Album Review: A MERRY Christmas Is VERRY Here With Stephanie J. Block's New Holiday Album MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING

Heigh Ho, dear lovely rainbow tribe, welcome back to Bobby’s CD sandbox where we offer our broken-down breakdowns of new music releases. So, strap in and get ready, as Bobby goes on the record ABOUT the record.

This week’s music entry in the BobbyFiles comes from Tony® Winner Stephanie J. Block, whose Christmas Album MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING (from CLUB44 Records) bubbled up from the streams on Friday, November 3. Now, if you read Little Bobby (and we certainly hope you ALL read Little Bobby regularly) then you will recall our review in October of SJB’s early Xmas treat when she released a single of cut #1 from this collection - SLEIGH RIDE (Click Here To Read). We are now happy to report that the promise that early sample gave us has been more than fulfilled with this full album. We called SLEIGH RIDE bright and bouncy, and a great deal of MCD can also be described in that way. This is a good old-fashioned holiday music album, mixing old and new songs in arrangements with a few nice little surprises baked into this Christmas cake. The biggest selling point has to be Stephanie herself. This is a triple-threat actress who has worked hard to create the inroads in show business that make her a sought-after talent, and, besides, Christmas is right around the corner, and we all want good music to program for the next 2 months (and change). Along with SLEIGH RIDE, Stephanie has added her renditions of one or two other old American Songbook chestnuts plus a couple of bonafide Christmas Carols from the deep past that we all know and love, but the majority of the tracks come from the last 40-ish years to the present day. So, basically, there’s something for everybody here, except, in this rainbow writer’s humble O, this album is for everybody who celebrates the season of giving. 

Among the songs of faith that we call carols, the most venerable is SJB’s version of O HOLY NIGHT. One almost cannot do a Christmas album without a bonafide Christmas Carol or two and this old staple was bound to show up. Seeing it on the track list, Little Bobby’s eyes rolled a bit, because it was just too expected and our inner Scrooge took over for a moment… But only a moment. Here, SJB gives it her all but does not throw everything and the kitchen sink at it, the way a lot of singers do. Little surprises in her vocal acting happen here and there, keeping this one simple and straightforward, but with tiny “pop feels.” She makes this a hymn of joy for sure. Fast forward about a century and you will find Katherine Kennicott Davis’ THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, written in 1941 and recorded for the first time 10 years later by none other than Maria and all her little Von Trapps. HOWEVER, Freuline Maria could never have foreseen this rendition, in a million years, as the song opens with SJB’s daughter Vivienne Arcelus’ lovely soft vocals, immediately creating this new version for a new generation - THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL. Here, mother and daughter, together, are telling all that a drummer girl can make this heartfelt offering to the babe in the manger just as well. The pronoun flip works and gives new power to the tune, especially on the line about Mother Mary nodding to the young feminist percussionist in approval. 
 

The title track, MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING is cut three on the album, and if someone is going to take on an iconic holiday song originated by musicians as iconic as the Carpenters, it should be Stephanie J Block. She does honor to the original but adds her own vocal richness and the drama that only a singing actress can bring to it. This is a woman singing to the one she loves and is missing at the holidays. Truthfully, dear Bobby readers, after Karen’s version, Richard Carpenter & Frank Pooler’s lovely song never had it so good.

With HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, SJB misses a step. We all know who this classic belongs to, and taking it on can be an experiment that fails, and too much decoration is just too much, and many singers are guilty of this sin. Where Stephanie is concerned, too much power is also just that - too much. While SJB is economical in her vocal stylings, the power she puts behind this one, in volume and in a great deal of her intonation, overpowers this simple lullaby - Sorry SJB - one-half rainbow off for this and another half rainbow deducted for using the alt “Hang a shining star” lyrics at the end, instead of Judy’s original “Until then/muddle through” line. 

Now, we have always been of the opinion that YOU CANNOT HAVE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT NEW YORK CITY!! Don’t even try it, my angels, and MANHATTAN IN DECEMBER, a fab song by Ann Hampton Callaway, is a modern must for all holiday recordings. Evocative of both winter and Christmas, SJB’s vocals have the sound of a nightclub jazz chanteuse, and, let's face it dear ones, any holiday song that incorporates “Hell’s Kitchen” into its lyrics is more than fine by Bobby… And speaking of La Callaway, Stephanie includes another offering by Ann with GOD BLESS MY FAMILY -  a good choice for the final cut. AHC really is the one composer who has added to the classic repertoire for Christmas and that doesn’t happen often. We all have our faves and the standards rule the holiday roost, but AHC’s songs elbow their way through, and rightly so… Stephanie’s rendition is more than lovely and her voice gives these words and music real heart and pathos.
 

Overall, Stephanie J. Block keeps MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING bright and fun, and as the weather cools, we are getting the feels for the holidays, thanks to this album which is a real treat. And despite our earlier deductions here, she still gets a near-perfect score with …

4 Out Of 5 Rainbows

Put this one in your collection/streams today.

Jump In the Amazon & Stream This Xmas Treat: HERE

You Can See And Hear Everything About Stephanie J. Block On Her Webbysite: HERE

The YouTube Playlist (Where You All Can Read The Individual Song Credits) Is: HERE

OTHER CREDITS & THINGS
Club44 Records released MERRY CHRISTMAS, DARLING – the debut holiday album from Tony Award-winning Broadway star Stephanie J. Block – on November 3 on CD and on all the usual digital streaming platforms. The album is produced by Wayne Haun and Stephanie J. Block, with Joel Lindsey and Sharon Terrell serving as executive producers. The orchestra is conducted by Payton Altman. 

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