Sunday, 27 November 2022

Cliff Richard - Christmas With Cliff!


4 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Christmas with Cliff here (external link)

When I was a teen (don't work out the age) in the late 80s/early 90s, Christmas wasn't Christmas until a Cliff Richard holiday single arrived. In 1988, Mistletoe and Wine was the Christmas number one whereas the year after, Cliff's vocals featured on that year's festive chart topper (Band Aid II's Do They Know It's Christmas). And, of course, in 1990, Cliff reigned festabulous once again with Saviour's Day. The Millenium Prayer, Santa's List and 21st Century Christmas have kept fans sparkling since that time but it feels right to get a full seasonal selection of songs from Sir Cliff this year. Incredibly it is only his second holiday album (after 2003's Cliff at Christmas), a whole new set of recordings to add to your Yuletide playlist. The whole album is as fun as the cover art - a testament to the singer's energy and durability as one of Britain's premier pop acts...

I personally think all Christmas albums should start with It's The Most Wonderful Time of The Year, so am quite pleased that Cliff agrees. The choral backing vocals are an effective score, working smoothly with jingling bells, electric guitar and Cliff's effusive singing to craft a lush wall of sound. You are suitably prepared for a Sleigh Ride after that heartfelt opening, an exhilarating romp that canters along at a peppy pace with ring-a-ling. Sweeping strings give the feeling of wind rushing against your cheeks & it is a vivid aural experience that immerses you in a winter wonderland (love those Congratulations style dramatic flourishes). First Christmas is the first of three new songs - a potential for this year's festive chart topper.  It is a lovely re-telling of the greatest story ever told with a charming, inviting instrumental and resonant vocals from Cliff - a great melodic narrator. 

I love that, across this opus, Cliff brings pop sensibilities to carols like Joy To The World. With a suitably graceful, reverent instrumental fuelled by a grandiose orchestra, Cliff seems to savour every single word. The crescendo and accelerated pace as the song progresses is joyful and triumphant. Jingle Bell Rock gets the party in full swing - a throwback in style to Cliff's earliest days; actually a treat to feel like it is traversing the passages of time like some lost early classic. Finger-clicking fun. Not fun for everyone though which is why Cliff takes you to a lolloping version of Blue Christmas. Some great piano and gospel-bluesy fusion harmonies give this an air of the familiar mixed with enough new glitter to make it stand out. The Elvis-style tribute is actually quite effective and Cliff seems to have a whale of a time performing it. 

A quartet of evergreen carols starts with one of my favourites - When A Child Is Born. A stripped back instrumental swells gradually in all the right places, almost as if the power of the words gives the instruments (and Cliff's voice) the strength to sing from on high. Mary Did You Know is a mesmerising, solemn reflection on the awesome responsibility that the Christ child's mother had - delivered with exquisite precision by Mr Richard. Band & vocalist in perfect symmetry.  Go Tell It On The Mountain encourages the whole congregation to join in, with a choir of angels singing this song. Throw you hands to the heavens and sing as loud as you possibly can. O Come All Ye Faithful ends this mini-carol concert with a live sounding version that makes it feel you are watching Cliff sing in the most beautiful cathedral under a star lit sky. The rousing finale will leave you feeling merry and bright.

Cliff is still Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree as the album draws to a close. Jingle those bells and embrace the sentimental feeling to hear someone as legendary as Cliff sing a song as indelible to the season as this one. And he's crafted a couple more new tracks to close with - Heart of Christmas leans into Cliff's faith one more time with a rousing, hand-clap song with a hook you can't get out of your head. A nice touch is how it embeds O Holy Night into the final moment of the song. And then, to power you through to new year you have Six Days After Christmas (Happy New Year), a lilting ballad full of reflection balanced with hope for what lies ahead. Play as often as you need but particularly alongside ABBA's Happy New Year and Debbie Gibson's Cheers for a trio of nostalgic tinged magic.

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