It’s finally here! To all those hold outs who resisted until after the turkey had been consumed… you have no excuse now.. its officially CHRISTMAS season!
With it, comes all the wonderful decorations, food, holiday smells, shopping, and of course, the part most of you hold out on until after Thanksgiving… the MUSIC! I have to confess, I’ve been listening to Holiday music for about a week already. I couldn’t wait. I even expressed my excitement about crossing into the LA border this weekend because I could tune in to KOST 103.5. Ya, I’m that girl. And I don’t care!
Christmas music wraps up the holidays into a beautiful package that you get to open up over and over again every time you press play or tune in over the radio. This year, one of my favorite singers debuted a new album. She’s been around for a while but until recently, unless you were in the Broadway scene, maybe hadn’t heard any of her songs. Oh, and she has done some work for Disney. You may have heard of her.
Idina Menzel.
Oh right. I forgot that she has literally exploded around the world thanks to a small animated film called “Frozen”. You know, that one? The one that has every kid on the planet obsessed with blue dresses, capes, snow, and Letting it Go?
Well, this real life,Tony Award winning, ice queen has released a new album just in time for the Christmas season. The original album edition features 12 Holiday songs which includes classics such as “Silent Night”, “Do You Hear What I Hear”, & “White Christmas” as well as the popular “All I Want for Christmas” (which she sang in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on Thursday) and some new original tracks like “December Prayer”. If you head over to Target stores, you can pick up the album with 2 bonus tracks titled “Mother’s Spiritual” and “Let It Snow”. (….Let it Snooooow! Can’t hold it back anymore!… sorry, you know I had to!)
I was very excited to be able to catch the album on Spotify to preview the songs before purchasing. I wasn’t disappointed and will be heading over to pick up my own copy. As a lover of Broadway shows and having heard her previous albums with some original songs, I had a fairly good idea of what to expect in her style. This album stays true to form. Idina is a trained performer and she performs these songs like nobody’s business. You’re not going to get a “swooner” album like Crosby or Sinatra. You’re going to get a powerhouse belted version of your favorites. If you love singing along to show tunes or even if you have only heard “Let it Go” and like the style, you’ll love this album. If you’re not into that type of Broadway sound, I’d suggest previewing some of the tracks via Spotify before purchasing as they’re all sung the same way. “Idina-style”. This won’t be an album for everyone. However, millions of Broadway fans are singing at the top of their lungs this weekend, while decorating their Christmas trees as Idina’s album blasts in the background. I mean…er… I’d assume they are… because… Not that I am… or did… Moving on!
Some of my favorite tracks in the album are “What Are You Doing New Years Eve?”, “When You Wish Upon A Star”, and “White Christmas”. I’m very surprised Disney hasn’t chosen the last two mentioned songs to play during the Winter Fireworks this year. They are perfectly synced to the family feel of the Holiday show including the snow fall on Main Street. Maybe next year. I also enjoyed the orchestral background in general throughout the album. Having a full orchestra gives each of the songs such a full sound and sets it apart from most typical pop Christmas albums.
In addition to the album, Idina released a heart warming music video featuring a duet with Michael Buble’ to accompany the track “Baby It’s Cold Outside”. It features a cute kid couple lip syncing to Menzel and Buble’s voices as they dance around a vintage hotel scene. I appreciated that this particular version waters down some of the mildly suggestive lyrics to the song, making it kid friendly and absolutely adorable!
If you love Idina, definitely check out this album! You won’t regret it. Just be prepared for the Christmas concerts you will have in the shower or on the way to work or while you’re wrapping presents, or baking, or… well, you get the picture!
You can find the album on Amazon, iTunes, in Starbucks, Target, Walmart, etc or you can check it out for free on Spotify.
Happy Holidays Everyone!
