You can only listen to Mariah Carey so many times on repeat before you need to switch it up a little, and a wide range of artists are coming out of the woodwork this year to bring us some new musical holiday cheer.
Music industry icon Cher released her aptly titled album earlier this year: Christmas. A mix of reprises of classic Christmas tunes and four original works provide an option for whatever mood you are in this holiday season. Cher’s hard work is obvious on this thirteen-track album that she tributed to her late mother, with an incredible range of music including something for everyone. My two personal favorites from the album are “DJ Play a Christmas Song” and “Angels in the Snow,” which feature the 80’s dance-pop sound iconic to Cher’s musical style. If you’re looking for something new, however, you might find your niche in “Drop Top Sleigh Ride,” featuring a verse by the rapper Tyga, or in the seasonal melancholy of “Home,” featuring Michael Bublé.
Sabrina Carpenter released some good contenders in the Christmas music scene with her newest EP: fruitcake. “A Nonsense Christmas,” released last year and brought back as the first track on the song list, is an innuendo-filled holiday remix of her song, “Nonsense,” from her most recent album, emails i can’t send. While some of the lyrics may not be appropriate for younger audiences, it is a perfect lighthearted jingle for anyone in the holiday spirit. If the holiday season is a more melancholy season for you, Carpenter’s melodic ballad “cindy lou who” is exactly what you need.
Wheatus’ EP, Just a Dirtbag Christmas, features a revamped version of their 2000’s hit with “Christmas Dirtbag.” The song tells the story of a child forgotten by Santa, playing, ”Does Santa Claus know who I am? / Does Santa Claus even care about me?” I find this song to be enormously entertaining and will be adding it to my Christmas playlist.
As a Lauver, or a member of the fanbase of the singer/songwriter Laufey, I can not recommend her newly released holiday hits enough. These include a two-song single with her idol, Norah Jones, a Spotify single of “Winter Wonderland”, and a two-song EP, A Very Laufey Holiday!, featuring English artist Dodie. In an interview with Variety, Laufey jokes that she releases so much Christmas music because of Iceland’s position as “the closest civilized nation to the North Pole.”
It’s always an adventure to see the results of artists trying their hand at creating new Christmas classics. Some honorable mentions in the running include RuPaul’s holiday album, Essential Christmas, and A Philly Special Christmas Special, released by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson.
