BY ARIELLE SPECINER
Daily Arts Writer
Published December 6, 2010
There's something about Christmas that makes your heart merrier — maybe just merry enough to listen to Jessica Simpson’s holiday album, Happy Christmas.
Jessica Simpson
Happy Christmas
Primary Wave Records
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This pop star (turned tabloid queen, turned country crooner) decided that 2010 would mark her return to the Christmas catalogue. And, conveniently, she's becoming semi-relevant again — coincidence? As a follow up to 2004’s Rejoyce, Happy Christmas is sure to bring the holiday cheer.
During the most wonderful time of the year, we are only so lucky to have Jessica Simpson carol her way into our hearts with fan-favorite holiday hits such as “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Jingle Bell Rock.” She also introduces two original songs, “My Only Wish” and “Kiss Me For Christmas,” to the holiday playlist.
Album starter “My Only Wish” is a jingle bell-ringing, piano-plinking monster of a Christmas song. Simpson gets listeners into the Christmas spirit as she sings about “Everything from snow to trees and mistletoe.” Similar to Mariah Carey’s smash holiday-pop hit “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” Simpson shows off her unbelievable pipes just enough to make fans remember why the tabloid star started singing in the first place.
Simpson also “blows up bushels of fun” on “Jingle Bell Rock.” The overly cheesy, lovable ditz sounds splendiferous as she “goes gliding in a one-horse sleigh.” It’s all cutesy and fun-sie and brings smiles to the holiday.
But there’s no doubt that the girl can belt it. Her vocals are also impressive on “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” Surprisingly, Simpson drives “Happy Xmas” with not only strong vocals but an acoustic guitar.
The last track, “Silent Night,” provides the most momentous point of the album. Backed up by strings and triumphant percussion, Simpson’s voice coalesces beautifully.
However, her voice does get a bit obnoxious.
If you’ve ever watched Ms. Simpson perform, you’ll notice her over-emoting, pursed lips and unnecessary spastic movement. As fans listen to the album, they’ll picture just that. The forced runs and pop-accented “Bay-behs” are just irksome — but come on, that’s what makes Jessica Simpson "Jessica Simpson." You’re just forced to deal with it. She’s that charming.
And ignoring her beautiful though sometimes overdone vocals, the album suffers from some other missteps, like when she tries to mash up the arrangement of “Here Comes Santa Claus / Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The mixing of these two standards works, but the rock-sock-hop version of them does not.
Whether you like it or not, Jessica Simpson has been referred to as America’s sweetheart. She’s the type of artist you either hate to love or love to hate. With her latest holiday album, listeners can’t help but fall in love with her adorable cheeriness and remarkable vocals. It's not easy to take Simpson seriously, but this holiday album proves that this southern belle is seriously talented.
