Justin Bieber makes an appearance and so does Tiller’s young daughter Halo when he finally gives in and makes something truly sugary.In a lot of ways, 2021 represents one of the most tragic periods in rap history. Kentucky R&B singer Bryson Tiller wrongfoots the listener for a moment on his brief EP, A Different Christmas (RCA, ***), opening the first track with a sumptuous wash of strings, before the computer beats arrive and his high voice starts meandering all over some cold, decidedly unfestive synths. The other genre of Christmas album is the one that simply puts the C-word at intervals into songs that sound the same as the artist does at any other time of year. Ariana Grande and country giant Chris Stapleton join the party on a lively collection with a more modern sound than most. Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath the Tree, from 2013, is a bubbly contender, and made such a hit of her first Christmas album that now she’s recorded a second, When Christmas Comes Around.
Like the Marvel Universe, it can be hard to know which newer songs are “canon” and on the must-play playlist every year. Is it weird if you tick off all the clichés – mistletoe, fires, snow etc – without acknowledging the sprout in the ointment that is the ongoing global pandemic? And if you do mention that, how to do so without turning your toasty ballad into a mood-ruining sleigh crash? Even Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s current number one single, Merry Christmas, piles on the winter charm but also follows the line “Just having so much fun” with the unquestionable downer: “While we’re here, can we all spare a thought for the ones who have gone?” This year it’s harder than ever to write a new Christmas song that gets the tone right. They all get round to it sooner or later, usually mixing the umpteenth unnecessary take on a few classics with the occasional original that just might, if Santa thinks they’ve been good, let them join Mariah Carey, Michael Bublé and Noddy Holder on the list of girls and boys who can spend December after December finding that their golden coins aren’t made of chocolate. Wonder if the pop stars update a shared spreadsheet so they can keep track of whose turn it is to make a Christmas album.
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