Review: Idina Menzel's "Christmas: A Season of Love"
Melody Nicolette
For a lot of us, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. There are very few tangible comforts to combat the over-saturation of toxic artificial joy that permeates literally everything we come in contact with. The world is dark and cold. People out there are on their absolute worst behaviour. It’s not the happy, cozy, and pastoral lie you’re the anti-Christ for questioning. It’s borderline dystopian if you, like me, are wandering through the Walgreens card section only to be struck by an acutely felt episode of grief as “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” wafts overhead over the PA system.
For me, Christmas is to be avoided at all costs, and the same can be said for Christmas music.
There are, of course, a few exceptions: the Latinidad staple Mi Burrito Sabanero, Jennifer Michelle Greenberg’s (formally Grassman) ‘Keep Silent,” Loreena McKennitt’s A Midwinter Night's Dream, and Tarja’s From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas), and Riders in the Sky’s Christmas the Cowboy Way. The newest of these to pass through the Christmas music embargo I am delighted to say is Idina Menzel’s Christmas: A Season of Love.
Talk about someone who needs no introduction: Idina Menzel’s credits are impressive (and as long as a CVS receipt)--and most rightfully so. She has a singular, gorgeous and versatile voice. Her first professional job was her Broadway debut (Maureen in RENT, for the one person in the world who may not know), which has become one of the most iconic roles in the musical theatre canon.
I was fortunate enough to see Idina Menzel perform at the Concord Pavillion on my birthday in 2015. I have not yet been fortunate enough to see her on stage performing a role, but I love her voice. I love her as a recording artist, as a recording artist myself, and also a great interpreter of songs. Anyone can sing a song that was written by someone else, especially when we’re talking about Christmas songs, which get recorded and re-recorded by everyone. It takes a certain kind of artist to be a true interpreter of music, in the way that someone like Linda Ronstadt is. She is also an impressive songwriter. It’s always nice to see artists who are true artists who are Olympian at what they do.
Christmas: A Season of Love isn’t Idina’s first Christmas record; in 2014, she released Holiday Wishes, which was a wholly satisfying record, even as far as Christmas albums go, and had been her first in about 6 years. A lot of very impressive people worked on it, including Walter Afanasieff. (which amused me to no end). I was curious as to why she’d release another one, in such short proximity of time, but I am not upset by it, I’ll say that!
Christmas: A Season of Love just feels necessary. Stuffed to the brim with lovely recordings of songs everyone knows, with new and fresh new life breathed into them. It’s fun. There’s nothing deductive, tired or cliché, no over-saturated saccharine sentimental nonsense. Even my sworn enemy “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is nothing short of a bop. Standouts are "Ocho Kandelikas" (which is sung in Ladino, ayyyyyy!!!!), the "O Holy Night/Ave Maria (Schubert)" medley and the solo “Seasons of Love.” I am also partial to her a capella rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” which surprisingly hit right in the tear reserves. I absolutely love that she makes sure her Jewish identity is very present on the record (the 30-second “Walkers 3rd Hanukkah” is incredibly special). I absolutely love the original songs that were written for this record. "At This Table" is a poignant and necessary conversation that needs to be had.
This record’s strength is in its variety of material, as well as the variety of the impressive talents who worked on it. Such names are as notable as Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, Ariana Grande, Billy Porter, Josh Gad and even Menzel's husband, Aaron Lohr.
There are also some pretty cute animated music videos on her YouTube for this album.
Christmas: A Season of Love offers something refreshing. It could easily be someone’s iconic, go-to, quintessential “Christmas record,” in the way that Merry Christmas, or the Elvis or Beach Boys Christmas records are.
This record is, above all, a vehicle for Menzel’s iconic voice. She is blessed with the ability to do whatever she sees fit with her voice, and this record is a perfect showcase of it. Her colour of her voice was utilized on this record, and she is as iconic as she is for a reason.
In a world of ever-increasing over stimuli and so limited time, it’s hard to find energy and time for things, especially this time of year. Even if Christmas or the other Wintery-type holidays aren’t your bags, you’re still living in a world inundated with it. It’s hard to choose because there’s so much now, and it’s everywhere, inescapable, overwhelming, all-consuming. If you have to make a choice, choose this record. The world is a pretty bleak place, but Christmas: A Season of Love offers a little comfort and respite, in a way that’s very reassuring and gentle, even if it’s just a little under an hour a time.
Christmas: A Season of Love is Idina Menzel’s second Christmas record. It’s out now wherever music is sold, both online and off, through School Boy and Decca Records, and was produced by Ron Fair.
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Melody Nicolette is an illustrator, freelance writer, coloratura soprano opera singer, composer, record producer and mixing and mastering engineer, and general internet yeller who can be found wherever you find people on the internets via @lebasfondmusic.