SHREDnews

By: Kristina Valentine

Warner Bros. Records got into the holiday spirit this year by releasing the digital album Gift Wrapped: 20 Songs That Keep On Giving! This record is as diverse as it gets. It has everything from Michael Bublé to My Chemical Romance to Dwight Yoakam. It’s a mix between both classical and original holiday songs with such diverse genres that no one could get sick of the songs.

The album starts out with a live version of Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow by Michael Bublé. It definitely doesn’t disappoint. His crisp vocals shine through and you can almost hear his stage presence seeping through the track.

The album takes a sharp turn after that with a rocked-up version of All I Want For Christmas Is You covered by My Chemical Romance. The track starts out slow but after the intro, it really picks up in tempo. The lyrics are a blend of screaming, singing, and whispering in sync with the strong drum beats and guitar riffs.

The Flaming Lips donate an original Christmas song to this album with A Change At Christmas (Say It Isn’t So) It belongs on a holiday playlist for any indie fan, but it seems a bit too slow paced for me.  The vocals and the instrumentals seem to be leaning towards a more somber feel, but the lyrics are hopeful and positive. They remind us all of what the Christmas spirit really is.

The Lights and the Buzz is the same as any Jacks Mannequin song. That being said, Andrew McMahons vocals echo throughout the song beautifully while his voice communicates deep rooted lyrics and powerful instrumentals back then up.

Randy Travis gives some southern cheer to the album with Winter Wonderland. You can imagine this song being played at a bar while married couples dance around with smiles on their faces. The tune is the same as the original, but his country voice gives the song a nice twang.

NeverShoutNever!’s Christmas song 30Days makes a nice appearance on the album. It’s nicely placed between The Used Alone This Holiday and Dwight Yoakam’s Santa Claus Is Back In Town.  The song thrives in simplicity with just a guitar and some bells accompanying the young singers voice.

Relient K adds a nice original to the album with their song, Merry Christmas, Here’s to Many More. In the bands style, the song chimes with a subtle Christian theme. The song starts out a little slow, but really picks up towards the end chiming “You’ll hear our song in every room this merry Christmas night singing merry Christmas here’s to many more”

The album is perfect for anyone who likes music, and loves Christmas music. Listening to the album once through got me more excited for the holidays than any party or tree decorating has done. With it’s diversified artists, everybody’s sure to be happy with at least one song on it, making it a perfect playlist for this holiday season.

For Fans Of: Any Genre!
Overall Rating Out Of 10: 9
Top Tracks To Listen To: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Lights and Buzz, Santa Claus is Back in Town