays / The Holiday Season”
Now I will admit, that are used to be a Norah Jones fan back in the early 2000s but not so much lately. This holiday album titled I Dream of Christmas, it’s far from a dream. If you are having a rough holiday season or going through some tough times and just want to bask in the melancholy of the holidays, then this your album. Norah Jones album is perfect as a soundtrack for your daily routine. As I mentioned earlier the word melancholy is definitely a good way to describe us album even one of its cheerful songs like “Christmas Glow” has you feeling a little mundane or matte. What’s unfortunate is that most of the albums is a mix between smooth jazz, blues and funk. No song could be more evidence of this combination then “Run Rudolph Run” which typically is an upbeat fun song. But Jones turns it into a nauseating and hypnotic funk song. Maybe there will be some uplifting on a second try.
Lucas Hoge 12.25 album, first single, “Let it Snow” is the perfect mix of country and big band, and it’s due with Jamie O’Neil. O’Neil herself dropped a mini album release this holiday season, “White Christmas”which is simply beautiful and classic take on the song. Back to Lucas, he had two really great songs that I added to my Holiday playlist. First, was “Mrs. Santa Claus” which is a rare find on most Holiday albums and his rendition is great. The second song was “Winter Wonderland” which had its big band even jazz roots and flies off with Huge’s vocals. There’s several great country songs on this album to take a look at if you’re a huge country fan. Most notably “Christmas in a Small Town” and “Hey Christmas.”
To round off this years holiday playlist, I am pulling from the master playlist I’ve built over the years and my love for the Carpenter’s. There is one song I noticed played over and over the last few year. Christina Perri’s “Merry Christmas Darling”, from her 2012 holiday album titled A Very Perri Christmas. Hearing the song over and over is a real treat and reminds me how much I loved her album in 2012. The album is practically all acoustic. “Have Yourself A Merry Christmas” was just Christina and a piano. Both songs were added to my holiday playlist back in 2012.