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| Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol. 3 (c) 2012 Columbia Records |
I've never been the biggest Glee fan, although I do like some of their music. I am however, a fan of all things Christmas, and I couldn't let this album pass.
Glee: Christmas Volume 3 follows 2010's Volume 1 and 2011's Volume 2, and delivers a mere ten Christmas songs performed by the cast.
I had mixed reactions to this album. After a great Volume one and a less-than-impressive Volume two, this third volume kind of does manage to capture the Christmas spirit- but sadly it does so without putting much heart into it.
Let's do a track-by-track review:
1. Jingle Bell Rock (featuring Sam): Probably not as good an album opener as compared to the previous two volumes ("We Need A Little Christmas" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You") but still effective. You can't mess too much with this song and therein lies the problem. There's nothing to make you love this version over the dozens already out there (I'll be saying this a lot).
2. White Christmas (featuring Blaine and Kurt): Here they take on Michael Buble and Shania Twain's fantastic duet. Literally a carbon copy-down to the arrangement. The result is listenable but forgettable. I hate when artists try to sound too much like the original singers because the song loses its identity. As in this case.
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (featuring Puck, Jake, Sam, Brittany, Blaine, Kurt & New Directions): Again, it's hard to make this song your own and the singers fail to make anything out of this one too. It's a good version nonetheless, with good vocals and a fine arrangement, but again, forgettable.
4. Silent Night (featuring Santana): There's something about Naya Rivera's vocals that make this a memorable version. Her slinky, gritty tone and sincerity add up to a well done, albeit snoozy version.
5. Joy to the World (featuring Unique): "Why on earth they put all the slow songs in the first half of the album?" you wonder. Then the song turns into a mid-tempo, gospel romp. A worthy version of the song we all know. There's a lot of originality in this version.
6. The First Noel (featuring Marley): Newbie Melissa Benoist delivers a fully a capella rendition of the song. I thought this was one of the highlights of the album. It's not over the top or pretentious, and is what Christmas songs should be like.
7. I'll Be Home For Christmas (featuring Rachel): Oh Lea Michele, we've missed you. She delivers. A fine version of this classic song, with all of Rachel's theatrics thrown in for good measure.
8. Feliz Navidad (featuring Artie): Okay, my favorite song on the album. Guitar and trumpet heavy, this upbeat and fun version lifts the album up and how. One of the best versions of the song I've ever heard. You can blast this in your house and nobody will mind, it's so irresistible.
9. Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah (featuring Jake and Puck): I've never heard this song before, but I liked it! I don't know how far this counts as a Christmas song, per se, but it represents Glee's secularity and universal appeal. Fun!
10. Happy Xmas (War Is Over) (featuring Finn): A great version of the well-known song. I enjoyed it, but again, there was nothing unique about it. A great way to wrap up the album.
I found this to be a very different album for Glee to do. The first half was painfully slow and the album only picked up momentum around the middle. Weird decisions, since Glee is known for its big group numbers and foot-tapping covers. Another problem I had with this album is the sheer lack of original songs! Not one of the ten songs is an original and so I couldn't but suspect that they rushed the album (and corresponding episode) out just to cash in on the season. I felt that the Glee identity and what it represents was lacking in the album.
The presence of some new voices is interesting and is a step forward for the show, but I missed some, like Diana Aggron's Quinn and Matthew Morrison's Will Schuester, both present in the first two Christmas albums. Most of the song arrangements are just blatant rip-offs of well known versions, and although there a few good versions, on the whole the album feels forced, emotionless and lacks the necessary Christmas warmth.
In a year where so many great Christmas albums have released, Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Volume 3 fails to stand out. It's sadly one of the weaker Christmas albums of the year. Pick it up if you're a Glee fan, but if you're looking for a rich Christmas musical experience, you might want to look somewhere else.
RATING: ★★★
Check out some of my other Christmas album reviews!
*Christmas With Scotty McCreery
*Blake Shelton: Cheers, It's Christmas
*Lady Antebellum: On This Winter's Night
*Colbie Caillat: Christmas In The Sand