FEATURE: Christmas Brandy and the Holiday Spirit: The Importance and Choice of Original and Interpreted Festive Music in 2023

FEATURE:

 

 

Christmas Brandy and the Holiday Spirit

  

The Importance and Choice of Original and Interpreted Festive Music in 2023

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AS we are heading into November…

 IN THIS PHOTO: Mariah Carey in the 2019 video for All I Want for Christmas is You (Make My Wish Come True Edition)

the intensity and regularity of holiday music played in stores will be notable. That will translate to radio by December. I know it is a way of making people think about Christmas and get them to buy stuff early. My thoughts always go out to stores and the employees who have to hear the holiday classics countless times before we even get close to the big day! I do love Christmas classics from Slade, Wizzard, Paul McCartney and, of course, Mariah Carey. One of the ultimate Christmas songs, All I Want for Christmas Is You, there are some that are timeless and you do not mind hearing them – though there is that element of overkill considering stores around the world are already playing these on rotation! I mention these songs, because we are also going to get holiday albums coming along. Every year gives us a range of Christmas records. They either have original holiday-themed songs from that artist. Normally, they are either covers of Christmas songs – normally classics prior to the 1970s -, or there is a mix of interpretations and new songs. One that was announced recently that I am excited about is from Brandy. She is one of my favourite artists. Her first holiday album, Christmas with Brandy, arrives on 10th November. VIBE are among those who reported on the news. It is going to be fascinating to see what she gives us (in terms of her interpretative instincts). With a soulful and powerful voice, there are some traditional standards and less-known songs all mixed with a warming and beautiful shot of Brandy. It seems like a project she is really invested in:

“Brandy is set to release her first holiday album, Christmas With Brandy, just in time for the festive time of year.

The 11-track LP will debut on Nov. 10 and is her first release since 2020’s B7.

Her new offering will include Christmas classics such as “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Santa Baby,” “The Christmas Song,” “Jingle Bells,” “Someday At Christmas,” and “Deck The Halls.”

However, fans will be most thrilled about the Vocal Bible‘s original tunes like the album opener, “Feels Different,” which is described as a “holiday breakup anthem,” in addition to “Somebody’s Waiting,” and the album’s sole feature — “Christmas Gift,” a duet with her daughter, Sy’Rai.

Fans can hear a preview from the project in the visual teaser Brandy shared on Instagram late Thursday night (Oct. 19). When making the formal announcement after a month’s worth of speculation, the 44-year-old expressed, “I feel so blessed to be able to create an album surrounding joy, Family, love and quality divine time with the ones you love.”

The project was first hinted at back in September when A&R executive Jaha Johnson wrote on his Instagram stories, “One of my favorite things to do is sequence the album. Christmas will never be the same.” The post included a handful of songs with Brandy’s rendition of “The Christmas Song” playing in the background.

Christmas With Brandy comes the week before she stars in the Netflix original film, Best. Christmas. Ever. Brandy stars as Jackie who reunites with her longtime frenemy, Charlotte (Heather Graham), during the holidays in a comical twist of fate”.

I do like a Christmas-themed album! Maybe it can be a little samey if artists cover the usual songs. I think, more than that, it is a way of getting a new perspective from a traditional studio album. Rather than play the same holiday songs, you get these new compositions and fresh takes on familiar songs. One of last year’s best Christmas albums, Santa Baby by Alicia Keys, saw her take on songs like Happy Xmas (War Is Over) and Ave Maria. It is always curious which songs artists select. There are so many Christmas-themed and scented songs to choose from. It can be harder covering a song that doing an original one, as so many people know the original. I am writing this feature on 21st October, so I am not yet sure which song Brandy has selected for single/teaser release. Her selection of album songs looks to balance well-loved festive tracks and some rarer/more personal ones. A few artists are embarking on their first Christmas album. Cher’s Christmas was released on 20th October. Thirteen tracks where Cher duets with some iconic artists – such as Cyndi Lauper on Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart -, you can feel the pride and passion in her voice! For artists like Cher and Brandy, there is a realisation of a childhood dream. Something that means they can connect with millions of fans at an important time of year. That need for togetherness and happiness is more needed this Christmas than any in recent memory! The festive treats will continue to come in the lead-up to December.

You can see other Christmas albums that have been announced. They are a mix of reissued ones, plus some originals by a variety of artists. Samara Joy’s new Christmas E.P., A Joyful Holiday, is one that I am especially interested in – as she is a wonderful artist who has a magical voice. Quite a fertile and eclectic market, the festive/holiday/Christmas albums/E.P.s are going to appeal to so many people. If you do not like an album purely where carols are covered, then you are going to be catered for in some other way. I think that Brandy’s upcoming Christmas with Brandy is among the must-hear festive albums of 2023. Releasing these albums with weeks to go until Christmas, it does get you in the mood! I know more will be announced soon. Having offerings from Brandy, Cher, Samara Joy and, as we can see here, Gregory Porter is going to be a real festive treat! I am going to check out Brandy’s album. I am intrigued to see what Gregory Porter offers too. I guess there is this wishlist of artists we’d love to see release a Christmas album. Personally, The Staves or boygenius putting out Christmas albums would be heavenly. Perhaps some left-field with Björk. It would be interesting to explore how an artist such as Father John Misty or John Grant might fare on a holidays album.

Whatever promotes a festive spirit at a difficult time is all fine by me! As The New York Times wrote in their feature from last year: “Holiday albums are more than background music played in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. They offer artists a chance to recontextualize themselves, play around in a nostalgic format, reinvent traditions and even strike gold in what’s become a lucrative season for the music business”. These Christmas albums do mean that entrenched songs that we all know are being given a new take – even if there is a proliferation of artists tackling Silent Night and those kinds of songs. It is a chance for lesser-known holiday songs to get into the cannon. So future generations get to hear them. I think it is a chance to make people aware of Christmas tunes that might have passed them by or are from another generation. There are so many carols, classics and other Christmas-themed songs that have not really been given a proper modern reinterpretation. It seems that there are some gold options already when thinking about Christmas albums this year – with more likely to come to fruition very soon. Maybe not as profitable as a standard studio album, it is a nice opportunity for an artist to take a different approach and have this nice sorbet between studio releases. Christmas with Brandy sounds like it is going to be a perfect album to enjoy by the fire as it snows outside. As gifts are being opened, or you are watching people in the street sing carols. It seems to have a romantic and traditional heart; with a modern twist and contemporary takes on older tracks. It is an album that many of her fans will want…

IN their Christmas stocking.

Sam Liddicott