Released: 15 October 2021
Kelly Clarkson ushers Christmas in early with her new holiday album.
The singer’s second festive effort comes eight years after ‘Wrapped in Red’, which featured a combination of original cuts and reworked standards, and spawned the modern classic Underneath the Tree.
‘When Christmas Comes Around’ follows a similar format, with interpretations of It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Santa Baby, Last Christmas and more – plus a bunch of new recordings.
Opener Merry Christmas Baby sees the newly-divorced pop superstar rethinking her holiday arrangements in the wake of a relationship fuelled by money and materialism.
Instead, she opts to enjoy the season in all its glory, with a record celebrating friends, family, love and wonder.
Cover recordings of holiday staples like Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree feed into the nostalgia of the season, but the originals more than hold their own on an album that’s both confident and cohesive.
That attitude is apparent on lead single Christmas Isn’t Cancelled (Just You), a definiant anthem for overcoming adversity and looking to a brighter future, while Merry Christmas (To The One I Used To Know) sees Kelly tap into her vulnerability and reflect on the past.
Topping the tender moments is Blessed, as she takes a moment to appreciate the life she’s built, while Ariana Grande collaboration Santa, Can’t You Hear Me will no doubt become a playlist staple.
Holiday albums have become the norm but they’re notoriously hard to perfect – fortunately, two records in, Kelly’s got the formula down to an art.
‘When Christmas Comes Around’ is available on CD.
