Majestica
A Christmas Carol
WHAT do you get if you cross Iron Maiden, Danny Elfman and Charles Dickens? The most absurdly original album of 2020, namely Majestica’s A Christmas Carol. For the uninitiated, Majestica is a symphonic/power metal band from Boden in Sweden, the brainchild of frontman Tommy Johansson (who also is in heavy metal band Sabaton). The relentless pace of the guitars to the angelic – yet demonic – chants part ways into a joyous thrashing around familiar carols, whipping up to a fabulous crescendo. The way that popular classic festive tunes have been woven into an 80s-style prog-rock anthem is epic. A Christmas Has Come starts with such a sense of Disney-like princess castle whimsy, you can almost feel your sleigh dashing through the snow, before everything becomes just that touch more Nightmare Before Christmas. This has been an awesome addition to my Christmas playlist.
9/10
Rachel Howdle
Michael Ball And Alfie Boe
Together At Christmas
THE reliable cosiness of Michael Ball and Alfie Boe singing Christmas classics is probably just what many people need at the end of a year of unexpected challenges and stress. Like a Premier Inn room, listeners get exactly what they expect as the hugely popular pairing pack their fourth duet album with Christmas classics such as O Holy Night and Silent Night as well as pop hits such as Mistletoe And Wine, White Christmas and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. Gregory Porter joins the duo for a gentle reworking of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire). New song My Christmas Will Be Better Than Yours is a light-hearted and entertaining duet and a spine-tingling version of I Believe, a song written nearly 70 years ago to give people hope, is perfectly timed. Ball’s melodic voice and Boe’s deep tenor work well together but it's the warmth of their long-standing friendship that gives this album true Christmas cheer.
7/10
Beverley Rouse
Jamie Cullum
The Pianoman At Christmas
DESPITE creeping into his 40s, Jamie Cullum maintains his reputation as the fresh-faced poster boy of UK jazz. With his first Christmas album, he takes that title a little further, positioning himself as a modern-day festive crooner. Yet Cullum’s tongue is firmly in cheek as he works his way through 10 originals, penned during the summer at the family home he shares with wife Sophie Dahl and their two daughters, and recorded with a classic big band at Abbey Road Studios. His appreciation of Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra shines through in spacious, full-bodied compositions such as It’s Christmas, while Hang Your Lights shows off the poppier instincts that have ensured his crossover appeal. Aside from striking a much-needed mood of merriment, Cullum has also managed to make his songs sound like classics. You may not have heard them before, before they will strike you as pleasingly familiar. The album’s cover sums it up: festive and fun with a dash of romance.
8/10
Alex Green
Andre Rieu
Jolly Holiday
THE King Of The Waltz invites listeners to revisit his landmark Christmas concerts in his native Maastricht. Andre Rieu performed with his Johann Strauss Orchestra across three nights to an international crowd of more than 35,000 in December last year. His trademark brand of pomp might have sometimes been considered kitsch by some, but with hindsight these shows are pure emotion. Rieu says the live recording “will take all of you on a beautiful music journey to experience the magic of Christmas” and he’s not wrong. Fake snow falls on an ecstatic crowd draped in tinsel, as singers in a rainbow of pastel-coloured gowns belt festive standards such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night and What A Wonderful World, accompanied by brass, strings and dance. It’s hard not to love knowing the current state of live music. Accompanied by a DVD, Jolly Holiday offers a much-needed dose of Christmas cheer and a reminder of what will soon be possible again, with a little luck.
7/10
Alex Green
Annie Lennox
A Christmas Cornucopia
FROM pop sensation and outspoken political activist Annie Lennox, this reissue of her 2010 album A Christmas Cornucopia feels a little uninspiring. The brightest moment on the new record, which has been remastered, comes from a previously unheard track. Lennox has said her 2010 version of the haunting 17th-century aria Dido’s Lament, by Henry Purcell, is for “the dying of our planet”. The song offers a change of pace from some of her cheesier re-imaginings of festive classics. The rest of the album, however, feels much less creative and sees Lennox perform well-known carols and songs without putting much of her own personality into the recordings. Her rendition of The First Noel and Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem feel particularly pedestrian and dull. Lesser-known festive songs such as Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant and Lullay Lullay offer a slightly more interesting listen; however, this album does not come close to replicating the success of some of Lennox’s more inventive releases.
5/10
Tom Horton
