Nigel LowIndulge in the joy of Christmas with UrbanWire this year and click here to find out how you can win Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas II You albums!
Call it a half-hearted attempt at an album with Christmas classics that’re way too overdone by artistes time and time again. Call it an attempt to milk some extra income during this festive season.
Call it whatever you want but when Christmas approaches, and the mood in the household becomes more celebratory, blasting familiar tunes of the season might not be such a bad thing.
That’s especially when Mariah Carey reminds fans of her five-octave vocal range. Those powerhouse vocals simply soar throughout the whole album. What more could one ask for?
The 40-year old R&B diva’s 13th studio album and second holiday album contains all-time favourite Christmas carols that have stood the test of time including 4 other original songs.
One will probably recognize the re-recorded version of her 1994 hit, “All I Want For Christmas is You”. The album immediately peaked at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 upon release, and is now sitting pretty at #12.
The record kicks off with a playful number, “Oh Santa!” where she coos and sings with child-like abandon.
Santa / If you get this letter / Won’t you help me out /
I know you’re kinda busy with your elves right now / And I don’t know how / You do the things you do while I sleep on Christmas eve / But it’s amazing
The song was digitally released on Oct 11 and topped the Adult Contemporary charts at Billboard in its second week alone; fair assessment, considering how the up-tempo infectious rhythms have the potential to make one jump gleefully.
Check out the music video:
Unfortunately, the other original songs do not quite match up to the catchy first single. The songs “Christmas Time is in the Air Again” and “Charlie Brown Christmas” remain largely unnoticeable despite a good effort to contemporise them.
The formidable force to be reckoned with in a quintessential Mariah Carey will always be her voice. That “instrument” is best showcased in very good renditions of like songs “O Holy Night” and “O come Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus (feat. Patricia Carey)”.
The two songs somewhat bring back memories of the Mariah Carey of old. The songs progress from a soft, subtle crooning to a climax of epic proportions. She stretches the vocal limits on these songs while being backed by an able choir group.
It might be possible that a gifted set of genes enabled such great singing and Patricia Carey seems determined not to let her daughter take the spotlight away by showing that she is just as vocally inclined, if not better on the second song.
The former opera-singer delivers a stirring performance on “O come Ye Faithful” and the song is definitely one of the highlights of the album.
Mariah Carey: Merry Christmas II You may not be the most original or creative of albums but nostalgic fans will love the ‘90s flashback to her Merry Christmas album and comforting tunes.
Sputnikmusic calls the record a “straightforward Mariah Carey album” and proclaims the joy in listening her sing again. With that description in mind, then oh yes, what a joyous Christmas this is!
Artist: Mariah Carey
Album: Merry Christmas II You
Rating: ★★★★✩
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: 15 November 2010
Track list:
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Intro
- Oh Santa!
- O Little Town of Bethlehem / Little Drummer Boy Medley
- Christmas Time Is in the Air Again
- The First Noel / Born Is the King Interlude
- When Christmas Comes
- Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / Housetop Celebration
- Charlie Brown Christmas
- O Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus (feat. Patricia Carey)
- O Holy Night – Live from WPC in South Central Los Angeles
- One Child
- All I Want for Christmas Is You Extra Festive
- Auld Lang Syne – The New Year’s Anthem)