It seems that every November 1st, department stores magically switch their décor from
Halloween to Christmas like the day before never happened. I have always had an aversion to holiday decorations, songs and lights being displayed too early. Speaking plainly, it's just tacky. The same goes for holiday music. Mid-October is that "special time" of year when artists start releasing their holiday albums. This year, in the R&B/soul realm, we can expect Christmas albums from Kem, Rod Stewart and CeeLo Green. When first hearing that CeeLo would be releasing a Christmas album, CeeLo's Magic Moment dropping October 30th, I cringed upon seeing that he would be covering the classic Donny Hathaway track "This Christmas." This timeless track has fueled many family functions and easily brings back some of my favorite holiday memories. With this iconic recording, even the smooth tenor of CeeLo could be fallible. I am now more than willing to eat crow because his version of "This Christmas" is a wonderful and respectful reworking of the track. CeeLo preserved the essence of the song by keeping
the production nearly identical to the original. His utilization of a lower range during the first verse sounds so much like Donny Hathaway that I had to check which version I was hearing. CeeLo's voice sounds versatile, original and controlled. I'm still not sure about him touching Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," the holy grail of contemporary Christmas standards, but I'll definitely roll with CeeLo for this one. I am sure that many families will welcome this version into their homes and traditions this Christmas and beyond. [H/T: RU]
Center
After the bounce
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