It seems that each passing year dampens my love of Christmas. What was once a fun, light, happy holiday spent with my parents and various animals has slowly turned into a tense, stressful period of time that I tend to grin and bear more often than not. Whether it be the seemingly endless rush of department stores putting their holiday decorations up earlier and earlier or the rising price of, well, everything in such a bad economy, I just can never seem to get as festive as I once did and that makes me sad.
However, there are bits and pieces of the holiday season that still make my Grinch-y heart grow three sizes every single time: the homemade candy, the cartoon specials, and yes, the Christmas music. Whenever I hear a sea of tinkling bells, mentions of Saint Nick, and a familiar melody, I can't help but be taken aback. Imagine my unadulterated glee when Mariah Carey, the woman I consider to be my favorite artist, decided to release a second Christmas album this year. Oh Santa! roars out of the gate with a boundless amount of energy. Utilizing the type of youthful exuberance that makes Christmas music what it is, Santa thumps and thunders along with feverous claps and cheerleader chants, an unusual but surprisingly effective take on holiday heartbreak. While the peppy tempo masks some negative feelings, the song's optimism and wide eyed hope are enough to bring the cheer. Carey's comfort and ease on the track is mot evident on the shimmering ending, a final flourish on a worthy successor to her previous holiday smash. When Christmas Comes wouldn't sound too out of place on a regular studio album, as this inspirational midtempo is a cross between Subtle Invitation and Fly Like a Bird. It is just a feel good song that you can't help but sing along to; it feels like Christmas, which is the point of just about any Christmas album, I suppose. With some muted horns and steady percussion, it's the type of song that Carey can really just riff on and spread her vocal wings a little bit. She doesn't go vocally crazy, instead mixing in some subtle vocals (she doesn't try to do too much on this album and that was a great decision) and a nice Jingle Bells reference that ties everything together nicely. Christmas Time is in the Air Again is the type of music that I'd like to see Carey delve into as she crosses into her third decade in the industry. This type of lush, elegantly jazz-y production really suits her voice as it stands today; it's such a natural fit for her softer lower register, the type of comforting embrace that is sometimes lacking in her music. The song in general is an understated ode to the feeling that the holiday season brings, but Carey brings out some of the most pristine belting that I've personally heard in a while from her. She's got such warmth to her voice that Time is almost maternal, its type of reassuring ease immensely relaxing.
When I first got a look at the tracklist, I was a little disappointed. Not because of the songs she decided to do, but the list looked so messy. I mean, so many split songs and interludes? I couldn't even imagine. Well, Carey managed to find a way to mash-up several Christmas songs to create really intriguing takes on songs we've all heard hundreds and thousands of times. The First Noel/Born is the King pastes together a very faithful rendition of Noel with a Butterfly album-esque interlude to form a very Mariah take on Christmas. While hearing that voice against a sparse piano is typically stunning, the closing of the song piques my interest slightly more. Is this an indication of where she's going on her next album? Or is it just a new flair that she thought would sound good? Whatever it is, it works well, allowing Carey's "typical" persona to peak through without derailing the progress of the song itself. The greatest gift that Merry Christmas II You bestows upon Carey's fans is the first opportunity to hear her duet with her mother, opera singer Patricia Carey. O Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus shows that Carey came by her talent honest, as both women more than hold their own on the Christmas classic (they have two very different styles of singing, but both are insanely powerful). I would have liked to hear the elder Carey a little bit more on the song or even hear how their voices worked together, as her mother only sings the second verse while Mariah sings the rest of the song. Still, it's so nice to hear the source of one of the greatest voice in music be able to share the stage with her daughter, even if it's only on one song. If Carey were to pull together a Christmas tour, perhaps, I would kill to see the two of them perform live together or tackle songs not currently on the album. O Little Town of Bethlehem/Little Drummer Boy definitely isn't skimping on the gospel influences, as Carey represents both the secular and non-secular Christmas worlds very respectfully and thoughtfully. While the somewhat busy production and healthy choir may swallow up many a performer, Carey seizes control immediately on this clever mash-up, which goes from whispery hymn to impassioned confessional with a ton of class. This is simultaneously stirring and haunting, a truly well executed bit of music that harkens back to Carey's first Christmas album in terms of tone and sound.
Upon hearing the announcement of this album's impending release, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, how can the woman who created the biggest selling Christmas album of all time (and the most enduring "new classic" Christmas carol in years) be expected to bottle that same lightning for a second time more than a decade later? Merry Christmas II You isn't without its problems, but it is 14 tracks of escapism, of candy canes and Christmas love, an intriguing melting pot of standards, originals, and modern takes on holiday classics. Carey's in fine voice throughout, utilizing more of her range than on 2009's criminally underrated Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel and infusing a warm comfort in her performances. In a world with war, poor economies, a bad environment, a crumbling education system, and a future as uncertain as we've ever faced, sometimes the only real comfort can be music, so the release of something like Merry Christmas II You is a perfectly easy way to wind down the year and learn how to begin again with fresh eyes and a clear heart.
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