2020. A year of many unanticipated changes, none good. The most recent, when I published my first Halloween Playlist, Facebook informed us my forever platform of Facebook Notes was going to be retired the next day. Knowing even I’d never read all of this as an extended post, I decided the answer was something many of you have asked me to do for years, create my own blog page.
After much help planning and designing, I want to welcome everybody to the new home here at MarkOnTheArts.com, the home for my 2020 Christmas Music Review and Playlist, and all my reviews, predictions, and thoughts on the arts in general from here on, as well as all the old former Facebook Notes for reference. I’d like to thank Jeff Harrison at Focus 4 Digital for his guidance and technical expertise, and my daughter Hayley for her talents developing the graphics. Please visit often and give me feedback of what you’d like to see and hear more about. I’ve been devoting more of my creative time the past few years to writing, and this will be a great place to consolidate it and motivate me to continue with my other projects.
So, the purpose of this, the 2020 Christmas CD Review and Annual Playlist, was becoming problematic. First off, I truly had no enthusiasm for the current holiday that had been swept away by the Grinch of 2020 like every other holiday before it. And it didn’t seem to be just me. There was no entertainment industry to speak of. Movies were being held till next year or just streamed to home, recording artists were not touring or recording, and theatre was simply closed indefinitely. I feared the Grinch had stolen not just Christmas, but the Playlist too for the first time ever.
In true form for 2020, this horrible and depressing year started out with only two entries, Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood. So, I threw it open to my friends on Facebook seeking help, and in the spirit of Christmas they responded like Bedford Falls for George Baily. Oddly enough, thanks to their efforts, what we ended up with was so surprising and deep in quality that it is the first year in the two decades it’s existed that I did not need to tap into last year’s leftovers to make a complete and balanced playlist. It seems the artists who participated understood how important this year’s offerings were for our collective spirit.
First again: the criteria. And there are some new guidelines this year. As ever, points are awarded more for taking a particular selection of music and making it not only entertaining and fresh but showing the artist one is famous for being in the interpretation–within the boundaries of the material. Also, while new original breakout singles are encouraged, the CD should be heavy on standards and classics. However, I’ve expanded the list of songs you won’t see any longer. Twenty years in the business and along with the atrocious “Christmas Shoes”, which will still get you banned, there are a few other songs I can no longer tolerate listening to, and they can cost points if I’m in the wrong mood:
“All I Want For Christmas Is You”—for years I tried to hate the bearer but love the message, but Her Royal Craziness’ behavior has become so aberrant the last few years I can no longer listen to anyone try to save this once beloved hit. It’s literally become the new “Christmas Shoes”.
“This Christmas”—The immortal Donnie Hathaway defined this song, but no one ever who has recorded it seems to be able to live up to his interpretation. This may just be one song that only one artist can do. So, don’t. But the only thing worse than “This Christmas” is…
“Last Christmas”—I’m sorry, but Wham! was pretty much a joke to begin with even in their 80s heyday, and they’ve aged worse than egg nog left out past its expiration date. He left you a year ago, get over it. This song is horrible. But not as horrible as…
“Wonderful Christmastime”—I mean Paul McCartney, you wrote “Let It Be”. This four-note tragedy is all you could contribute to Christmas for the ages? Epic fail.
“Mary Did You Know?” Yes! For the 147th time, she did! Just stop asking already!!
“Christmastime Is Here”, or anything Vince Guaraldi composed for the Charlie Brown kids. Apparently if you’re not animated and dancing weirdly, these songs are beyond you. It may be a good rule to extend this to any song recorded by a cartoon, because Alvin & the Chipmunks’ “Christmas Don’t Be Late” is equally distressing when attempted by human artists. So yeah, any cartoon except the Grinch. Because that one rocks.
With that, the results….
Dolly Parton A Holly Dolly Christmas
The Queen of Country, pop icon Dolly Parton dropped the first album of the season and it is 100% authentic Dolly—no pretense, no fuss, good music, and down home fun as only she can provide. Parton dances around every pitfall on the “no” list here, from talking in the instrumental breaks to a totally misguided duet with Jimmy Fallon on the newly banned “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. (Fortunately, the pair spend most of the time talking, swooning over each other. Which reminds me, can someone please tell Jimmy Fallon to just stop singing.) Chat, non-Christmas songs, odd duets including the where-is-he-now Billy Ray Cyrus. Basically, Dolly Parton can break every rule I throw at her and it doesn’t matter, she’ll have a perfect product. No matter how home spun or saccharine she may get, this is an album even the Grinch couldn’t resist. Grade: A+
Carrie Underwood My Gift
The pattern seems to be that when a vocalist dons a red evening gown on her Christmas album cover, she’s going more for “nice” than “naughty”. True to tradition, the Underwood you get here is more the woman who will pass the wheel to Jesus than the one who will eff up your truck and slash your leather seats for cheating with some wannabe Shania skank. She’s in fine voice in the blend of reverent hymns and original lush ballads, but we sure could have used a lively dose or two of something upbeat to break it up. She’s best where you’d expect, with the big numbers like “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “O Holy Night”, but her slow unplugged version of “Joyful, Joyful” defeats the name and spirit of the song. Comparing pros to cons though, in the end she may be in red, but the album is squarely in the black. Grade: A
Pentatonix, We Need A Little Christmas *recommended by Nate Stauffer
After a lackluster “best of” offering last season, the former reigning royalty of á capella are back on firmer ground. Finally seeming to have recuperated from losing the best bass in the business Avi Kaplan a few years back, they’ve regained their style and are pulling off material that once again doesn’t telegraph every á capella trope in the books. They lead off with an inventive “12 Days of Christmas” where every day has its own distinct music style as disparate as the gifts themselves, from reggae to disco to Gaelic to swing which ultimately blend into a great arrangement. They also slay Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” with tight harmonies and a great bass line, and their astounding lush vocals cover an entire orchestra on “Once Upon a December” from Anastasia, which earns them a pardon from my usual “that’s not a Christmas song wrath. (It’s actually about the mass execution of the Russian royal family, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves). However they also test that policy with cuts or “My Favorite Things” (it only mentions brown paper packages tied up in strings, no ribbons or wrapping paper; this isn’t Christmas, it’s UPS), “Seasons of Love” from Rent (our friends who died from AIDS), and another particularly winning arrangement of Disney masterpiece “When You Wish Upon A Star” (yeah, it’s about a star, but not that star). But who’s to quibble this year, it’s especially nice to have the ultimate Sing Off champions back in top form. Grade A+
Meghan Trainor A Very Trainor Christmas *recommended by Nate Stauffer
The delightfully upbeat and offbeat Trainor, decidedly not wearing a red gown but a tux jacket covered in tinsel and garland, turns out a strong collection of 18 songs, almost unheard of for a non-“Deluxe” album. And they are a great collection of naughty and nice selections. “My Kind of Present” seems to be her bid for seasonal radio play, and it should be. Her duet on “White Christmas” with Seth MacFarlane is a throwback to the Drifters, and she has fun with “Naughty List”, which includes perhaps my favorite new lyric of the season. (“Why you put me on your naughty list? Maybe I was too good for you.”) An outstanding first effort, and even more appreciated that she is appearing many months pregnant just to promote it (hence the gigantic bows she wears across her front side, an allusion to the Christmas gift to come). Grade A+
Home Free Warmest Winter
Pentatonix’s country cousins and heirs of their Sing Off crown put out their second album, a follow up to 2016’s superlative Full of Cheer. But the boys miss the mark they established there. The album is still a great listen, but is absent the usual fun and tongue-in-cheek humor we’re accustomed to. This album could have been designed for any generic Alabama-esque country band. While their first album was a great mix of gorgeous hymns and fun novelty pieces, here they’ve adopted the mundane country and western “Christmas in….” insert random location (actually 3 conflicting odes, no less—LA, Tennessee, and Dixie, ironically joined by Alabama on the last). The one novelty track, “Cold Hard Cash” plays as a lukewarm sequel to the significantly more clever title song on their previous effort, and their attempt at humor with Alvin & the Chipmunks’ “Christmas Don’t Be Late” just falls flat. Not that this is a bad collection—these guys are talented and personable—let’s just hope they discard a few of the more mundane tracks and add some of their usual good-natured fun when they re-release the Deluxe version next year. Grade: A-
Jojo December Baby *recommended by Doug Krantz
Officially the youngest performer to top the Billboard chart at age 13, the more mature reinvented 30 year old Jojo delivers a smooth and savvy adult contemporary holiday album. She is strongest on the big standards like “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” and “Silent Night”. Her original tracks like “Wrap Me Up”, “Coming Home”, and the title song still feature strong vocals to semi-R&B arrangements but lack the musical hook to get seasonal airplay. The album contains 13 cuts, but 3 of them are “Interludes” which start out as seemingly crude recordings of the singer going door to door caroling but end up with haunting violin solos on the carols for an interesting contrast. The only modest critique is, like Underwood, here was the season’s best bet for a few rousing Darlene Love covers, which would have been welcome in the diverse mix here. Add a few to a Deluxe version next year, and she’s a serious contender. Grade: A
Tori Kelly A Tori Kelly Christmas *recommended by Kelli Blackwell
Kelly’s first effort in the holiday genre misses no opportunity to show off some big vocals. She alternates sumptuous carols like the requisite “O Holy Night”, an interesting “O Come” mash-up (“Emmanuel” with “All Ye Faithful”), and a rousing combo of “Joy to the World/Joyful, Joyful” with bright easy-listening standards like “Let It Snow” (with Babyface). Her only misfire here is the Charlie Brown “Christmastime Is Here”, a waste of her voice. A few mixed original tracks are offset by the outstanding arrangement of “Hallelujah” from her animated movie Sing! Again, not a Christmas song but she earns a pass for quality Grade: A
Leslie Odon Jr., The Christmas Album *recommended by Lisa Rigsby
Odom puts out his second album with a little more variety than his first. A creative African influenced arrangement of “Little Drummer Boy” is the standout as well as a gentle “O Holy Night” and “Auld Lang Syne”. But he does fall back on the lounge lizard arrangements for some selections, most notably the odd beatnik version of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas”. But none of that will matter to his Hamilton fans to whom he can do no wrong. Either way, a sound improvement for sure in his sophomore attempt. Grade B+
Runaway June When I Think About Christmas *recommended by Tyler Zeisloft
The last time we encountered a Runaway June, it inspired her mother to sing “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”, and this time is no different. This 5 song EP from the country trio recalls a young Amy Grant sound and covers all the bases from standards (“Sleigh Ride, “Let It Snow”) to the radio ready (“Christmas On The Radio”) to the Loretta Lynn-esque title song for the hard core country fans. Grade A
Straight No Chaser, Social Christmasing *recommended by Micky Thomas
The former Indiana University á capella group delivers their best outing in years. After collections of repetitive albums featuring rather basic arrangements, they are back in top form. “Away In A Manger” takes an interesting turn via “Go Tell It On The Mountain”, “Frosty the Snowman” is fun and mildly funky, and their “Silver Bells” harkens back to OG Rockapella. Of their original tracks, which usually tend to the overly precious (honestly, never been a fan of their most famous singles, “The 12 Days of Christmas” or “The Christmas Can Can”), their obvious entry in that continuing novelty legacy, “Office Party Blues”, doesn’t add anything to the genre. But they salvage it with some catchy original doowop ditties like “I’m Your Snowman” and “Snow Globe”. The boys are back with 15 new tracks, mostly all solid work. Grade: A
Kelly Clarkson, independent releases *recommended by Josh Willmore
Clarkson is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving and giving. Although she didn’t release an album this year, after producing one of the best of the millennium in 2013, she adds to her canon with three independent singles, a remake of the Vince Vance classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You”, new radio ready “Christmas Eve”, and a duet with Brett Eldridge on “Under the Mistletoe”, all strong and a basis for another stellar future album, one can only hope. If she keeps this up, hopefully by 2025 she will be the new Queen of Christmas and we’ll all be asking “Mariah Who?” Grade A+
MOST DISAPPOINTING CD
In the spirit of this hideous year, and in sincere gratitude for all these artists who went out of their way to make our sorry year brighter, there will be no entry for 2020. Every effort was deeply appreciated. Thank you to the artists and those friends who called them to my attention.
BEST CD
All the CDs this year hit the right notes, but the contest really boiled down to old school nice Dolly Parton and new school naughty Meghan Trainor. Trainor does everything right in song selection and balance, gives the CD her own individual flavor, and gives us an 18 track Christmas party. But Parton, despite taking all the requirements and dancing all over them, makes her own rules. Basically, Dolly Parton can break every law I throw at her and it doesn’t matter. She could record an album solely of “This Christmas” and “Last Christmas” and “Charlie Brown’s Christmas”, sing a duet of “All I Want For Christmas” with the Nutcracker Queen Mariah herself, and close with “Christmas Shoes” and she’d still have a CD like no one else could produce. Dolly Parton is pure charm charm with a genuine heart full of love. She is the true spirit of Christmas, and that earns A Holly Dolly Christmas Best CD of 2020.
As far as the list, despite a lot of repeated songs (Carrie, Jojo, and Tori particularly seemed to release half the same tracks, which I had to divvy up between them), this was a relatively easy CD to pull selections, only having to find the right order. In a slight departure to the norm, partly because—big let down—none of the young ladies with big voices gave me a version of the normal title song, “Rockin’Around The Christmas Tree”. Only Justin Bieber dropped a version, but it didn’t really blend with the list. But more so because this year needed a different message, so the 2020 title for this very special version of Mark’s Annual Playlist is “WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS”, and we definitely favored the fun and happy this year, because we all need that pretty badly. Enjoy, and a Merry Christmas to all of you, and a special thanks to those who have been with me for 20 years!
The Playlist (in order to be played, not by merit):
WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS: Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree 2020
- WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS, Pentatonix
We rarely get a decent entry of this showstopper from Mame, and when they do they sound like the New Christie Minstrels or Up With People. The Fab 5 here put their unique spin on it, even if it does open like Kurt Hummel from Glee on crack. And thankfully, because I needed a track as the title song for this new, hideous year that required this sentiment.
- LIKE IT’S CHRISTMAS, the Jonas Brothers
The ex-Disney Channel boys have pulled back together to tour and drop a well-needed Christmas tune the last two years. This year’s offering, “I Need You, Christmas”, is gorgeous, lush, and exactly the sentiment of this sad year, but last year’s pop, upbeat offering was more appropriate for the required spirit of this playlist.
- MY KIND OF PRESENT, Meghan Trainor
Trainor’s entry into the hopeful to make it to radio play, and it’s one of the stronger ones in recent years.
- CHRISTMAS EVE, Kelly Clarkson
Thank the Lord in Excelcius Deo for Kelly Clarkson randomly dropping Christmas gifts of song to us. She is the only artist to score a legitimate chart-topping hit since Mariah with 2013’s “Underneath the Tree” , and this track is ever better. With any luck, within a few years she will be the new Mariah, except without the batshit crazy and with her clothes on. Keep them coming, Kelly! We depend on you and will always have hot tea up in here for you!
- CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME), Orfeh
Full disclosure: this artist with the biggest voice on Broadway is the wife of one of my oldest friends, but that had zero bearing on her making the list with this killer version of the Darlene Love classic, and she gives it the full Love treatment. Don’t sing this song unless you’re going full Phil Spector Wall of Sound on the arrangement and bouncing the vocals off the back wall of the building—or, in Orfeh’s case, the building at the end of the block. This inconceivably small studio effort is the best recording of the song since Leona Lewis did her homage in 2013, which was the undisputed best recording since the divine Miss Love bowed her debut fifty years earlier.
- WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME, Home Free
The best cut in the spirit of their legacy on the new album. This is hte Home Free we love.
- WINTER WONDERLAND, Laura Osnes & Aaron Tveit
A first: Hallmark lured me in to one of their sappy holiday movies for the first time intentionally by casting Broadway royalty Osnes & Tveit (he, currently appearing in Moulin Rouge pre-pandemic, is the crown prince of congeniality, and she literally was Cinderella). The pay off is this classy duet blending two of Broadway’s best and most dependable contemporary voices.
- O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL, Carrie Underwood
Just what you’d expect from Underwood, rock solid vocals and complete reverence. The best hymn on her album.
- IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS, Meghan Trainor
Another rarely recorded gem from Miracle on 34th Street, Trainor puts her unique spin on the classic. But I’m still waiting for someone to include the counterpoint melody Pine Cones and Holly Berries, in a duet. Still.
- CHRISTMAS ON THE RADIO, Runaway June
And this entry, a salute to all the songs of the season, is ready for a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS, Dolly Parton
It’s Dolly Parton singing the quasi-title song to her album and explaining why she did. What more do I need to tell you?
- WHITE CHRISTMAS, Lea Michele & Darren Criss
The only track pulled form last year’s overage, not because I had to, but because it’s too good not to include it. The two Glee alumni have plenty of experience knowing how to blend and they are smooth, tight, and flawless here. It also brings up another question I’ve been asking for years: Mr. Criss, where is your Christmas CD we’ve been waiting patiently for?
- HERE COMES SANTA CLAUS, the Archies
Again, in a “where is your Christmas album?” query to the über-talented cast of my guilty pleasure TV show, the new age reinvention of Riverdale. The talented musical cast drops a minimum of two other albums a year, why not own the charts with a holiday version? Since they have yet again let me down, to represent them, I turned to last year’s re-release of the classic 1970 Archie’s Christmas Party by the OG band, the Archies. And, yes, I just broke the new rule of “no cartoon characters’ music”, but allowing that the Archies are the only fictional cartoon rock band in history to have a #1 single with their megahit “Sugar Sugar”, I’ll justify it. Plus it’s Archie and Betty and Veronica.
- RUN RUN RUDOLPH, Home Free
The other fun traditional offering from this year.
- SANTA TELL ME, Pentatonix
Pentatonix ups the ante on Ariana Grande’s 2017 hit with great harmonies and faux instrumentals. Bonus points for passing the lead line around and not worrying about correcting pronouns for whoever sings it.
- SILENT NIGHT, Jojo
Jojo won the battles for this song with a secret weapon of wisely using a 6/8 time signature over the standard 3/4. It may seem the same to those that don’t understand music, but the subtle change makes the song stand out.
- AWAY IN A MANGER, Straight No Chaser
A novel gospel arrangement that succeeds for borrowing a semi-mashup with “Go Tell It On The Mountain”. Clever and solid work from the vets.
- I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS, Anya Singleton
A cut from the 2009 benefit album New York City Christmas featuring stars of the stage. Singleton’s cut of this song is hand’s down the best rock version of it since John Cougar Mellencamp did the first one on the original Very Special Christmas
- THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, Leslie Odom Jr. & the Mzansi Youth Choir
Odom tries the trick Whitney Houston and Vanessa Williams have tried with “Do You Hear What I Hear?” and the Hans Zimmer flavor elevates the song to a new level.
- JOY TO THE WORLD / JOYFUL, JOYFUL, Tori Kelly
And Kelly wins this challenge, for her clever pairing with Beethoven’s 9th (a/k/a, “that song from Sister Act 2”).
- O HOLY NIGHT, Nicole Scherzinger
This was an “ask and ye shall receive”, throw out a prayer to the universe that returned far more than I imagined. I did a general search for Scherzinger, the most underrated voice in pop music, and it came back with one hit for the grandmother of all the Christmas songs. And Scherzinger soars as expected. Treat yourselves to an early Christmas gift, search her singing lead with four of the top Phantoms in the history of Phantom of the Opera at the Andrew Lloyd Webber celebration concert, or her takes on Lloyd Webber’s “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” or “Memory” from her Olivier Award nominated turn in Cats. Merry Christmas from me to you.
- ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU, Kelly Clarkson
Not that one. The other one. And Clarkson slays it to bring the list home to a great close. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy and HEALTHY New Year!!
(All selections available for preview or purchase at Amazon.com and iTunes, and available through Spotify)
Or, to make it easy, follow me on Spotify and listen to “Christmas 20”: