New Holiday Music for 2010 - Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, and Ronnie Spector

The holiday season is upon us!  In honor of that (and to better accommodate my post-Thanksgiving  travel plans), this week I will be reviewing some of the new Christmas albums released this year.  Merry Christmas--Joyeux Noel--Glaedelig Jul--Feliz Navidad!

Ronnie Spector Best Christmas Ever - The legendary singer of The Ronettes (2007 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees) and former wife of Phil Spector (they divorced loooong ago, in 1974) releases an EP of five relatively obscure Christmas songs.  This album is currently available for download on Amazon and other online retailers.

Spector's Christmas album has a pleasing and light jazzy/gospel feel to it with some of the songs sounding like classics from past decades.  "My Christmas Wish" has a peppy modern jazz feel with it's horn work and saxophone solo.  Spector's voice is a nice raspy addition as she pleads to Santa to make her dreams of Christmas love come true.  "The Time of Year (Happy Holidays)" has a Latin jazz beat that matches the emotion Spector is able to emote. "Light One Candle" exhibits a reluctant hopefulness with Spector's restrained singing matching the light piano and, later, string and flute refrains.  "Best Christmas Ever" is a lighter Christmas song you might have found in the 60's and 70's.  "It's Christmas Once Again" has a slower lounge-y feel like a cross between something Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald might have done. 

Spector's voice is obviously a little worn from her 67 years but it adds an even greater soulfulness to some of the songs ("It's Christmas Once Again" and "Light One Candle" specifically).  It's an excellent Christmas album in two regards: 1) it gives us catchy, non-standard songs for this season and 2) it's well performed and produced by a legendary singer.

Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "My Christmas Wish" and "Best Christmas Ever"

Jessica Simpson Happy Christmas - Jessica Simpson releases her second Christmas album, the previous one being released in 2004.  Thankfully on the cover on this one, she doesn't look like a girl in heat ready to get it on with Santa.  (Go ahead and look at the cover to her first Christmas album Rejoyce [sic] and tell me she doesn't look waaaaaaaay too sexy for a Christmas album!)

This album comes to us with ten holiday songs.  Most are Christmas standards with no repeat songs from her first Christmas album.  There are two new songs.  Nearly all of the songs are done in a slower, jazzier tempo or have a country twang to them.  The single off the album, "My Only Wish," leads off the album and is one of the peppier songs on the album.  It's not going to be an instant holiday classic but it's enjoyable enough as a holiday song with a fast tempo beat and festive bell ringing to set the mood.  The other song that was new to me, "Kiss Me for Christmas," is a slower tempo song with mostly piano backing and very light drumming.  It's not a very festive song with only the title of the song sung in the chorus giving us any clue this is a Christmas song.

There's nothing really spectacular or revolutionary about this Christmas album and it takes much fewer risks with the arrangements of the songs than Rejoyce.  Simpson's covers of "Happy Xmas" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" do not deliver anything new or different to the songs.  "Here Comes Santa Claus" has a country twang but even that doesn't bring as much originality as the long-ago Elvis version.  The only Christmas standard that I really enjoyed and that made the best use of Simpson's voice was "Carol of the Bells" which came all the way at the end of the album.  That song and the new single are worthy additions to any Christmas album but the rest of album is a aurally pleasing but a basically generic offering.

Score: 6.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "My Only Wish" and "Carol of the Bells"

Mariah Carey Merry Christmas II You - Mariah Carey releases her second Christmas album, the previous being released way back in 1994.  For some reason, Mariah is in nearly the exact same pose as in her first Christmas album which probably wasn't the best idea since it just shows how much she has aged over the years. 

This album comes in with thirteen tracks total with one being a quick intro while another is her self-penned holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You" which has been sped up slightly although the differences are superficial at best.  Her new single "Oh Santa!" is a very quick tempo, modern holiday song that seems more suited for the dance floor than for roasting chestnuts around the fire.  Another (I think) new song, "When Christmas Comes," has a lighter, jazzier feel, features Carey's voice much better, and emanates a more robust holiday feeling than the previously mentioned "Oh Santa!"  Her modern, sped up "Here Comes Santa Claus" medley even has an interesting Rasta feel to it although I felt it did drag on for far too long.

Most of the other songs are Christmas standards done in a very slow tempo, adult contemporary or 70's soul band style.  There's also one live song, "O Holy Night," which (to me) always sticks out (badly) on an album whose other songs were all done in a studio.  However, her "Charlie Brown Christmas" medley of the Vince Guaraldi classics (featuring "Christmas Time is Here") is one of the more beautifully performed versions of that timeless piece of music since Guaraldi's trio first put it on vinyl. 

Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample:  "When Christmas Comes" and "Charlie Brown Christmas"