Here Comes the Holiday Albums…
It is that time of year again, when we are set to be bombarded with Christmas carols and festive offerings from some of the biggest names in the charts. Personally, it is something, which I dread. I have never been a huge fan of Christmas songs but seeing some of the most influential artists in the music industry stand on stage in a seasonal outfit belting out the same old tired festive songs is my idea of a nightmare.
There are few artists who haven’t either released a Christmas album or made a bid for Christmas number one with a typically festive song. Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston have all been offenders, in the past, and released albums that were basically the same, just with a little more over singing on them and may be a few key changes in others. This year Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson and Mary J Blige are responsible for the Christmas albums and they are… exactly the same as last year’s!
Music should be about originality, wherever possible, and this is the major problem with Christmas albums. They are simply full of cover versions. It wouldn’t be so bad if the artists wrote their own Christmas songs or did a completely different version of a traditional carol. But instead they just belt out the classics. As we speak, disc makers are preparing the CDs to go on sale and hit the shops in the race for best holiday album.
Christmas is a magical time of year and we all become awash with festive spirit. The holiday albums take it one step too far however, and for most people, they are just seen as cheesy. Many artists use the holiday album as a marketing ploy. To remind the audience they are still around, especially if they have suffered a bit of a hiatus. It is also a great way to increase their wealth, with very little effort required.
The marketing people who surround an artist must think that people want to listen to Christmas songs as much as possible. They seem to have an idea that people sit around over the festive season with their favourite holiday album on repeat. Sadly it just isn’t like that. The television plays a far more important role than the music system over the holidays.
Music over the Christmas period tends to follow one of two formats. Either we are overwhelmed with Christmas carols and traditional songs or struck with songs that have quite a depressing meaning and tone to them. There seems to be no happy medium.
