Thursday, 27 November 2025

Trisha Yearwood - Christmastime


4 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream Christmastime here (external link)

It is now ten Christmases since Trisha Yearwood teamed up with husband Garth Brooks on the holiday opus, Together Again - to celebrate such a momentus release, Trisha is back for the festivities of 2025 with her solo Christmas album, Christmastime. Recorded with a full orchestra, this is a collection of lush arrangements, insightful seasonal songbook selections and emotional vocal delivery. It isn't always the most obvious of choices but that just makes it even more charming - to get new nuance to songs you may not have heard as recently (or prolifically). And yes, we're blessed with some new music too that slots in beautifully alongside the hallowed favourites Trisha has chosen. Bound to become a modern holiday classic for Trisha's fans (and beyond) for this Christmas - and many more to come...

The album opens with the lovely Charlie Brown standard, Christmastime Is Here. There is such stately elegance to this song and Trisha holds on to this with a subtle, shimmering arrangement that ensconces her voice. It is a captivating introduction - one that leads nicely into her own take on the Elvis Presley song Blue Christmas. Her voice takes on a more soulful, mournful quality here, each lyric delivered with an aching sense of loss. The subtle arrangement is no less effective than an opulent over the top one - a sterling accompaniment. Things perk up for Trisha on her playful look at Cool Yule - there's an infectious energy to how gleeful she sounds singing this playful, uptempo romp. Exuberant blasts of horn give this a sumptuous sound - as if taken from some yet to be written Broadway holiday musical!

Talking of Broadway, Trisha delves into The Sound of Music for a look at My Favourite Things. There's a slow, studied approach to the music, as if Trisha is savouring each note, letting the memories linger like the moon on the wings of those wild geese. It's haunting yet nostalgic all at the same time. Over to Whoville for You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch. The music has such personality on this song that it is as essential to the song as Trisha vamping it up on the lyrical delivery. Combined, it's an essential partnership that just adds up to a whole lot of decadent fun. Years is a stripped back ballad with lilting piano, delicate strings and gently plucked guitar that lets Trisha do what she does best - telling a story that is as vivid as any novel or Hallmark movie. An aural hug of a song. 

The merriment shines through on Trisha's version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - the introductory bars make this a music box fairy tale. There's a subtle infusion of instruments and pace as the song progresses, like gentle snow blowing in on the breeze - making this a lovely, anticipatory gem. Trisha is back with Garth Brooks on Merry Christmas, Valentine - a stirring new duet from country music's power couple. Co-written by the duo, it is an evergreen new entry into the Great Christmas Songbook - the type of dreamy musical pairing that will last long after the trimmings and trees have been taken down. Then its time for a trip down Candy Cane Lane - a sweet jingle jangle with jazzy undertones that make this finger clicking goodness. You'll be all a glow every time you hear this peppermint confection!

I'm all for year round songs being reimagined as seasonal standards - and that's what happens with Pure Imagination (from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory). I mean, is there anything more magical than that fictional world? In Trisha's hands, you're seeing Christmas through the eyes of those who truly love it. It's an intricate simple gift of a song, right before we get to Simple Gifts. It's a humble prayer of a song which maximises the impact of subtle instrumentation against Trisha's reverent and crystalline vocal. Clever use of Lord Of The Dance makes this timely and timeless all at once. There's then time for It's Just Another New Year's Eve - a reflective look back at the year gone by whilst preparing for the one that lies ahead. What an uplifting note to finish the album - and the year - on. Heavenly.

Ghosts of Christmas past**
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