Published on Dec 22, 2000
Here we go again, the reader is probably thinking. This guy has
been ripping apart Christmas compilation albums all week, and
doesn’t even seem to care their proceeds go to charities. Now, he’s
going to do it
again.
Actually, no I’m not. Not in the case of
Superstar Christmas, a 1997 release whose benefitting
charity was the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and
AIDS Research. Of the three collections I’ve checked out for this
holiday season, this is the best of the bunch — though there are
one or two missteps.
My biggest complaint with many of these collections has been
that they have the feel of being purely commercial products —
namely, artists seem to throw together Christmas songs just to be
part of something that will sell. I don’t get that vibe on
Superstar Christmas; it actually feels organic for most of
the time. That’s a rarity in this now-commercial season.
Note that I’m not saying something is “commercial” just because
it’s popular. Take John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is
Over)”. Now very much a holiday standard, this is a track that I
still enjoy hearing, despite the fact that nearly every radio
station in America will play this often this season. Simply put, it
was a good song back then, and it’s still a good song now.
The superstars’ appearances on
Superstar Christmas feel like they actually felt what they
were singing. I normally don’t like the multi-octave show-off style
of Mariah Carey, but it’s absolutely appropriate (and perfect) on
her rendition of “O Holy Night”. Celine Dion turns in a great
version of “The Christmas Song” — and I can’t help but think that,
once her first child is born, this song is going to take on new
meaning to her. And who could find fault with Luther Vandross
(“Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”) and Boyz II Men’s
(“Silent Night”) contributions to this project?
I have to give a special shout-out to Cyndi Lauper for her
zydeco-tinged cover of “Early Christmas Morning”. She turns this
song into something fun to listen to, and it’s quite possibly the
highlight of this disc, next to the Lennon/Ono track.
A few of the selections on
Superstar Christmas are aimed towards the older crowd – and
whether you’ll like these or not is a matter of personal
preference. But give the selections from Frank Sinatra (“Let It
Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow”), Tony Bennett (“Winter
Wonderland”) and Neil Diamond (“You Make It Feel Like Christmas”) a
fair shake, even if adult contemporary – or even classical (Placido
Domingo singing “White Christmas”) — isn’t your cup of tea.
There are a few tracks I’d call mistakes on this one. I’m not
saying it’s a bad track, but for the second time this season, I
find myself listening to an album with “Merry Christmas Baby” from
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. I mean, how many albums
is this version
on, already? Enough is enough, gang.
Anyway, on to the actual “mistakes”. I’m gonna catch heat for
this one, but it just doesn’t feel right having Barbra Streisand
singing “The Lord’s Prayer” – for that matter, this doesn’t really
sound like it belongs on a Christmas CD. The only artist who I
thought sounded “commercial” was Gloria Estefan (“Christmas Through
Your Eyes”), though I’ll admit I’ve never been a fan of hers. And
Michael Bolton… no, this is a holiday review, I’ve gotta watch my
language. Bad choice. Bad cover of “Santa Claus Is Coming To
Town”.
For the most part,
Superstar Christmas reminds me of the old-time compilations
that you used to be able to get at Hallmark or True Value,
featuring some artists you’d love and a few you weren’t so thrilled
with. Even so, those albums often became cherished treasures during
the holiday season — and I can see this CD joining those
ranks.