43 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy A Kylie Christmas (CD/DVD) here (Amazon UK)
I'm not sure I can put my finger on what it is, but my levels of excitement and anticipation around Kylie Minogue's Kylie Christmas album have been on high alert ever since the project was announced. I think it's partly my enduring love for Ms Minogue whose two and a half decades of music have soundtracked many a night out, been there for the jubilant moments in life and gently lifted me for the more troublesome times. It's partly her long=time musical partner Steve Anderson is on board for all but three of the songs (and knowing that both Kylie and Christmas are safe in his hands). And it's probably my absolute fascination and delight at Christmas that's stayed with me since I was a child. I'm delighted to report that Kylie Christmas not only lives up to my impossibly high expectations but provides a glittering stocking full of songs that will delight, charm and radiate through the yuletide celebrations and beyond. It's an album that deserves to be part of your favourite holiday memories for many years to come, thanks to timeless arrangements of classic songs. These sit seamlessly alongside new compositions that feel instantly as beloved as the music you've sung along to for many a year. The end result is as shiny as your most treasured bauble on the tree, as sparkling as the star that sits atop it. It's joyful AND triumphant from beginning to end. Here's my track by track review:
- It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year ~ from the grandiose and opulent opening moments of the song (saturated in horns, strings and a gloriously uplifting choir), you are instantly transported to those magical movies like Holiday Inn and White Christmas. Simpler times when there was less cynicism in the world and music was driven by the values of melody and composition. Kylie sounds positively shimmering here, immersing herself with a sincere glee into the lyrics of the song and reveling in those oh-so-delicious vocal "ding dongs" from her choir. She performs a playful dance with the music, ensuring that you can't help but listen to this with a massive smile on your face. Kudos to whoever came up with that female-male vocal trade off in the middle 8 because it's just exhilarating. A superb way to open the album and paints it's brushstrokes across the canvas of the album for what is to follow...
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (ft Frank Sinatra) ~ from Hollywood to Vegas without skipping a beat! Kylie traverses the passages of time to swathe herself in rat pack realness via this enchanting duet with Mr Sinatra himself. The big band orchestration is the perfect backdrop to continue the dance she began on It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year and Kylie is actually a wonderful vocal match for Ol' Blue Eyes. She's particularly marvelous when she taps into her lower register, both when she takes a solo line as well as when she harmonises. Her spoken ad-libs add to the sheer joie-de-vivre of the track and the final moments of Frank asking "where'd you go?"/"Right here" will have you gasping in unadulterated ecstasy. Sumptuous is the word I'd use to describe this track - a respectful nod to the Frank original yet delivered with that evocative Kylie mystique we've all come to know and love.
- Winter Wonderland ~ punctuated horns and a giddy off-kilter beat ensure that images of snow covered lanes and stark trees are conjured up just from the power of music and vocal. I particularly love the personality that the music gives the lyrics - that trumpet that seems to be the voice of Mr Snowman, while the delicate piano seems to be every intricate snowflake that falls on their romantic walk in the brisk outdoors. Kylie is at her seductive best here (one can only imagine the captivating allure she would bring to Baby, It's Cold Outside) and the entire track glows with a tangible euphoria that is more satisfying than any endorphin rush I can think of. There's a bold brashness to the ending notes - closure as final as the front door shutting to prevent Kylie's modesty at where the story goes next ;) It truly is creative innovation at how each of these songs tells a story but then leaves you imagining what happened next. Ensures you'll come back for repeated listens to try and hear new nuances in these palatial arrangements.
- Christmas Wrapping (ft Iggy Pop) ~ I'll let you into a little secret. I've long had a theory that this track is a festive recreation of the 1980 Abba smash On and On and On. It has the same cheeky zest and vigor in it's musical score while the lyrics match the personal storyline delivered by Swedish super group. Kylie excels as the flirtatious lass who wraps Iggy round her little finger and both of them sound utterly buoyant - Kylie particularly on lines like "Oh damn, guess what I forgot!" and Iggy just exuding a level of cool that most of us can only dream of attaining. It's a celebration of the magic that happens at this time of year and every single second of this re-make is imbued with a sprightly ardor that will have you hoping you too forget the cranberries and find some supermarket shenanigans to sweep you off your feet :)
- Only You (ft James Corden) ~ What's most lovely about this cover of the Yazoo standard is that it is sung with a lucent sincerity that the lyrics of the song deserve. No hamming it up or audible winks to the camera, James and Kylie are perfectly in sync with their story of a sweetly yearning couple, longing for things that may now be out of their reach. The synths of the original are replaced by a fragile yet resonant piano riff that really accentuates the glorious nature of Vince Clarke's melody. Delicate chimes are added that make the music feel as intimate and refined as an ornate icicle, making this non-seasonal song emanate with Christmas wistfulness. Kylie and James both give understated vocals that give a dignified gravitas to the tender, romantic lyrics. There's a dreamlike, ethereal quality to the song that works wonderfully for the pensive, reflective emotions that both James and Kylie imbue their singing with. That middle 8 feels like them grasping onto the memories, the missed opportunities and the hope that is as tangible as the strings the gently usher in the final moments of this stunning piece of music. Producer, Steve Anderson has ably demonstrated his skills at teasing every nuanced sentiment from the lyrics and music and guiding his performers to stellar new heights.
- I'm Gonna Be Warm This Winter ~ Praise be! Kylie has become a one woman 50s girl group and the results are both intoxicating and invigorating. Connie Francis would be entirely enamoured of this enthusiastic and lavish reinvention of her 1962 hit. A kicky hand-clap beat means the listener is instantly drawn into the song and is helpless to resist it's ample charisma. She's taken us to Hollywood, Vegas, the 80s, an Abba inspired Christmas and now the decorated ski-lodges of the Rocky mountains - showcasing her diversity, yet there's a cohesive thread through all the songs that knit the music together with a twinkling effulgence. In these days of studio wizardry and special effects, we've come full circle in the fact that it is now refreshing to hear a live band on a recording (and so vivid that you would swear they were in your speakers as you were listening). Sidebar - this absolutely wouldn't have sounded out of place on Bette Midler's ode to girl groups through history, For The Girls. The attention to detail in recreating the sound and vibe of that time is painstakingly evident and absolutely fabulous.
- Every Day's Like Christmas ~ this Chris Martin track proves how sometimes a good song can transcend the season or occasion that it was written for. This is sophisticated pop music at it's absolutely finest. Poetic lyrics that uplift and elevate luminate a refined and cultivated instrumental that captures the essence of the, redemptive power of love perfectly. It cleverly has dual meaning too - it can be about that person that comes into your life and lights up the world by inspiring you, loving you, championing you. It could also be about the birth of Jesus ("every day before was heavy/now every day's like Christmas") and how that can change people for the better. Has Kylie sounded more incandescent when she sings "Oh you're just extraordinary"? I would contend not. Musically it sits beautifully alongside I Believe In You, The One and All The Lovers - blissful, emotional pop music of the purest quality (only this time with added jingles and the glistening shuffling tambourine to give it that Yuletide ambiance). Like Only You, I can't imagine my love for this song will end once December 25th has passed. This may be the most serious competitor Only You has in the race for the Christmas number one.
- Let It Snow ~ If this was a traditional vinyl release, I believe that this would be the opening track of Side B. Every Day's Like Christmas is an excellent bookend to Side A and this brings us back to the impish, whimsical Kylie we met on It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. In that respect, you have to believe that the track placement has been carefully thought out to make this feel like the beloved Christmas albums from your childhood. Swirling, stylized strings underscore Kylie's warm and engaging vocals that continue her journey to find and celebrate love (actually) in a picturesque winter setting. The whistle-effect of the opening that gracefully pervades the music gives the song the illusion that it should be in a Disney movie - Kylie, the most refined and chic heroine on her destiny to meet and marry her prince :) It's a musical Christmas fairytale and I love it.
- White December ~ the second original song on the album (co-written by Kylie, Karen Poole and Matt Prime, who also produces). It's enormous, inspiriting pop that is rich in ingenious and inventive instrumentation. There's tips of the hat to the songs that paved the way for today's contemporary creations (you'll hear a sax that's a loving tribute to Darlene Love's All Alone On Christmas towards the final bars of the music) that nestle flawlessly alongside this new story of everything that is jubilant about Noel. It's not just a Christmas song, it's also a love letter to the season itself - and one that works marvelously. It's a riotous romp that is as satisfying and fulfilling as a Black Forest Gateau Hot Chocolate. Amazing how this album feels like a greatest hits of Christmas songs, all of which deserve their time to shine in the singles chart. At least Kylie's Royal Albert Hall show in December will let them carve their place in permanent festive history. I wanna do it one time over each time I hear White December.
- 2000 Miles ~ In it's own way this feels like a companion piece to Only You, finding Kylie in a more reflective state of mind. The song is fuelled by a swelling soundscape of textured musical layers - beginning with a luxuriant piano refrain and echoing chimes, before poignant strings and hushed angelic voices join the fray. The ensuing sonorousness is a regal re-imagining of the original recording that shows how the very architecture has been forged very precisely for Kylie. Bravo Steve Anderson on making this sound like something the angels on their celestial clouds would be singing. Bravo indeed, because it's his production that is as essential as Kylie's performance in making this a song that can be interpreted as a lover who is far away in geography or a lover who has sadly passed away. Either way, it's deeply moving and affecting.
- Santa Baby ~ Kylie has long has this song in her back catalogue (it was originally the b-side to Please Stay and thus celebrates it's fifteenth birthday on this album). It remains my three way tie favourite version of this song (along with Ally McBeal and Madonna of course) and you can totally tell that Dame Minogue is channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe. Her vocal is akin to Happy Birthday Mr President and just as ba-boop-di-boop. Is this updated from the original recording? I can't tell and neither does it matter because it's dripping in festive sexiness, as lickable as a multi-striped candy cane. If you need any more convincing, do check out her performance of the song at the Rockafella Centre back in 2010 (YouTube). Every visual element of that performance is indelibly evident on each moment of this fun number. *High pitched giggle*.
- Christmas Isn't Christmas Til You Get Here ~ This song just makes my heart happy, my mouth smile, my emotions accelerate into delirious hysteria, my hips sway as if they have a mind of their own and my feet rush over to the one I love to just shimmy. I can't express how much I love this song - but I'm gonna try... imagine every single Christmas song that has given you that warm fuzzy glow inside, amp it up about ten thousand notches and you have this tremendous Minogue-Poole-Anderson creation. It's perhaps the most Stock-Atiken-Waterman inspired song on the album (even referencing Especially For You) and would sound great played on a mix with (of course every song on this album) EFY b-side All I Wanna Do and Where In The World (from her first greatest hits). It also feels a bit inspired by one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time - Love, Actually - whose theme of celebrating the season with those nearest and dearest to you was explored in many different ways. There's key changes and hand-claps and jingle bells and ebullient horns and a melody that will linger longer than that full feeling after two extra helpings of turkey. The end of the song feels like the start of the party and will have you reaching for the repeat button with gay abandon. Hugs to all involved.
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas ~ Upon my first listen to the album and my first thrilling listen to the previous song I pondered whether it was a mistake not to finish the standard edition of the CD with that electrifying number. My fears are for nought, however, because Kylie's take on this Meet Me In St Louis evergreen is a pretty and heartfelt wish that exudes a genuine goodwill. She is precision perfect in balancing the hopeful optimism of the song with the yearning sentiment that the words expect and deserve. Her "merry christmas" is both heartbreaking and sanguine all at the same time. So I'll confess, yes this is the most erudite and resplendent way to end your Kylie Christmas adventure. Now I'll say it again - I wanna do it one time over...
If you are sensible enough to have purchased the deluxe edition of Kylie's Christmas adventure then you will no doubt, by now, have in your be-mittensed hands 3 extra tracks that take the party into the early hours of the morning. These are three brand new compositions that not only enrich the tracks that come before them but add to the merriment in sparkling new ways. Factor in you get a riotous dvd of Kylie in the studio (that's some fierce hair-whipping Kylie and Dannii!) and Christmas has definitely come early with this package. Here's what you get...
- Oh Santa ~ I'll confess that I was ever so slightly disappointed when I saw that this wasn't a cover of that *other* Mariah Carey Christmas single. It only took about 11 seconds into my first listen for those disappointments to be firmly brushed aside. It feels more like the natural sequel to Santa Baby, chapter two of that slightly racey novel where Kylie inhabits her best Blossom Dearie jazz inspirations and goes into full on temptress mode. Finger clicking, kool-kat vibes abound as she purrs through a list of desirables that she would like Santa to pop under her tree this year (including - hurrah! - name checking George Clooney & Barack Obama). Goodness knows what she's doing with Ol' Saint Nick during that horn saturated middle 8 that causes her to coquettishly giggle "oh Santa" but it certainly sends a frisson of excitement pulsing up the hairs on your neck. Give into that involuntary shiver of delight because that's your inner naughty telling you it's OK not to be on the nice list this year :)
- 100 Degrees (ft Dannii Minogue) ~ Sisters ARE doin' it for themselves and they've apparently found a time machine to step back in time to the annual festive shin-dig at Studio 54. You can almost envisage Liza Minelli quaffing champagne at the VIP table whilst Gloria Gaynor bumps and hustles her way across the dancefloor to the sound of the O'Jays (remember the O'Jays?!) 100 Degrees is a sizzling slice of disco pie that will make you glad from head to (mistle)toe). The ballad-esque intro recalls the halcyon days of those epic Donna Summer songs (like Last Dance) - particularly when the funky beat drops and a whirling, swirling dervish of strings accelerate this loving tribute to a time when it was easy to find the music to get down and boogie. And boogie along to this you will - not just because it recreates every single signature sound from every 70s dancefloor smash that you know and love, but also because Kylie and Dannii sound luminous together with the sheer joy of singing a song so deliriously wild and stimulating. If it sounds indubitably fun and frivolous, it's because it IS fun and frivolous - but let it be known that there is really smart songwriting and production behind this song that unveils this sense of heady freedom. And it's all powered by the gleeful, enthusiastic singing from the Minogue sisters. The winners of Christmas - and showing that winners really do take it all.
- Cried Out Christmas ~ part of the appeal of Kylie Christmas isn't just that it's Kylie doing Christmas songs, it's the diversity of musical genres and styles that she gives us across the 16 songs. We've had girl group realness, jazz seduction, pop majesty, disco heaven and now bluesy ponderings on the closing track Cried Out Christmas. Punctuated chords and meandering percussion bathe Kylie's loneliness and eloquent longing in a hungry thirst that highlight every single one of her sung lyrics. Her vocal here is just immense and makes you want to scream "GRAMMY" at your headphones (don't though, because people on the train will look at you all sorts of funny). Don't feel too sad for Kylie though because if Kylie Christmas has taught us anything, it's that anything can happen (and often will - just listen to that provocative ending). A triumph.
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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