98 Degrees will be happy to help you ring in the holiday season with This Christmas. I was surprised by the great harmonies right from the beginning on “If Every Day Could Be Christmas”. I’m glad to see that they chose to go with the traditional adaptations of such songs as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, “Oh Holy Night”, and “Silent Night”, because when they stray from the time-tested formula, they get caught in a rut. Just listen to “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”.
The deep baritone on “The Christmas Song” really put me off, with the affected lowering of the vocals. And the original “This Gift” isn’t Christmas-y at all. At least they could have tossed in some jingling bells or a xylophone. Is that too much to ask for a Christmas album? I don’t think so. The same goes for “Christmas Wish”. Calling an apple an orange just doesn’t make it so. 98 Degree’s fans will love it, but everyone else should probably pass this one up.
+ cc morris
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