by
Kristin Battestella
Family
songstress Natalie Cole's 1994 first holiday release Holly &
Ivy mixes old and new thanks to swanky touches and paternal
homages as Jingle Bells makes an entrance with a jazzy, night
club, swinging rendition. Fun accents, brass, winks, and groove make
this usually kiddie reduced tune now cool and suave for the adults to
cut a rug. Caroling, Caroling,
however, is deliberately reminiscent of beloved dad Nat King
Cole with a sweeter, breezy pace and children's choirs so the whole
family can sing along with the pleasantries. The nostalgia continues
with the reverent The First Noel.
Slow and tender verses make
room for Natalie's big notes whilst remaining humble alongside the
gentle orchestration. This track may be too slow or under produced
for some expecting bang on crescendos, but there's nothing wrong with
just a familiar melody and the voice to carry the spirit of the
season.
It's
not surprising that the opening bars of No More Blue
Christmas sound like “The
Greatest Love of All” thanks to songwriters Goffin and Masser also
having worked extensively with Whitney Houston. Although pleasant and
unoffensive, the sentimental lyrics and power ballad pacing sound
like every other nineties love song. The seemingly louder
exaggeration and enunciation on the word 'Christmas' feel as if a few
words were changed to make this a holiday song, and the contemporary
push is out of place compared to the rest of the throwback
traditionals on Holly &
Ivy. The
Jingle Bell Rock, Winter Wonderland, Little Drummer
Boy, I'll Be Home for Christmas medley is
the longest track on Holly
& Ivy at
six minutes, but it's an odd mix where each could have been their own
tune. The minute plus Jingle Bell Rock is in the same
style as Jingle Bells – making the case that the whole album should
have been such a la Ella swing. The casual Winter Wonderland is
likewise martinis smooth, but the shorter, sightly synth Little
Drummer Boy doesn't belong with the melancholy, brooding, vocal
toppers of I'll Be Home for Christmas, which is almost two minutes
and practically its own song anyway.
Merry
Christmas Baby continues the
December blues, taking its time with groove, beats, guitar strings,
and sass. More please! Holly
& Ivy feels
seemingly obligated to include carols, and Joy to
the World is the shortest single track of the four carols here.
Fortunately, the rock out choir echos, organ, and clapping put an
amen to it – fitting in to the overall swanky here. The Little
Boy That Santa Claus Forgot would
also seem to add brass, smooth, and earlier thirties sway, however,
this is one depressing little Depression ode. It's quite
understandable why this isn't an oft recorded holiday tune. A
Song for Christmas is a new
composition that better captures the season in mid-century style.
Nevertheless, it is a little too sweet, generic even, and going
through the motions when there are better holiday songs fitting this
jazzy theme deserving a spin with Natalie's big notes such as
“Christmas Baby Please Come Home” or even the kitschy “Santa
Baby.” Sometimes it's just nice to hear someone who can, you know,
sing, rather than having to bend the carol to her own compromising
orchestration, and Holly
& Ivy's longest
stand alone track Silent Night brings all the
creche necessary. So many singers make the somber echoes and poignant
notes too soft, but Cole keeps the tender while holding every pitch.
It should have been the final track, but otherwise, the repose is
excellent.
Of
course, after their 1991 duet of “Unforgettable,” one may expect
The Christmas Song to break out
in a similar remix. Fortunately, the already famous reminder
of Nat King Cole stands on its own with penultimate breezy and warmth
and doesn't go for any kind of album single stunt – which does come
later on Natalie's The Magic of Christmas. Although it's the
titular song, The Holly and The Ivy should
have come before the medley – the old fashioned end of Side A
record break – leaving the previous two stellar songs as the big
finish. This rendition is slower than usual, which gives Natalie time
to make the reverent lyrics clear, but it misrepresents the album
somewhat. This eponymous track is sweet and tame in comparison to the
overall ritzy session, ending in a whimper when the opener took it to
the next level. Holly &
Ivy has
a few out of place, problematic, or slightly inferior tracks straying
from the ritzy. Today, thankfully, these can be skipped in favor of
an otherwise sweet and sophisticated listen for an older audience.
Holly & Ivy is
perfect for a night in candlelit dinner for two to
reminisce or make holiday memories anew.
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