Kelly puts love into Christmas
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Kelly Clarkson has written a bunch of catchy new Christmas songs for Wrapped in Red.
Source: Supplied
ALBUM OF THE WEEK:
WRAPPED IN RED – KELLY CLARKSON [SONY]
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
DOES IT CONTAIN SILENT NIGHT? You betcha, with mom-in-law Reba McIntyre
BEST TIME TO PLAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY: The perfect unwrapping soundtrack
Hard worker and Photoshop devotee Kelly Clarkson has taken the brave move of writing new Christmas songs to mix in with the ol’ standards on her first festive album.
She worked with Greg Kurstin (Pink, Sia, Lily Allen) so she’s in safe hands.
How do you write a new Christmas song? You write a love song with a few Christmas references. Every Christmas is your standard “bring my baby home for Christmas” vibe with a ’50s feel, the Motown-esque Underneath the Tree is the “you’re all I need this Christmas” loved-up festive romp. 4 Carats asks Santa to stop off at Tiffany before he empties his sack, while Wrapped in Red is Clarkson using a Christmas get-together to declare her love.
But there’s a more personal dedication here to husband and baby daddy Brandon – Winter Dreams. You can hear the joy bursting from her voice as she sings, “New love chased away my past” and, “First winter here in your arms” and then the clincher, “You love me.” The gorgeous, lush chorus mimics the vintage Phil Spector Christmas work – way, way before the jail and the wigs
There’s very little Clarkson’s voice can’t tackle. She swings from the bluesy rock swagger of Chuck Berry’s Run Rudolph Run to sounding very comfortable in front of a big band for a great version of My Favorite Things.
There’s Elvis’s Blue Christmas sounding as you’d expect, but the nicest surprise is a cover of Imogen Heap’s minimal Just for Now, originally penned for a Christmas episode of The O.C.
It doesn’t feature a single festive cliche. Hallelujah!
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LATEST RELEASES
WILDE WINTER SONGBOOK – KIM WILDE [PUBLIC OPINION/MGM]
RATING: 4/5 stars
DOES IT CONTAIN SILENT NIGHT? Yes, in a mashup!
BEST TIME TO PLAY AT XMAS: When the eggnog kicks in
Kids in America hit maker Kim Wilde pulls off the surprise Christmas album of the year. Following on from Tracey Thorn’s “cool” Tinsel and Lights, it’s a mix of new but cliche-free Christmas tunes (One and Burn Gold are particularly beautiful), and a few expected and unexpected covers. There’s Fleet Foxes’ White Winter Hymnal (with dad Marty and brother Ricky on family harmonies) and Sara Bareilles’ Winter Song. And for those who still like their Kim Wilde freeze-framed in 1987 there’s two retrotastic duets – she’s joined by Nik Kershaw on Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and Rick Astley on Winter Wonderland. And Wilde delivers surely the first song ever called Song for Beryl for a late friend. / CA
HOME FOR CHRISTMAS – SUSAN BOYLE [SONY]
DOES IT CONTAIN SILENT NIGHT? ‘Twas on the last one
BEST TIME TO PLAY AT XMAS: While napping after lunch
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
This makes two Christmas albums for cat fancier SuBo in three years. You know the drill: precise voice, impressive diction, familiar songs (The Lord’s Prayer, Little Drummer Boy, etc). Producer Steve Anderson (Kylie) knows his way around a string arrangement so it swings effortlessly from intimate to immense. The money shot is the duet with Elvis on O Come All Ye Faithful (a song SuBo did on her first Christmas album) that’s done with hi-tech Ouija board work. The still-alive Johnny Mathis duets on When a Child is Born, which sounds like Westlife with added sleigh bells for percussion, and there’s one original song, Miracle Hymn, dedicated to SuBo’s cats. Not really. Well, maybe. / CA
CHRISTMAS SONGS – BAD RELIGION [EPITAPH]
DOES IT CONTAIN SILENT NIGHT? Hark no
BEST TIME TO PLAY AT XMAS: 10pm, gettin’ rowdy
RATING: 3/5 stars
I once berated a guy at a party in Narre Warren for wearing a Bad Religion T-shirt. My argument was that they’d written one good song – 21st Century Digital Boy – and just rewritten it a bunch of times. Thankfully, the nine songs here are old standards and, joke’s on me, Bad Religion have never sounded fresher and more up-for-it. Coming at us with Ween’s sardonic, straight-faced MO, Greg Graffin and his seasoned punks have turned an OK idea into a (Christmas) cracker of an album. Little Drummer Boy lends itself to staccato pa-rump-pa-pa-pums and O Come All Ye Faithful is a shred-fest. 20% of proceeds go to SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Circlepit around the tree! / MIKEY CAHILL
THIS IS CHRISTMAS – ANTHONY CALLEA [ABC/UNIVERSAL]
DOES IT CONTAIN SILENT NIGHT? Why, yes, it’s lovely
BEST TIME TO PLAY AT XMAS: Mute carols and play this
RATING: 3.5/5 stars
Some artists do Christmas albums because they’re good business. Mr Callea has been desperate to do one because all his heroes did Christmas albums. He’s a man who could pretty much find his way onto the Carols by Candlelight stage blindfolded these days, so he knows how to deliver The First Noel, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and Christmas Baby Please Come Home with power and passion. The National Boys Choir join in on Ave Maria and O Holy Night. There are some less obvious choices – Don’t Save It All For Christmas Day was a Celine Dion festive tune, Mary, Did You Know has been recorded by both Kenny Rogers and Clay Aiken, and Diane Warren’s Note to God is officially A Vocal Moment. / CA
