Kenny G The Classic Christmas Album
Owoeye Heatley
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And so this is Christmas (again). And time to stop writing about the future of work, talent and leadership for a bit. Lets be honest no one really wants to read that kind of thing as we near the holidays. Nothing says Christmas to me more than the weird and wonderful world of the Christmas album. I've written about it before as part of my 1000 album creativity journey ( -album-creativity-project-15-principles-business-life-winkless/). It's time again to pull the (album) covers back again and introduce you all to some more Christmas albums that, frankly, represent all the magical diversity of the human condition
Some of these albums have become part of the Christmas tradition- think Micheal Buble's all conquering Christmas (2011) (it has sold more than 12 million worldwide). Others have become, shall we say, niche offerings for a chosen few- think J.J.Hrubovcak's Death Metal Christmas (2013). But what are some of the most wonderful and weirdest albums out there that you might not have listened to and what creative lessons (if any) can we learn from them? I've picked a few of of my favourites and two of my weirdest- all five are worth a listen.
It's a shame this album isn't better known. For my money its a far superior offering to Buble's Christmas (2011) (sorry Buble fans!) This album offers a perfect blend of all original songs, silkily sung by Cullum with the support of some serious musical talent and all tied together through thoughtful and often surprising arrangement. The album was recorded at the venerable Abbey Road studios and its obvious that some serious Christmas magic happened during its production.
Brian Wilson has called it his favourite album of all time and its not hard to see why. Not just a great Christmas album but a great album period. Spector's wall of sound production is in full tilt on this one. The Crystals 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' is a high energy version of the classic song. Darlene Love kills it on the Brill Building original 'Christmas Baby, Please Come Home'. In subsequent interviews with those involved it was seen as a difficult recording to be part of. But it doesn't show- basically everything on this is top notch. Listen to it NOW!
This album is the original soundtrack for the much beloved holiday TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Its hard to believe that it's now over 50 years old as it still sounds fresh today. Its mix (jazzy mix) of standards and original compositions strikes the perfect balance of sweetness and sadness. One of my favourite songs on the album (and indeed an original Guaraldi song) 'Christmas Time Is Here' captures the essence of the album perfectly. There is a story that the children's choir who sang on 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' were rewarded with ice-cream as the recording session ran well into the night. As a kid I loved the TV special re-runs and as an adult the soundtrack has stayed with me. Much better known in the US, it can be somewhat of an undiscovered gem for European audiences. Strike up the fire (or heater), lower the lights and bathe in this velvety, jazzy classic.
Neoclassical Christmas anyone? Like a little bit of Jean-Michel Jarre-esque electronica mixed in with your carol classics? Then this is the album for you. Admittedly on paper this doesn't sound great and really this whole album shouldn't work. But it does and then some. Listening to their version of 'Deck the Halls' I am reminded for some reason of the spaceship scenes in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This is an album that breathes totally new life into the standards and ends up sounding like a new cross-dressing musical genre mixing medieval, disco, classical and electronica. My personal fav on this one is 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Rock'- it builds beautifully. This album is definitely weird and great- and many love this album- over 3.5 million copies of this album have been sold to date. Break out the dusty old synth from under the stairs and rock out to this one!
What can we say. Christopher Lee- the horror legend, Saruman from Lord of the Rings, Count Dooku from Star Wars- he even played a bond villain at one point. And that was just his acting career- he was an all round bad ass in life too. Who else could record 2 classics (Little Drummer Boy and Silent Night) in metal style at the age of 90? Worth a listen as much to marvel at the man if not the music.
'What Can You Get a Wookiee for Christmas (When He Already Owns a Comb?)' anyone? or 'R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas'. This album, like the now infamous TV Star Wars Holiday special, shows that sometimes a concept can be brought way beyond breaking point. The album is probably most notable for featuring the first professional recording of Jon Bon Jovi (credited as 'John Bongiovi', his birth name), who sang lead vocals on the aforementioned song 'R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas'. The cheese factor is just a little too high for me on this one- worth one quick run through listen and then best consigned to the virtual trash!
I love the classics- its hard to beat Bing Crosby's original White Christmas for example- but classics need to be freshened up and reinterpreted to open them up to new audiences and new generations. Just as Spector applied his wall of sound to create a new take on some of the standards, and Mannheim Steamroller brought an electronic sensibility to theirs, so you need to look at anything considered 'classic' or sacrosanct with an eye to re-interpret. This applies to anything- whether you are creating music, reimagining a long held design, or looking at a process through a fresh, energetic set of eyes. And like some of the artists mentioned look at reinterpretation through many lenses to explore new avenues and new directions- there is no end to the different lenses through which you can look at something. But thread carefully and focus on what that re-interpretation is bringing to the table- how is it adding, evolving or bringing useful novelty not just quirkiness or difference for difference sake.
When it comes to creativity Mood is often a resource overlooked. The Vince Guaraldi Trio created a beautiful, bittersweet mood for the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack. The mood ties the songs together beautifully and creates a real sense of flow and connection. Regardless of what you are creating, think about what mood you are trying to convey or attempting to immerse someone in. If you are creating a customer experience think about mood as part of the design- what are the moods not just moments in those experiences you are trying to create. What little elements, features, ideas can you add to support the creation of a mood.
Lets be honest, Star Wars and Christmas is most definitely a concept that was never really going to work and had all the hallmarks of quick cash in territory. It highlights that no matter how strong a concept- that concept can be stretched too far to make sense. Often seemingly weird combinations can work- but more often than not they won't. There needs to be a deeper level that connects the concepts together. On the Mannheim Steamrollers album the mixture of electronica and carol standards work because there a deep almost medieval sensibility that ties the seemingly distant ideas together. So by all means stretch a concepts and combine distant ideas but try to find those deeper connections- if you are looking at hybrid concepts or merging product ideas, for example, try to find deeper connective tissue and useful complimentary functionality.
There are a few great Christmas albums, many 'mad' ones, and many, many useless ones. Challenge yourself this Christmas and listen to more than the usual suspects. It might spark new creative ideas in you. Along with some of the albums already discussed- James Brown's A Soulful Christmas is worth a funky earful, aswell as Barbara Streisand's vocal tour de force in A Christmas Album, and the often overlooked and scratchy Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas. Mix it up with Bing, Mariah, Buble and Cole and you have a truly beautiful musical cocktail for Christmas.
Famous for his role as the original Aaron Burr in Broadway's Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr.'s album features Christmas classics you know and love ("Last Christmas," "Little Drummer Boy," etc.) with a new, modern twist (and gorgeous vocals).
From renditions of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "This Is Christmas" to a duet with Chaka Khan for "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," this album is a soulful, R&B take on classic Christmas tunes.
Carrie Underwood puts her powerful vocals to work on her Christmas album, titled "My Gift." With nearly 9,000 customer reviews on Amazon and 4.8/5 stars on average, it's a popular holiday sampler, especially for those who are into country music.
The BBC show Call The Midwife is famous for its annual Christmas specials, so it's fitting that the show has a Christmas music album as well. The show is set in the 1940s, '50s, and beyond, and the music on this Christmas CD hails from a similar time period.
Kelly Clarkson's singing style combines traditionally excellent vocals with pop melodies, and her Christmas album is no different. If you're a fan of Clarkson's Christmas specials on NBC, then you'll probably be a fan of this, too.
For those who opt for music from classic, old school singers, but love country music in particular, this Christmas album from Gene Autry would be perfect. From playful renditions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to "Joy To The World," you'll find all the Christmas favorites here.
For a non-traditional, easy listening Christmas album, Norah Jones' I Dream Of Christmas hits all the right marks. The CD features traditional Christmas carols as well as original songs, all done in the famous vocals that Jones is known for.
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