Yes bitch.
A Christmas album from JoJo isn't something I'd ever thought about or even considered. That was until she posted a clip back in 2019 of a Christmas song she'd been working on, and then I was set. I needed a Christmas album from JoJo. And two years later, she gave me one.
When I REALLY think about it, a Christmas album from JoJo is a no-brainer. Had she not been completely fucked over by her first record deal, she probably would have put one out far earlier in her career, not long after The High Road. After all, JoJo's middle name is Noëlle (hence the retitling of "The First Noël") and she's born in December (hence the album title).
December Baby is your standard setup - an album comprised of contemporary takes on traditional Christmas songs and original material. But this is JoJo. So of course she sings the shit out of every song. And the great thing with December Baby is the liberties that JoJo takes with some of the traditional songs. JoJo is fearless when it comes to her music and her craft, and her approach in the face of songs which are household names that have existed for generations is no different. JoJo tweaks, changes and adapts these songs to fit her vision for December Baby, which is basically an R&B Christmas album. But in some instances, mainly the songs confined to intros and interludes, she doesn't change much. So there's a really nice mix of traditional songs as you knew them, and brand new interpretations, an expectation which JoJo sets from the get-go. Album intro "Noelle" ("The First Noël") is exactly as you know it. But then "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is a bit more R&B heavy, a little faster, and has your shoulders bouncing in a way you don't recall the original doing. December Baby does this back and forth between old and new throughout, and it's a nice touch and not something we get with a lot of Christmas albums. Artists either completely gut every song, or they keep their renditions so close to how most know them, that it's just 'whatever'. The anomaly is Mariah Carey. Who managed to keep all of the traditional songs traditional, but sing them in a way that was unique, inimitable and so unmistakably Mariah. What JoJo does with December baby falls somewhere in-between.
I always roll my eyes whenever I see "Silent Night" on a Christmas album, because it's a song that I'm sick to death of, and one which has been ruined so many times over the years. Whenever capable singers sing it, they end up ruining it by oversinging it. JoJo thankfully is a lot more tame. She still sings the damn thing down, but it doesn't feel as over the top and blasphemous as say Beyoncé's take on it, which went from really nice to too much, REAL fast.
The original songs here are all great too. The album title track is gorgeous, and rings with an instant familiarity when you hear it, as a good Christmas song should - sounding like a cut from A Motown Christmas. It has all of the clichés you want in a Christmas song; sleigh bells, a music box and strings. And between the arrangements of the song and that it's JoJo, it's also easy to envision all of the different ways in which this song could be covered, flipped and switched up. Acoustically with just a guitar, on a piano, with an orchestra or a fucking ukulele. So I hope JoJo gives us an acoustic variant of this album as she did Good To Know, or that she gives us some live performances of this song.
A Christmas album from JoJo isn't something I'd ever thought about or even considered. That was until she posted a clip back in 2019 of a Christmas song she'd been working on, and then I was set. I needed a Christmas album from JoJo. And two years later, she gave me one.
When I REALLY think about it, a Christmas album from JoJo is a no-brainer. Had she not been completely fucked over by her first record deal, she probably would have put one out far earlier in her career, not long after The High Road. After all, JoJo's middle name is Noëlle (hence the retitling of "The First Noël") and she's born in December (hence the album title).
December Baby is your standard setup - an album comprised of contemporary takes on traditional Christmas songs and original material. But this is JoJo. So of course she sings the shit out of every song. And the great thing with December Baby is the liberties that JoJo takes with some of the traditional songs. JoJo is fearless when it comes to her music and her craft, and her approach in the face of songs which are household names that have existed for generations is no different. JoJo tweaks, changes and adapts these songs to fit her vision for December Baby, which is basically an R&B Christmas album. But in some instances, mainly the songs confined to intros and interludes, she doesn't change much. So there's a really nice mix of traditional songs as you knew them, and brand new interpretations, an expectation which JoJo sets from the get-go. Album intro "Noelle" ("The First Noël") is exactly as you know it. But then "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is a bit more R&B heavy, a little faster, and has your shoulders bouncing in a way you don't recall the original doing. December Baby does this back and forth between old and new throughout, and it's a nice touch and not something we get with a lot of Christmas albums. Artists either completely gut every song, or they keep their renditions so close to how most know them, that it's just 'whatever'. The anomaly is Mariah Carey. Who managed to keep all of the traditional songs traditional, but sing them in a way that was unique, inimitable and so unmistakably Mariah. What JoJo does with December baby falls somewhere in-between.
I always roll my eyes whenever I see "Silent Night" on a Christmas album, because it's a song that I'm sick to death of, and one which has been ruined so many times over the years. Whenever capable singers sing it, they end up ruining it by oversinging it. JoJo thankfully is a lot more tame. She still sings the damn thing down, but it doesn't feel as over the top and blasphemous as say Beyoncé's take on it, which went from really nice to too much, REAL fast.
The original songs here are all great too. The album title track is gorgeous, and rings with an instant familiarity when you hear it, as a good Christmas song should - sounding like a cut from A Motown Christmas. It has all of the clichés you want in a Christmas song; sleigh bells, a music box and strings. And between the arrangements of the song and that it's JoJo, it's also easy to envision all of the different ways in which this song could be covered, flipped and switched up. Acoustically with just a guitar, on a piano, with an orchestra or a fucking ukulele. So I hope JoJo gives us an acoustic variant of this album as she did Good To Know, or that she gives us some live performances of this song.
With "Coming Home" and "Wrap Me Up", it's clear that JoJo wants some fucking for Christmas. The songs are nowhere near as filthy as they could be given their titles. Not even remotely. There's a lot you could do with a song titled "Coming Home". ♪ Gimme dat good love, spray it on me like Egg Nog, make it sloppy like peach cobbler ♪. Both songs are tame and far more tastefully written than they woulda been in my hands, although the implications of both songs are very clear before JoJo even utters a word, as the music is so smooth and seductive, that it's clear these are the Christmas fuck songs of the album.
"North Pole" doesn't sound like your traditional Christmas song; giving off winter wilderness as opposed to winter wonderland, which is what makes it so cool. It has a gorgeously ethereal vibe with its gurgling synths, and JoJo's vocals on the hook giving me Frozen II Aurora Spirit vocals. The entire thing feels so otherworldly, which is of course fitting, given that it's about the North Pole.
After her guest feature on PJ Norton's Grammy winning "Say So", PJ returns the favour on "Wishlist". This is a gorgeously depressing song which pretty much likens Santa Claus to God, in wondering if he exists given the loss experienced, and if he has the power to make it right. It's one of those 'Christmas in my feelings' type songs that I'm a bit of a sucker for. It's heart-breaking to listen to because of how stripped back the song is and the emotion JoJo carries in her voice. It wouldn't surprise me if this song was about her father who passed in 2015, because it certainly feels heavier than a song about splitting from a partner. This would make a great Christmas single. It's not the most typically festive, which is exactly why it would be such a great choice to cut through the noise of everybody doing their best to hold a candle (and fail) to Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You".
We can't talk about a JoJo album without mentioning vocals. It's a given that JoJo sounds great on this album. Those expecting all manner of crazy acrobatics and doses of extra-ness may be a little disappointed. Although, this hasn't really been JoJo's style on studio recordings for a while now. JoJo gives you VOCALES on every song. She doesn't have it in her not to. But she's very reserved. JoJo places a stronger focus on her control in lower registers and her tone than she does showing agility in her upper registers. She never gives more than a song requires, which is refreshing for a Christmas album, where so many artists with pipes use it as a chance to show off and do the most. This entire project is about setting a mood, and more about JoJo showing her musical versatility as an artist as opposed to her dexterity as a vocalist. JoJo could have hit you with belts and runs on every song, and picked traditional songs which would force her to really go off, but she didn't. This is the sign of a singer who is 100% confident and has nothing to prove. And it's not like JoJo doesn't give anything at all. There is no mistaking she can sing.
If like me you weren't in love with the initial release of Good To Know, there may be more to like with the original songs on this album, as they're more of what it lacked and what we then got on the Deluxe edition. And there is a nice narrative with runs through the album via the interludes, with JoJo going from house to house carolling and experiencing a different take on Christmas in each home. You really do get a sense of who she is with this album, which is nice, and makes December Baby more than just a collection of Christmas songs. It gives the album title and its cover a greater context. This isn't just an album about Christmas. It's a reflection of what Christmas means to JoJo.
Highlights:
■ Noelle
If like me you weren't in love with the initial release of Good To Know, there may be more to like with the original songs on this album, as they're more of what it lacked and what we then got on the Deluxe edition. And there is a nice narrative with runs through the album via the interludes, with JoJo going from house to house carolling and experiencing a different take on Christmas in each home. You really do get a sense of who she is with this album, which is nice, and makes December Baby more than just a collection of Christmas songs. It gives the album title and its cover a greater context. This isn't just an album about Christmas. It's a reflection of what Christmas means to JoJo.
December Baby is a really nice album. I just wish it were a little longer, as 5 out of the 15 songs are interludes, albeit interludes which are songs in themselves - pretty much all of which had the potential to be made into full length songs. And some of the main songs are also pretty short. But as is the case with how JoJo approaches songs vocally, no song runs the risk of outstaying its welcome, making this a really tightly wrapped packaged. Albeit one which could've been a teeny bit bigger.
Highlights:
■ Noelle
■ O Come All Ye Faithful
■ December Baby
■ December Baby
■ Coming Home
■ The Christmas Song
■ North Pole
■ Silent Night
■ Wishlist 🏆 J's fave
■ The Christmas Song
■ North Pole
■ Silent Night
■ Wishlist 🏆 J's fave
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