Merry Christmas II You

It would have been something quite extraordinary if Mariah Carey had managed to produce another Christmas record as amazing as 1994's Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas II You has a different vibe and lacks the overall magic of its predecessor, but it's a wonderful record all its own and features some truly outstanding tracks. I'm not madly in love with a few of the songs on here, but there is no doubt that this album has earned a spot in my annual rotation of Christmas music. And I might as well be the one to say it - Mariah still makes that Santa's helper outfit look really good.

I must admit that I found the first half of this album somewhat uneven. Oh Santa! Is a fun and catchy tune which you can't help but compare to Merry Christmas' All I Want For Christmas is You - that's a fight it cannot win, but it's a really nice song that really grows on me more and more each time I hear it. I did feel tinges of disappointment with the songs O Little Town of Bethlehem and The First Noel, though. To me, it seemed like Mariah was trying a little too hard on these songs, overdoing her famed vocal acrobatics in particular to the extent that her voice didn't seem wholly natural. Then, on the jazzy Charlie Brown Christmas, her voice seems noticeably airy. Don't get me wrong - these are still good songs. The only track I have a problem with is Here Comes Santa Claus, which is weighted down with a lot of hip hop background noise and a beat that sometimes had me expecting someone to break out with a rendition of Another One Bites the Dust.

Once I got to Oh Come All Ye Faithful/Hallelujah Chorus, though, this Christmas album really seemed to come alive. Mariah's soulful and reverent lyrics are wonderful, but the unexpected addition of a true opera soprano (none other than Mariah's mother, Patricia Carey) ringing out the Hallelujah Chorus makes this the most powerful version of Oh Come All Ye Faithful I've ever heard. It's a little weird to hear someone singing higher notes than Mariah, but the fusion of these two incredible voices is magical. The live version of Oh Holy Night (my favorite Christmas song of all) is a true gift from Mariah to the world. Few singers can truly do this song justice, but Mariah is undeniably among them. The power just keeps building with One Child, an absolutely beautiful song. Of all four brand new songs on this album (all co-written by Mariah), the one I think people should really be talking about is this one. Up next is a new Extra Festive version of All I Want for Christmas Is You (which is still my second favorite secular Christmas song of all time) - this is the very definition of a sure thing. Mariah still has one Christmas miracle up her sleeve, though. I always find New Year's to be a depressing holiday, but Mariah strips all traces of melancholy out of Auld Lang Syne to produce a track that even I find infectiously joyous.

Every year since 1994, Mariah has helped me get into the Christmas spirit, and I am delighted to now have two musical sources of inspiration to draw upon. I really don't see how anyone could listen to this album and walk away disappointed.

I loved every part of this album and have listened to it everyday since i first got it in the mail! Fans will love the production. You can tell she put a lot of effort in making this an even better album than her first. So many details that most people will over look (like the fact that if you listen to her first album, the 2nd album is made so that you start with Santa clause is coming to town which is what the last album ended with! so thoughtful) My favourite songs are: When christmas comes, Charlie brown Xmas, Noel, Oh Santa, Bethlehem! Fans will really appreciate the duet she made with her mother! It really is such a rare song! I loooove her smooth R&B modern cover of Here comes Santa clause! I think some people don't appreciate Mariah's post 90's work because they are just living in the past. She's grown so much but still her music has her distinct sound and that's what I appreciate the most. All these covers and newer songs sound distinctly Mariah and her fans will love it all! The only song I thought could have been made better was Auld Lang Syne. It has a strange dance remix... I really wish she covered it in a slow tempo.

You know that something is wrong with someone's career when they release a second Christmas album. Mariah Carey's second Christmas album is not as disastrous as most of her post-90s work, but even diehard fans will have a hard time finding something to celebrate in here. Her first Christmas album is a pop classic where even the new, self-penned songs sound like vintage Christmas music. All of which makes "Merry Christmas II you" even more of a letdown.

Mariah has obviously decided to go for more of the same - similar title, same logo, same pose and clothes on the cover, re-recording two songs that were already on her first Christmas album ("O holy night" and "All I want for Christmas is you", both of which are not up to their original recordings). The only problem is that the results are not as convincing as they were on her charming first Holiday release. Try as she might, her voice is now a shadow of its former self, something obvious even though she tries to cover it by using endless choir effects (especially on the single "Oh Santa !", which unsuccessfully tries to duplicate the 60s girl group sound that made the original version of "All I want for Christmas is you" so damn irresistible). Don't get me wrong - it's an okay album, the production is adequate, the song selection is mostly good, and many of her fans will like. But when you decide to make a second Christmas album, you better make sure it lives up to the first one... which is far from being the case here.