Reason for Listening:
#100 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20201219). From the top. Holiday.
Last Week: - | Peak: 100 | Weeks on Chart: 1
Billboard Listing: Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Soundtrack) - Mariah Carey - [picture of Mariah Carey]
Released 20201204.
17 songs. 33:00. Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack) (2020)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20201215--
First listen.
I just heard "Sleigh Ride" on A Very Trainor Christmas, but I like this version more.
[After listening to the track I watched the music video and apparently the whistle near the end is a harmonized double whistle between Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande! My musical ear isn't good enough to pick that up from just the track without first being made aware of it. Actually, even knowing about it, I would have to be intently listening to the track. The harmonization is so closely matched it's hard to tell there's two singers.]
I think I like the original version of Mariah Carey's "Joy to the World" (i.e., the one on Merry Christmas) more. Though this version has parts in which it excels. Perhaps I currently favor the original because I'm more used to the sound of it.
I think I like this version of "Silent Night" more than the version on Merry Christmas. I can't say I can tell any difference between this mix of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the original release except perhaps the whistle (her flairs in the original are more conservative).
After listening to the album, I listened to snippets of the tracks again. I moved "Let It Snow! [...]" from a "2" to a "0", "Peanuts [...]" from a "0" to a "1", and "Oh Santa!" from a "3" to a "4".
4: "Oh Santa!" (ft. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson); "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (*);
3: "Sleigh Ride"; "Christmas Time is Here"; "Silent Night" (*);
2: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"; "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" (ft. Snoop Dogg & Jermaine Dupri); "Sugar Plum Fairy" (*); "O Holy Night" (*);
1: "When Christmas Comes" (*); "Peanuts... All I Want" (Interlude); "Christmas Time Is In the Air Again" (*); "Joy to the World" (*);
0: "Overture 'Little Mariah's Theme"; "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Outro); "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (Intro); "'Little Mimi's' Theme";
*Magical Christmas Mix
Summary:
This album is absolutely solid. Of course, in large, it rides on the success of Mariah Carey's first holiday album, Merry Christmas (1994). What's great about the updated versions of the tracks originally found on MC is that Mariah Carey is in the position to be less conservative and add her signature whistle and flair to the tracks. Note that some tracks act sort of as filler, which I typically assign to "0". I thought perhaps I should have created an even more neutral rating, e.g., "N" or "N/A". The one exception on this album was the interlude track "Peanuts... All I Want". I liked how "All I Want" plays on the Piano. The interlude also makes sense as a transition into Mariah Carey's cover of "Christmas Time is Here". Overall, while I had a great first impression of the album, I want to be conservative and start by assigning it a 5.0.
I kind of want to give "Oh Santa!" a chance, but "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is just a classic and remains a great song in my mind.
Overall Rating: 5.0/5
Favorite Song: "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Magical Christmas Mix)
Second Favorite Song: "Oh Santa!" (ft. Arian Grande & Jennifer Hudson)
#100 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20201219). From the top. Holiday.
Last Week: - | Peak: 100 | Weeks on Chart: 1
Billboard Listing: Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Soundtrack) - Mariah Carey - [picture of Mariah Carey]
Released 20201204.
17 songs. 33:00. Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack) (2020)
Wikipedia
Notes:
--20201215--
First listen.
I just heard "Sleigh Ride" on A Very Trainor Christmas, but I like this version more.
[After listening to the track I watched the music video and apparently the whistle near the end is a harmonized double whistle between Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande! My musical ear isn't good enough to pick that up from just the track without first being made aware of it. Actually, even knowing about it, I would have to be intently listening to the track. The harmonization is so closely matched it's hard to tell there's two singers.]
I think I like the original version of Mariah Carey's "Joy to the World" (i.e., the one on Merry Christmas) more. Though this version has parts in which it excels. Perhaps I currently favor the original because I'm more used to the sound of it.
I think I like this version of "Silent Night" more than the version on Merry Christmas. I can't say I can tell any difference between this mix of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and the original release except perhaps the whistle (her flairs in the original are more conservative).
After listening to the album, I listened to snippets of the tracks again. I moved "Let It Snow! [...]" from a "2" to a "0", "Peanuts [...]" from a "0" to a "1", and "Oh Santa!" from a "3" to a "4".
4: "Oh Santa!" (ft. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson); "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (*);
3: "Sleigh Ride"; "Christmas Time is Here"; "Silent Night" (*);
2: "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing"; "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) / House Top Celebration" (ft. Snoop Dogg & Jermaine Dupri); "Sugar Plum Fairy" (*); "O Holy Night" (*);
1: "When Christmas Comes" (*); "Peanuts... All I Want" (Interlude); "Christmas Time Is In the Air Again" (*); "Joy to the World" (*);
0: "Overture 'Little Mariah's Theme"; "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" (Outro); "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" (Intro); "'Little Mimi's' Theme";
*Magical Christmas Mix
Summary:
This album is absolutely solid. Of course, in large, it rides on the success of Mariah Carey's first holiday album, Merry Christmas (1994). What's great about the updated versions of the tracks originally found on MC is that Mariah Carey is in the position to be less conservative and add her signature whistle and flair to the tracks. Note that some tracks act sort of as filler, which I typically assign to "0". I thought perhaps I should have created an even more neutral rating, e.g., "N" or "N/A". The one exception on this album was the interlude track "Peanuts... All I Want". I liked how "All I Want" plays on the Piano. The interlude also makes sense as a transition into Mariah Carey's cover of "Christmas Time is Here". Overall, while I had a great first impression of the album, I want to be conservative and start by assigning it a 5.0.
I kind of want to give "Oh Santa!" a chance, but "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is just a classic and remains a great song in my mind.
Overall Rating: 5.0/5
Favorite Song: "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Magical Christmas Mix)
Second Favorite Song: "Oh Santa!" (ft. Arian Grande & Jennifer Hudson)
Date/Time
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
@
9:34 PM
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