Thursday, 26 October 2023

Cher - Christmas


60 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Cher's Christmas album here (external site)

My mum always taught me that Christmas is a time for Chering (I assume that is what she meant) so I have waited patiently my whole life for Cher to release an album of holiday magic. Lo and behold, the moment is finally here and the music legend/film icon/all round good egg and ally has unleashed her own version of Christmas onto the world - and with a cavalcade of cover arts and special editions to match all your gift buying needs (I've selected my favourite of the cover arts above). And Cher has shown it is a time for chering, inviting luminary guests to join in her holiday party - all coming with their own festive pedigree, including Darlene Love (All Alone on Christmas), Michael Buble (Santa-in-training), Stevie Wonder (Someday At Christmas) and Cyndi Lauper (Merry Christmas... Have A Nice Life). So get your glitter balls out, start the decks a spinning and twirl like a dancing queen to this epic new collection...
  • DJ Play A Christmas Song ~ the first official single from the album might actually end up one of those year round dance classics you can get away with listening to in July (think Kylie & Dannii, It's Still Christmas To Me).It is a hybrid pop classic from the get-go! A stomping disco-inspired classic to fill the dancefloor 365 days whilst having enough festive charm to make you want to jingle your bells with the people you love. The intro to the song simmers like a DonnaSummer classic before exploding into a fling-the-tinsel-on-the-tree-with-gay-abandon, hands in the air dance fest. It is so indelibly Cher that you can't help but sparkle a little brighter at her infectious energy. Oh and when that key change hits, it is as exhilarating as hearing the hooves on the roofs of your neighbourhood when Santa and his reindeer come bearing gifts.
  • What Christmas Means To Me ~ if you've ever wondered what Christmas means to Cher then this interpretation of one of the great Holiday songbook contributions to the album will give you a pretty good answer. And of course you would want to invite Stevie Wonder for the festive shenanigans. It sounds like a proper over at Casa Cher with a lovely lush instrumental, drenched in celestiaal horn and radiant backing vocals. The vocal trade off between the two legendary singers makes you feel joyful AND triumphant. It is kick up your heels and shimmy along fabulous, sounding so live that you have to check Cher & Stevie aren't performing live in your living room...
  • Run Rudolph Run ~ you can always tell when it is time for Santa when you hear the reindeer canter (ooo rhyming)! Cher gets back to her rocky 80s roots with this rock meets bluesy take on the galloping classic. Some great guitar and piano power Cher's ebullient singing to this one - so ferociously good at crafting the feeling of being in that magical sleigh that you can almost feel the wind in your hair. Sometimes there are songs which have a definitive version for you - in this case it would be Jane Krakowski singing this more seductively on Ally McBeal; Cher keeps pace with the red-nosed one to certainly give Jane a spring for her money. Play loud when you have to get to the shops for a last minute gift!
  • Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) ~ what an absolute thrill to have Christmas Queen, Darlene Love, join in on a track she made so indelibly famous (also, do check out Dara's wonderful Home Alone 2 soundtrack contribution All Alone On Christmas - and hear her sing backing vocals on Debbie Gibson's Sleigh Ride)! My mum was a massive fan of Ms Love and would sing us this song (a little more slowed down) each year on Christmas Eve. There is such energy and texture to voice and score that multiple listens are required to appreciated the nuance. When the two voices intertwine it is such a special moment that it makes you glad from head to (mistle)toe. My heart just grew two sizes.
  • Angels In The Snow ~ the second original song on the opus follows the same template as DJ Play A Christmas Song, though is a little more about the romance of the season rather than just embracing the party atmosphere. That's not to say it doesn't give it the old college try with a dance groove for days and a ferocious energy to it that is not too dissimilar to sliding on the ice but then catching yourself just in time; similarly Drop Top Sleigh Ride (with Tyga) gives more original composition with opulent lyrics and a more hip-hop inspired rhythm. Some of it is delivered as a chant at the end of each verse while Tyga delivers his contribution via that middle-8 rap giving a simmering heat that would melt the most dense ice...
  • Home ~ better check the front door because future Santa, Michael Buble is ringing the bell and sharing his own seasonal standard of Home with Cher. The original wasn't initially seen as a Christmas song but has become one over the years thanks to the inspirational lyrics and heartwarming chorus that definitely lends itself to the most wonderful time of the year. It's the album's most introspective, reflective moment and Cher shines in the more stripped-back, acoustic setting. Individually, the voices are driven by nostalgic memories but together they add passion and power to the song; it is as if their distance is being narrowed by the emotion they give. Get this to adult contemporary radio on November 1st for maximum engagement!
  • Please Come Home For Christmas ~ ring out the bells. Cher takes the "bells will be ringing" line literally at the start of the song. I ain't gonna argue with her melancholy stance on how heartache is so much more heightened at a time when couples and love are celebrated pretty much everywhere you look. Her pleading of the titular refrain has a certain aching sadness in it that permeates the song, but not without a small element of hope in her delivery "if not for Christmas, by New Year's night". It's not easy to take such well known songs, sung by so many luminary people and give it something innately you. Cher does just that.
  • I Like Christmas ~ no-one leaves this Yuletide bar without singing the blues; well Cher ain't gonna do that but she will sing about all the reasons why she does love the season so bloody much. The intro gives it the bluesy vibe which works it way back into the song past a beat that shuffles like the sleigh gliding over the snow. I like (Christmas) that the song takes it time, letting Cher revel in the sentiments that she appreciates so much. It is also (like Home) a great opportunity to appreciate her vocal in a setting that feels like she is on stage surrounded by a band like in days of yore!
  • Christmas Ain't Christmas Without You ~ it is no secret that songs about your loved one getting to you for the big day are a particular fave of mine (see also Leona Lewis' One More Sleep and Kylie's Christmas Isn't Christmas Til You Get Here). This track is easily my favourite from this collection, a vibrant declaration of the heart that could come off as cheesy but oozes with sincerity and optimism in every chiming note. Its like every Christmas song you've heard, every Christmas song you want to hear but still so wonderfully Cher and charming that it embraces you like a hug from an old love whose just gotten foxier with age! Get out the photos/Facebook Portal, bring back memories and sing along with festive cheer for all to hear!
  • Put A Little Holiday In Your Heart ~ I love a song that starts as a ballad but then ends up a rather brilliant pub-singalong as this duet with Cyndi Lauper does. Let's face it, the world is shit - in big and small ways, in every aspect of life. Why I love Christmas is because it brings out a little more kindness in people and that is exactly the raison d'etre for this rousing, finger click, grab the one you love and shimmy number does. It does exactly what the song title suggests - keeps the world from tearing apart by putting a little holiday in your heart. Your new future favourite Christmas oldie - already I'm smitten! Whenever you feel a little gloomy or depressed this holiday (or anytime of year), play this song and let its infectious joy wash over you.
  • This Will Be Our Year ~ well, what a lovely end to the album; a hopeful ode to better times ahead that is performed in the style of her It's A Man's World era. There is a soaring piano accompaniment and harmony backing vocals which are like a choir of angels singing her song. Her vocal is most affective here - while there are plenty of whistles and bells on the track, she shines by just letting her voice flow free and be powered by the emotion of the song. I always think a Christmas album finale should leave you with just the right amount of holiday spirit to carry you through a glum January while also making you want to hit play all over again. This accomplishes both.
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