BWW Album Review: Christmas: A Season of Love is True to Idina

Not another holiday album!

Wait just one second, you're going to want to hear this one out.

With the holiday season upon us, we'll soon be hearing endless amounts of carols, songs, and hymns everywhere we go - the grocery store, the mall, the dentist's office, you name it. Thankfully, one of Broadway's best, the Tony award-winning Ms. Idina Menzel, brings us an album of classic holiday tunes, with her own extraordinary twist of course! We wouldn't expect anything less from this icon.

Christmas: A Season Of Love features all of the songs that we'd anticipate, such as "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," and "O Holy Night," but also some tunes true to Ms. Menzel's Broadway roots, such as "Seasons of Love" from Rent. This combination allows the true themes of the holiday season -- love, acceptance, gratitude, and friendship -- to shine through and align to the messages of what this time of the year is all about.

This is Menzel's second Christmas album (her first one in 2014 was Holiday Wishes) and was released through School Boy and Decca Records. The holiday soundtrack features duets with Billy Porter, Josh Gad, Ariana Grande, and Menzel's husband, Aaron Lohr. Ron Fair produces.

The album also contains original songs that bring the fun and wonder of the season to life. Pop star, Ariana Grande, sings alongside Menzel on "A Hand for Mrs. Claus." Another song that will catch your ear is called "At This Table" and is written by Menzel and Jonas Myran and calls on what the world needs most right now: Acceptance, Equity, and Joining Together - themes that serve as a bright light in a sometimes dark society.

A standout of this holiday album is that Idina's powerful voice is what you remember. It doesn't get lost in the many renditions of carols we hear year after year that often blend together. You stop and take a moment to hear her unique sound and tone and experience these favorites in a new way. It's certainly refreshing!

A delightful touch is a song for Menzel's son, Walker. "Walker's 3rd Hanukkah" features the sweet voice of her son for this special celebration. It's endearing to bring in family traditions and those who mean the most to us.

Overall, this album is energizing and puts us back in the holiday spirit that can get hazy. The messages of the chosen tunes bring back the emotions we are meant to experience at this time of year and ones that are too often missing from our everyday routines. Thank you, Ms. Menzel for warming our hearts, minds, and spirit with this wonderful gift!

To post a comment, you must register and login.