Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone out there. This is an unusual post for me since I'm not really big on modern Christmas songs. Songs can't be seasonal for me. They have to hold up all year round. That's part of what makes The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping" and the entire Phil Spector Christmas album so great. I'd play them in the summer without any problem. They're well-crafted modern pop songs that don't venture too far into Sapsville, which itself is usually a requirement for most Christmas songs.
I think one of the better Christmas recordings this decade comes from Mariah Carey. The So So Def Remix of her 1994 hit, "All I Want For Christmas Is You" is that rare holiday song that's not embarassing to dance to. The Spector-like melody from the original is mostly intact with a more urban R&B approach this time around. Producer Jermaine Dupri borrows heavily from "Planet Rock" and the result sounds like a lost Miami bass song from the 90's akin to Ghost Down DJ's and INOJ. What really puts a smile on my face is that original melody, which still sounded good in the original, but is now stripped down with only drum machines and backing vocals surrounding it, giving it a true chance to shine. Also of note is hearing a young Bow Wow (back when he still had the Lil' in front of his name) decrying the myth of St. Nick at the beginning of the song by simply claming, "Ain't no damn Santa Claus."
Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You (So So Def Remix)
To buy Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits from Amazon, click here.
Oh, and my best albums of the year list should be up later on this week, with singles shortly to follow.
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