Reason for Listening:
#91 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20201219). From the top. Holiday.
Last Week: 111 | Peak: 91 | Weeks on Chart: 3
Released 20201030.
16 songs. 49:07. A Very Trainor Christmas (CD) (2020)
16+2 songs. 49:07+05:24. A Very Trainor Christmas (Digital/Target/Vinyl) (2020) Wikipedia
Notes:
--20201215--
First listen. Spotify.
This recording of "Last Christmas" doesn't seem to convey the feeling of the song.
Decent tune ("Christmas Party")
I didn't realize until listening to this track, that I probably like duet version of "Winter Wonderland" more. [I didn't do an official breakdown, but it seems most recordings are done solo.] This version, while solo, adds a nice touch by having the ukulele as the main backing instrument. With that being said, there are strong associations between the ukulele and Hawaiian culture, which would not ever be a place for a Winter Wonderland.
Nice beat on this track ("Sleigh Ride")
Songs in bold are the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
2: "My Kind of Present"; "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"; "Christmas Party"; "Sleigh Ride"; "Silent Night";
1: "Holidays" (ft. Earth, Wind & Fire); "Holly Jolly Christmas"; "My Only Wish"; "The Christmas Song"; "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (ft. Jayden Toney, Jenna Toney & Marcus Toney);
0: "I Believe in Santa"; "Last Christmas"; "White Christmas"; "Christmas Got Me Blue"; "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (ft. Gary Trainor); "I'll Be Home";
-1: "Naughty List";
Summary:
I feel like Meghan Trainor's voice doesn't align well with holiday songs. Perhaps I'm just acustomed to many holiday songs being sung by male singers with deeper voices. Perhaps it's not her voice, but the quantity of moderness applied to more traditional songs. Of course the original songs are free to be more modern, but they kind of lack the spirit of the season. As a final note, I think the album would have benefited from separating the original songs and the classic songs and the traditional songs.* Overall, I think there will be people who enjoy the more modern sound of the album, but I personally am not used to the composition of the album. I thought about giving it only a 2.0, but then I considered there's enough quality in the tracks to assign the album either a 2.8 or a 3.0.
I thought perhaps "My Kind of Present" might be my favorite track on the album. But then I decided to just not pick a favorite.
Overall Rating: 2.8/5
Favorite Song: None
*After writing this line, I read the critical reception section of the Wikipedia page and one of the quoted critics, Chuck Campbell of Knox Knews, expressed a similar opinion. He said the number of unfamiliar (i.e., original) songs on the album impede the album's momentum and thus negatively affecting it's success.
#91 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20201219). From the top. Holiday.
Last Week: 111 | Peak: 91 | Weeks on Chart: 3
Released 20201030.
16 songs. 49:07. A Very Trainor Christmas (CD) (2020)
16+2 songs. 49:07+05:24. A Very Trainor Christmas (Digital/Target/Vinyl) (2020) Wikipedia
Notes:
--20201215--
First listen. Spotify.
This recording of "Last Christmas" doesn't seem to convey the feeling of the song.
Decent tune ("Christmas Party")
I didn't realize until listening to this track, that I probably like duet version of "Winter Wonderland" more. [I didn't do an official breakdown, but it seems most recordings are done solo.] This version, while solo, adds a nice touch by having the ukulele as the main backing instrument. With that being said, there are strong associations between the ukulele and Hawaiian culture, which would not ever be a place for a Winter Wonderland.
Nice beat on this track ("Sleigh Ride")
Songs in bold are the bonus tracks on the deluxe edition.
2: "My Kind of Present"; "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"; "Christmas Party"; "Sleigh Ride"; "Silent Night";
1: "Holidays" (ft. Earth, Wind & Fire); "Holly Jolly Christmas"; "My Only Wish"; "The Christmas Song"; "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (ft. Jayden Toney, Jenna Toney & Marcus Toney);
0: "I Believe in Santa"; "Last Christmas"; "White Christmas"; "Christmas Got Me Blue"; "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (ft. Gary Trainor); "I'll Be Home";
-1: "Naughty List";
Summary:
I feel like Meghan Trainor's voice doesn't align well with holiday songs. Perhaps I'm just acustomed to many holiday songs being sung by male singers with deeper voices. Perhaps it's not her voice, but the quantity of moderness applied to more traditional songs. Of course the original songs are free to be more modern, but they kind of lack the spirit of the season. As a final note, I think the album would have benefited from separating the original songs and the classic songs and the traditional songs.* Overall, I think there will be people who enjoy the more modern sound of the album, but I personally am not used to the composition of the album. I thought about giving it only a 2.0, but then I considered there's enough quality in the tracks to assign the album either a 2.8 or a 3.0.
I thought perhaps "My Kind of Present" might be my favorite track on the album. But then I decided to just not pick a favorite.
Overall Rating: 2.8/5
Favorite Song: None
*After writing this line, I read the critical reception section of the Wikipedia page and one of the quoted critics, Chuck Campbell of Knox Knews, expressed a similar opinion. He said the number of unfamiliar (i.e., original) songs on the album impede the album's momentum and thus negatively affecting it's success.
Date/Time
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
@
7:41 PM
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