Album Review: It Must Be Christmas by Chris Young

Every time I listen to Chris Young sing, I wonder how it's possible for all of the country music award shows to ignore him. Oh sure, he has been nominated a few times, but he gets snubbed more often than not. I'll never understand it. He is one of the best male singers that the genre has to offer and all of his albums to date have been wonderful. He's a great performer and as nice as they come. So what gives? 

Of course, when all is said and done, Chris is doing very well these days. His popularity has grown so much since I first saw him on Nashville Star and it's been fun to watch. It Must be Christmas is his first Christmas album and it's a great one. True to form. That wonderfully warm and rich voice of his is on full display. He doesn't take too many risks on this, choosing to go with a more traditional approach. It suits him well. Very well indeed. 

So let's talk about each of the tracks. 

"The Christmas Song". The opening track is a most inviting one. It's simple and classy and his vocal delivery is spot on. He has a way of making you see whatever it is that he's singing about. I'm not sure how exactly he does it, but he does. There's some big notes as it approaches the 3 minutes mark that I love. A very nice way to kick things off.

"Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". This is easily one of my favorite tracks on It Must Be Christmas. What a great song this is for him. It's one that feels good. I think that many a Chris fan will listen to this and wishing that he was singing it to them. He's good at that. He shows off the upper part of his range near the end and I like that. Great version of this song.

"Under the Weather". One of two originals on this album, and I believe that Chris was a writer on both, this fits in nicely with the Christmas standards. If there's one thing Chris excels at, it's singing a good country love song. As he sings, "the snow's coming down and it won't be the only thing falling / so let's stay here together under the weather". This song is classic Chris Young, in my opinion. Great vocal too, but really, that's true for every track. It's Chris Young, for heaven's sake.

"There's a New Kid in Town" featuring Alan Jackson. Originally done by Keith Whitley, it's no surprise that Chris would want to cover it as he has always listed Keith Whitley as one of his biggest influences. I love that this song features Alan Jackson. The two of them sound so good together. Let's be real, you can't go wrong adding Alan Jackson to a song. You just can't. Love this lyric too. 

"Holly Jolly Christmas". I'm so happy that Chris and his team decided to include this. He sings the song well and it's a nice change in mood. It gives the album a nice lift, which is great for the middle of the record. 

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Of course, it's the ballads that truly show off the richness of his voice. Chris is the kind of singer that I always believe when I listen to him sing. Meaning that whatever the lyric is, it always feels genuine. His delivery is as sincere as they come, in my opinion. Lovely arrangement, as well. 

"The First Noel" featuring Brad Paisley. Another great collaboration. Chris chooses his duet partners well. Nice build to this one, I think. It starts off very calm and peaceful and grows from there. Nice guitar solo by Brad. I like how it sends the song into another dimension, almost. The word majestic comes to mind. Nice track.

"I'll Be Home for Christmas". I'll be honest and admit that the opening always throws me off in a bit. It's not a bad thing, mind. As I said before, it's the slower songs that really show off his voice. Chris excels at them. His version had a very relaxed and cool vibe that I like. 

"Silent Night" featuring Boyz II Men. This was probably the track that I was the most curious about as I was wondering how Chris and Boyz II Men would sound together. I knew it would be good and I was right. It's another great vocal by Chris and their lovely harmonies complement it beautifully. It's an interesting contrast. Honestly, I would have loved to hear them do this a cappella because I think it would be stunning. Nothing against this version; I think I really just want to hear Chris do something a cappella. 

"It Must Be Christmas". The title track is the other original track on this album. This one wins the award for the song that I'm most likely to sing along with because I love it. Both the lyrics and the melody. I'd say that this is among his best vocals on here. A wonderful way to end the album.

Yup. Another solid album from Chris Young. No surprise there. That'll do it for this one. Keep up with Chris below:
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