Monday, 2 November 2020

Meghan Trainor - A Very Trainor Christmas


53 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy A Very Trainor Christmas here (Apple Music)
Stream A Very Trainor Christmas here (Spotify)

Some of my favourite Christmas albums are when bonafide pop stars embrace the magic of the holidays and turn it into a full on album of glorious festive treats. Over the past 5 years, I've added Kylie Minogue, John Legend, Brett Eldredge and Gwen Stefani to my seasonal playlists (and had the joy of revisiting them each year since the initial opus was released). This year add Meghan Trainor to the list - she's rocking up on her snowmobile to deliver A Very Trainor Christmas. The album art tells you everything you need to know about the music within - it is a little sweet, a little sassy and absolutely holds nothing back. It is a jolly good time, mostly euphoric but with a little melancholy built in - as so often is the case at this time of year. Most importantly, it feels like a convivial get together - plenty of guest stars, adding a party atmosphere. It is a mix of Meghan's take on the classics (giving the familiar a frisson of something new), whilst introducing some new compositions. The latter are likely to be future favourite oldies for many seasons to come. All of it is an utter delight...

THE CLASSICS:

I personally believe every Christmas album should feature It's Beginning To Look A Like Christmas. Meredith Wilson's simple yet brilliant lyrics paint a vivid picture that is set to a gleeful melody. Meghan sounds positively radiant, in her element singing such a vibrant standard. Chiming synths and lush percussion add to the merriment. It is these synths that give Wham's Last Christmas such an electronic re-working. Cooing backing vocals and horn style effects give this a sense of what it would be like if The Chiffons covered an Erasure song; yet the assertive bite of recrimination in Meghan's voice is pure Ms Trainor. She takes her sadness but determination into Winter Wonderland where an elegiac guitar accompaniment slows down the track somewhat. Meghan savours every word and ensures the girl group harmonies are just as much a duet partner as her own voice. It has very much got a Mele Kalikimaka vibe to it, as if to prove you can be anywhere in the world and still immerse yourself in a snowy white Christmas - if only by letting this track wash over you and transport you away.

Seth McFarlane (no stranger to a Christmas album himself - see here) joins Meghan on White Christmas. Those lovely backing vocalists are at it again, giving doo-wop realness whilst Seth's crooner style makes the charming venture feel like a modern day Bing Crosby duetting with the Andrews Sisters. The fact that they sound so sincere is icing on the (Christmas) cake. Holly Jolly Christmas is just as invigorating as you would hope, with a chirpy instrumental and finger clicking groove. It may be the shortest album on the track (clocking in at less than two minutes) but Meghan makes every moment count and you'll be humming it all the live long day. Sleigh Ride takes an unexpected detour off piste. An off-kilter dance style rhythm with playful keyboard and brassy horns makes it a shoulder shimmying chill out track. There's a cheekiness to the track that gives the age old gem something new to glitter about. A new version of Britney's My Only Wish tones down some of the exuberance of the original but doesn't lose any of the longing within both the lyrics and Meghan's delivery. Great production moments that focus on vocal only moments help accentuate the narrative of the song.

The Christmas Song is a fairly traditional take on the evergreen; muted horns, sweeping strings and ornate piano give Meghan a simple yet sumptuous instrumental to sing along with. Meghan's well known for her quirky dance pop odysseys so it is refreshing to hear her being delectably sincere and earnest. Of course, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer has your back if you want the fun factor. It canters along, showing there are new ways to tell the *other* greatest story of all time.  The texturing of the vocal makes it feel like an open invitation to kick up your heels and join in for a good time sing-along. It is full on torch singer, Judy Garland realness for Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. This piano-vocal duet is mesmerising from start to finish, every ounce of hope is felt during the singing of those well-worn words. And that piano accompaniment is majestic. Proves that quiet reflection is just as powerful as singing it out to the cheap seats. Finally, Silent Night sees Meghan joined by a choir of angels who just want to sing this a cappella version with her. The rest of us just want to listen in rapt attention to this gorgeous finale to a fine, fine album.

THE ORIGINALS:

While Ms Trainor has put together a whole holiday album just by diving into the great Christmas song book, she's curated and crafted her own selection box of originals. They can be enjoyed on their own or within the context of the track listing for A Very Trainor Christmas. 
  • My Kind of Present ~ think of the album's opening track as Dear Future Husband: Christmas Edition. Not that it is too similar, just further evidence of Meghan's ability to write meaningful lyrics that appeal. She's a swooning romantic here and her bon mots, dressed in jingling bells and glittering percussion, make for a great opening track to the entire opus.
  • I Believe In Santa ~ it is a North Pole, dramatic Carol Of The Bells style introduction to an opulent song that is the musical equivalent of a 60 Minutes investigation. The bold nature of the 90s r&b style groove is the perfect backdrop for Meghan's declaration while over-the-top production adds gravitas to the words she is singing. Pretty darn fabulous.
  • Holidays (ft Earth, Wind & Fire) ~ following on from their own Christmas album a few years back, Earth, Wind & Fire join in with Meghan to give a floor filling dance gem. It is so saturated in disco that you can almost imagine it being performed at Studio 54 whilst Liza and Donna gyrate on the club floor in their finest Mrs Claus disco ensemble. Entirely intoxicating.
  • Christmas Party ~ who doesn't love the festive get together every year? Sure, this year it might be by Zoom but this is the most glittering invitation you can imagine. Full of witty yet descriptive lyrics that will help you bring you socially distanced shindig to life. Vivid horns and a hook that is harder to shake than an brandy infused Egg Nog hangover. Love it.
  • Christmas Got Me Blue ~ turns out the holidays isn't all fairy lights and tinsel. The time of year heightens emotions both good and bad. Meghan is singing through her woes with a simmering up-tempo bop that sees her dance through the sorrow. Clever use of children's choir enhances the hope she has in the story she spins. Sometimes keeping the dream alive is our own way of coping with the heartache.
  • Naughty List ~ the gall, the unmitigated audacity, the breathtaking shame of Meghan's beau putting her on the naughty list when she's delivered a full album of festive magic! It is a full on, chart topping pop song with Christmas decorations; relationship troubles are relevant all year round. The count off in the bridge is just addictive, pop gold!
  • I'll Be Home ~ this heartfelt ballad is perhaps one of Meghan's most introspective and vulnerable. Even international pop stars just want to be with their loved ones for the special moments. This is a lilting ballad with an appealing instrumental and a really stunning vocal from Meghan. Every ounce of pathos, poignancy and promise is felt within her voice. 



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