She's been hailed for her multi-octave vocal range--a tool that sometimes detracts from her pop recordings, but actually works quite beautifully in the context of this charming holiday collection. Fans will surely approve of Carey's renditions of slinky secular songs like "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" and a nicely subdued "All I Want for Christmas Is You". But where she really surprises is ...
It may seem weird to call a seasonal album "essential", but along with Phil Spector's Christmas Gift for You, this is arguably the finest rock & roll Christmas album of all time. Recorded in 1957 at the height of his artistry--when he truly could be called the King of Rock & Roll--this album demonstrates Presley having a lot of vocal fun with a variety of styles, whether it's a carol ...
As the song goes, "Merry Christmas" has already "been said many times, many ways". Diana Krall's Christmas Songs is a worthy--though not particularly unique--addition to the holiday catalogue. Krall excels with an approach mastered long ago: elegant delivery that gives extra polish to a very familiar lineup. Some might find her style frosty at times, but that will come as a relief to those ...