Album Review: Kelly Clarkson - Wrapped in Red

There hasn't been a Kelly Clarkson album I can say that I really like on the whole. Not that I find any of her albums bad. But with each one, I'm always left with a sense that Kelly is being typecast with her sound. And that even years after releasing an album like Breakaway and a mega hit like "Since U Been Gone", that she's constantly being made to release an album like THAT and a song like THAT. So a Christmas album, as predictable as it was with her being a pop star who can SING sing and being THE American Idol winner, was a chance of reprieve, for both her and I. And what she delivered was an unlikely window into the type of album that could work for her and actually break her away from the tried, slightly tired and tested sound she'd been putting out for a decade.

Wrapped in Red is produced solely by Greg Kurstin, who Kelly worked with on the studio album which came prior, Stronger. He was also responsible for what was one of my favourites from the album and  my fave Kelly Clarkson song period, "Dark Side". So, yes girl. Work with that man. Whilst Kelly has never had glaring issues with consistency when it comes to her albums, there's something to be said for working with one person for a whole album. Particularly when it's a Christmas album and you need a producer who is also a musician to help you find your own Christmas sound, and has the flexibility to tailor covers of songs to that, or visa-versa. Greg Kurstin is the perfect pick. Him being Jewish and reportedly not having the best knowledge of Christmas songs prior to this album didn't hamper a thing. He has an amazing track record for a damn reason.

Now, I'mma talk about the song "Underneath the Tree" for a moment, because this song is fucking amazing and deserves it's own paragraph. I do not get why this song isn't being played to the death every year by the masses. Now, we love Mariah Thee Caroler Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You". But Kelly's "Underneath the Tree" also deserves its place in the prestigious club of original pop Christmas songs which are widely played every year to the point of being traditional, because it really is just the perfect Christmas song. The damn thing even has a saxophone solo. A SAXOPHONE SOLO. I mention this song first, because the album...kinda goes downhill from here. Not in a bad way. But, this song is just that good that it's really hard to get excited about any of the other songs on this album, even though they're a lovely bunch o' songs.

So let us talk about the other original songs. They just don't match up to the quality "Underneath the Tree". This may seem like an unfair thing to say, but it highlights something that Mariah Carey isn't given enough credit for, and that's writing a good Christmas song. She hasn't just done it once with "All I Want for Christmas Is You". She did it again with "Miss You Most (At Christmas Time)". Then again with "Christmas Time Is In The Air Again". Then she did it again with "When Christmas Comes". Then again with "One Child". All of which are amazing songs. "Underneath the Tree" encapsulates a magic that Kelly and Greg Kurstin unfortunately don't hit again with these original songs, as nice as they are.

Album opener "Wrapped in Red" comes straight in with a classic Christmas sound and really sets the tone for the entire album. The thing with "Wrapped in Red" however, is that I feel it would have worked better if it weren't a Christmas song. Everything about it is good, and it fits the album just fine. But this is a style of sound that I would have loved to have heard Kelly Clarkson give on a regular studio album. "4 Carats" is fun has more of the effervescent fun vibe that "Underneath The Tree" has. It's a shame this wasn't made a single. Although it would probably go over many people's heads that it's a Christmas song, because it really could be a song from a regular-ass studio album Kelly Clarkson album. The weakest link is probably "Winter Dreams (Brandon's Song)" which is dedicated to her husband. Dedicating named songs to a lover is as weird to me as getting their name tattooed. What happens when it's over? I know a relationship ending isn't something most people consider when they're in a relationship and everything is going swell. But I'm not most people. And now look. Kelly and Brandon have separated, but this song is forever now bitch. It's a mushy love song which doesn't have the catchiness of the others, and falls short because it doesn't feel quite big enough when the key change hits. Bringing the string arrangements more to the forefront of the song and adding in a choir would have done wonders and given us a greater pay off. But the whole thing still has a great sound about it which is unmistakably Christmas. It's the perfect choice of song for a holiday themed TV commercial or a Christmas montage in a rom-com. "Every Christmas" is a winner. Unlike "Wrapped in Red" and yes, even "Underneath the Tree", it's the one song which doesn't sound like it's trying it's damnest to be a part of Christmas song canon. It's just a real smooth Christmas song with Kelly tapping into the Texan in her and crooning like her recording contract depends on it. It's a great song which really draws out the best elements of Kelly Clarkson's voice, and showcases that she can sound great without having to belt and go all sorts of high, which many of her singles are built around in a bid to show that she can sing. Because of course belting is the only sign of being able to sing well.

[Looks over at Christina Aguilera's My Kind of Christmas]

The Christmas covers are a nice mix of traditional songs that we all know and some choices which could be considered somewhat obscure by pop Christmas album standards. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "White Christmas" and the dreaded "Silent Night" all make appearances and Kelly sings them nicely enough. But the real gambits are "Run Run Rudolph", "Please Come Home for Christmas (Bells Will Be Ringing)" and "Blue Christmas" because they're rock and country leaning, which is where Kelly's voice shines brightest. Whilst Kelly has always been pushed full force as a pop artist, she's a a Texan girl who loves soul, blues and country and she fully leans into with these songs. Side note, a Kelly Clarkson country leaning album would go down a treat y'all. I'm surprised RCA didn't have Kelly release that album during that phase in pop when white artists decided to lean right into their whiteness and give us yodelayheehoo albums. "Run Run Rudolph" has the Texan jump all the way and give us a slice of confidence, bravado and an innate sense of Kelly that I don't think I've seen much on any of her singles. Her cover of the Elvis Presley famed "Blue Christmas" is gorgeous. Kelly's voice is like honey. The likes of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and "My Favorite Things" on the other hand aren't as great. Kelly sounds good on both of them and they're nice enough. But they feel so vanilla in comparison to the more blues and country tinged covers which are far less typical of what pop artists do on Christmas albums. They honestly feel like label compromises to keep the album commercial and familiar, because the switch in vibe on these songs feels drastic, and Kelly seems to sing them so differently from how I'd imagine she would based on the likes of "Every Christmas" and "Please Come Home for Christmas (Bells Will Be Ringing)".

There are a couple of songs which do stand out like motherfuckers though. "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" is a contender for a sad bitch Christmas anthem with its haunting arrangements. It's stunning. Then there's a cover of Imogen Heaps "Just for Now", which truly does sound like a song from an original studio album, even with the "Silver Bells" melody at the start. Both songs are great, but they just feel out so out of place. At the very least "Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel" is a bonus track. But "Just for Now" should have been as well.

Wrapped in Red could have been a too top to bottom safe, forgettable album, but it's actually really really nice. Even though I banged on about how none of the original Christmas songs hold a candle to "Underneath the Tree", they are still the highlights of this album. So much so that I wish Kelly and Greg Kurstin had done more original songs and been as bold as to done an album with perhaps 80% original Christmas songs. They have such a great musical chemistry. Kelly is also a damn good songwriter too, something I don't feel she's given enough credit for. BUT...then the rock, blues 'n' country covers are so damn good and manage to bring something out of Kelly's voice that not all of the original songs do and that we don't really get to hear on her standard studio albums, that Wrapped in Red wouldn't have been quite as magical without them. I know Kelly has tried to steer clear of being boxed in as a pop Country artist, but girl. Your voice suits the sound so damn well, and you sound amazing when you just surrender to it.

This album gives a far greater sense of who Kelly Clarkson is as an artist, as a vocalist and as a woman than most of what she'd released prior. This album could have so easily gone the completely wrong route by trying to be another Mariah Carey Christmas album or an overproduced affair that tries to do too much. But it manages to place Kelly firmly enough in the centre and play to her strengths. There  are a couple of missteps, which feel more like label interference as opposed to Kelly unknowingly doing so. But on the whole, this is a damn good Christmas album with a focus that somehow many artists still lose, even on a Christmas album.

VERDICT: UNDERNEATH THE TREE

Highlights:
■ Underneath the Tree 🏆 J's fave
■ Every Christmas
■ Blue Christmas
■ Run, Run Rudolph
■ 24 Carats
■ Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel