Well, after the consumption of countless pumpkin pies, the taking of numerous naps and the putting off of vast quantities of schoolwork, it would appear that the Christmas season is finally upon us. Syracuse has had its first dusting of snow, you can’t swing a dead cat in either of our malls without hitting a Christmas decoration, and the ever-ubiquitous Christmas music is starting to be heard creeping out of store fronts all over the city.
Now this may surprise you, dear reader, embittered music snob that I am, but I do have something of a soft spot for Christmas music. Although it becomes intolerable after a full month of having it blasted at you, Christmas music has a way of grabbing onto one’s sense of childhood nostalgia and throwing you headlong into some semblance of the Christmas spirit.
Over the years, popular artists have attempted to jump on the Christmas music band wagon with varying degrees of success, or at least varying degrees of catastrophic failure. A quick YouTube search can bring up pages of videos of pop stars and starlets trying their hand at assorted Christmas classics and failing miserably (and amusingly).
This year, however, as occasionally happens, one artist has actually gone outside the norm and made something almost unheard of: a good Christmas album. I know, take a minute to let it sink in. Yes, with his release of “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment,” the man who brought us “F*** You” may have just singlehandedly redeemed the Christmas album as a (semi-)viable or, at the very least, fun art form.
One feature which shines through the album is that Cee Lo can actually sing. From the first verse of “What Christmas Means to Me,” it’s clear that this dude can belt Christmas tunes with the best of them and that you’re in for a good ride. It certainly says something about the current, rather deplorable state of popular music that something as simple as a singer actually having a decent voice instead of relying on autotune to keep you in something resembling a key would be a sign of merit, but this is where we are, folks.
Track two is one of the best renditions of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” I’ve heard, featuring Christina Aguilera providing one of the better performances I’ve heard her serve up in recent memory. The song is sure to end up playing in stores in no time.
From there on, it’s a mishmash of beloved Christmas classics along with some more obscure choices. The seemingly mandatory “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” and “Silent Night” all make appearances; the latter in particular is fantastically performed, with Cee Lo’s powerful voice adding a nice gravity to the song without making it seem overly stuffy.
Cee Lo also puts his stamp on Mariah Carey’s hit “All I Want For Christmas is You,” and I’m not gonna lie, guys, it’s kinda awesome. I’m sure that last sentence will cost some serious snob points, but it’s fun, well-performed and Cee Lo does a great job of putting his stamp on it.
The album has a few low points but considering some of the other things I’ve listened to in my time as a critic, even the lows on this practically sound like highs. Some of the lesser-known tracks like “This Christmas,” “Run Rudolph Run” and “Merry Christmas Baby” aren’t quite as grabbing as the more classic tunes which Cee Lo covers over the course of the record, and the collaborative song with the Muppets, “All I Need is Love,” falls flat, but the good on this album easily outweighs the bad. So, this Christmas, knock back some eggnogs and be thankful that we finally have a quality Christmas album to break out, courtesy of Cee Lo Green.
Four out of Five Stars
Now this may surprise you, dear reader, embittered music snob that I am, but I do have something of a soft spot for Christmas music. Although it becomes intolerable after a full month of having it blasted at you, Christmas music has a way of grabbing onto one’s sense of childhood nostalgia and throwing you headlong into some semblance of the Christmas spirit.
Over the years, popular artists have attempted to jump on the Christmas music band wagon with varying degrees of success, or at least varying degrees of catastrophic failure. A quick YouTube search can bring up pages of videos of pop stars and starlets trying their hand at assorted Christmas classics and failing miserably (and amusingly).
This year, however, as occasionally happens, one artist has actually gone outside the norm and made something almost unheard of: a good Christmas album. I know, take a minute to let it sink in. Yes, with his release of “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment,” the man who brought us “F*** You” may have just singlehandedly redeemed the Christmas album as a (semi-)viable or, at the very least, fun art form.
One feature which shines through the album is that Cee Lo can actually sing. From the first verse of “What Christmas Means to Me,” it’s clear that this dude can belt Christmas tunes with the best of them and that you’re in for a good ride. It certainly says something about the current, rather deplorable state of popular music that something as simple as a singer actually having a decent voice instead of relying on autotune to keep you in something resembling a key would be a sign of merit, but this is where we are, folks.
Track two is one of the best renditions of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” I’ve heard, featuring Christina Aguilera providing one of the better performances I’ve heard her serve up in recent memory. The song is sure to end up playing in stores in no time.
From there on, it’s a mishmash of beloved Christmas classics along with some more obscure choices. The seemingly mandatory “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” and “Silent Night” all make appearances; the latter in particular is fantastically performed, with Cee Lo’s powerful voice adding a nice gravity to the song without making it seem overly stuffy.
Cee Lo also puts his stamp on Mariah Carey’s hit “All I Want For Christmas is You,” and I’m not gonna lie, guys, it’s kinda awesome. I’m sure that last sentence will cost some serious snob points, but it’s fun, well-performed and Cee Lo does a great job of putting his stamp on it.
The album has a few low points but considering some of the other things I’ve listened to in my time as a critic, even the lows on this practically sound like highs. Some of the lesser-known tracks like “This Christmas,” “Run Rudolph Run” and “Merry Christmas Baby” aren’t quite as grabbing as the more classic tunes which Cee Lo covers over the course of the record, and the collaborative song with the Muppets, “All I Need is Love,” falls flat, but the good on this album easily outweighs the bad. So, this Christmas, knock back some eggnogs and be thankful that we finally have a quality Christmas album to break out, courtesy of Cee Lo Green.
Four out of Five Stars
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