So, Mariah's Carey's Magical Christmas Special! Let's get into it!
First, can we all take a moment to appreciate the fact that Mariah delivered beautiful re-recorded vocals for this special? She sounds amazing! The original "O Holy Night" whistle is shaking! She gave full belts, rich lows, riffs/runs, and whistles throughout the whole special! Life received. Moving on...
Below, is my Apple Music playlist of my top 5 performances from Mariah's Magical Christmas Special. Don't like mine? Tell me about it on Twitter @Darrell_CScott.
But WHY?
That's 10 songs above because I couldn't stand the idea of not mentioning the greatness of these other performances! The top 5 are my faves, and in that order. You can add my playlist on Apple Music and help stream Mariah in the new digital era.
#1 "Christmas Time is in the Air Again"
"Christmas Time is in the Air Again" has magically become my new favorite Mariah Christmas song as of February 2020. I found myself listening to it on repeat consistently throughout the year. It's the vocals for me. The light and airy vocals give me goosebumps every time. It's like that first sip of champagne after indulging in a moist red velvet cake, but over and over again for 3 minutes and 4 seconds.
The breathy tones make the song for me, but the climax is top tier without being over the top. The jazz-inspired arrangement make it easy-listening for me and instantly puts me in the Christmas mood. Her performance was flawless and was an easy pick for my favorite from the special. Not to mention this was written and produced by Mariah herself. To have been released in 2012, this song feels like one of those staple Christmas classics.
#2 "Oh Santa!"
This was a close second!! Obviously, the iconic nature of the collaboration with #ArianaGrande and #JHud is everything. I'll say this...
Let's face it, the harmonized whistle between Mariah and Ariana saved 2020! What a moment! However, I feel like we need to appreciate the soulful vocals JHud brought to the table a little more. She nailed her part. The magic for me was listening to them blend together and knowing how each one of them could have easily belted and ad-libbed this song into oblivion with their own unique styles but they didn't and sang beautifully together. Knowing that just makes me smile every time I listen to it. It brings this weird sense of nostalgia, given I enjoy their catalogs and admire their vocal abilities.
All of them gave just enough to whet our appetites and respectfully didn’t try to outshine each other. It speaks volumes to the level of respect they had for each other as divas and vocal queens and proved to be a testament to Mariah's talent as a producer, having found a way to blend 3 distinct voices in harmony and in a way that everyone got their moment. I loved all the new background vocals and harmonies. Mariah really did her thing as a vocal producer.
If you listen closely right around 2:05 (after JHud belts out "Oh Saaaanta!" with her signature soul sound), Ari delivers a velvety run and you can hear Mariah harmonizing in the background along with Ari, complimenting Ari's beautiful run with one of her own. Ugh! It's so soothing to me!
I'm honestly grateful that this dream collaboration has been realized. Not here for any comparisons. Mariah, Ari, and JHud, all delivered as far as I'm concerned.
The smile on Ari's face after getting to harmonize a whistle with the queen and Mariah looking back at her brought tears to my eyes! What fucking moment! I think I can speak for most lambs in the land when I say, THANK YOU, Mariah!
#3 "Sugar Plum Fairy"
Mariah reigns supreme as the whistle queen and delivered nothing less than greatness in her rendition of "Sugar Plum Fairy," one of the most recognized Christmas songs in history. I love everything about it! The dramatic musical arrangement in the intro accompanied by Mariah subtly humming in the background before showing off her legendary whistle voice for what is 1-minute and 18-seconds of whistling Queen bliss. The only thing I longed for was to see her on stage, chirping this song out for us.
#4 "Silent Night"
From the angelic visuals to the choir, down to the vocals, I loved everything about her performance of "Silent Night." In light of the devastating effects of COVID, this rendition felt necessary, and Mariah sang it beautifully. She stood there looking like a Christmas angel with a single lit candle in hand and gave us full belts and breathy runs as she took us to church. The sparkling white ball gown she wore while performing this one was one of my favorite ensembles of the special, but that's another tangent...
Looking for Mariah artwork? Check out this amazing lamb's work, which includes a stunning "Oh Santa" cover art piece, masks, and many other festive Mimi-inspired creations to choose from! Follow @TheArtofMimi on Instagram and like some photos, or purchase something if you can.
#5 "Sleigh Ride"
This one was so much fun! Her voice is bright and clear, and it was nice to hear a fresh upbeat holiday record from Mariah (other than AIWFCIY), at the opening of the show. Sleigh Ride is already a classic infectious and festive holiday tune. Mariah just made it that much better. I find myself replaying this one a lot and foresee myself playing it at the start of my day every day during this holiday season.
Don't agree with my top 5? Tell me about it! Mention me on Twitter with your top 5 @Darrell_CScott.
Anyways, Thanks for reading! I hope all the lambs in the land are staying safe and enjoying Mariah's season to the fullest! If you liked this post and want to see more, please feel free to subscribe! It's FREE. I will be posting more song reviews and top 5 lists from the #MC30 celebration and others as they come to mind moving forward.
If you have a song review request, please let me know in the comments, @ me on Twitter @DarrellC_Scott or, message me on Instagram @DarrellC.Scott.
While you're here, please don't forget to check out my book, Manstress Diaries which tells the story of an unstable therapist who falls in love with a married addict! It includes plenty of Mariah-inspired moments that only the Lambily could truly appreciate, including chapters: "Stay the Night" and "Don't Forget About Us."
See my previous post for more information about me, this blog, my book and also peep the complete list of chapters to whet your appetite, or check out the product page. Thanks for reading!
