Christmas With Scotty McCreery, Scotty’s first Christmas album, is adding to a very successful couple of years for the young North Carolina native. His debut album, Clear As Day, reached #1 on both the country charts and the Billboard Hot 100, and was awarded platinum status. Despite only being released 6 weeks ago, Christmas With…appears to following this success, reaching #2 on the country charts, #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at of time of writing, selling 118,000 copies in the US alone. The album is shorter than some of the other country Christmas releases this year, at a mere 11 tracks, and has a track list fairly typical of country Christmas music, but includes two original songs, ‘Christmas In Heaven’ and ‘Christmas Comin’ Round Again’.
Generally the songs stay pretty true to the standard version, such as Holly Jolly Christmas (although there’s a little more of a beat and fuller, more modern production), Winter Wonderland (simply adding more interesting harmonies, sometimes in call-and-response) and O Holy Night (although making full use of a string section and mandolins). A lot of treatment is added to Jingle Bells, which has a completely new rhythm that incorporates a heavily-syncopated beat, finger snaps and semi-muted acoustic guitar. Later in the song we have an instrumental that becomes very bluesy with a tone-y electric guitar and lots of bluesy piano. This is by far the most interesting cover on the album, covering a classic most often sung by children but instead giving it a lot more elements and making it adult.
As for the original songs, Christmas In Heaven is a sweet country ballad that sings to a lost loved one during Christmas time, and wonders what Christmas in Heaven is like. The backing is quite orchestral with the addition of a guitar solo, although sometimes I feel like the strings really overpower the rest of the mix, even Scotty’s vocals. However, it’s a nice song and I imagine a lot of people will relate it, and could perhaps be a single. Christmas Comin’ Round Again is also a very sweet-sounding song, but in a totally different way in its clear Irish influences. Mandolin and accordion lead this track, and certainly the latter gives the song a different atmosphere than some of the other songs on this album. It enhances the joyfulness of the other sounds on this track, and the lyrics which describe the ‘forgiveness in the wind’ in various stories about people who at Christmas time just ‘let the love in’, and forget the drama and unhappiness of the year.
Mary Did You Know is an interesting choice because not many people cover it and it’s not a typical Christmas song. A lot of people don’t even know it exists, despite the fact that quite a lot of people have covered it at one time or another. I know it from the Clay Aiken version (2004), which was far more menacing-sounding and dramatic than Scotty’s version. This one is punctuated by banjo, Spanish guitar and I think some mandolin. I feel like Scotty’s vocals could have been given a bit more of a boost towards the end where he’s going for the power, in order to make it more dramatic, but otherwise it’s a very competent version that incorporates far more elements that the Clay version I know well.
The Christmas Song stays quite true to its roots, and Santa Claus Is Back In Town is a fitting tribute to Elvis, only changing it by filling the production with a lot more energy, creating a busier, more chaotic sound. It’s nice to hear Scotty put a bit more grit into his famously smooth vocals and let loose a little. He’d do well as a country/rock singer, and I have to say throughout the entirety of this album his vocals are very good.
Lastly, The First Noel has a beautiful arrangement, with gentle harmonies and mandolin, which seems to be a favorite of Scotty’s for this album. It’s a nice moment of quiet and respite on an album which has a lot to be said for musically. Clearly they have spent a lot of time making it the best they could, and it really pays off because this is a solid Christmas release that offers times of pleasant surprise, the safe-but-good big orchestral sound and sweet country vibes. I’m sure this will continue to sell hugely in the lead up to Christmas 2012 and for years to come.
