Kelly Clarkson is still one of the best stars to come from American Idol alongside country princess Carrie Underwood. Following the release of her huge-selling second album Breakaway, Clarkson has had a bit of a rough ride commercially but achieved her best album sales in years with 2011 album Stronger. Last year she released her first Greatest Hits album and earlier this year she released her first proper country single Tie It Up, which is believed to be the lead single from a forthcoming country album. Ahead of the festive season Clarkson is releasing her very first festive collection Wrapped in Red.
Wrapped in Red has already been released in the US where itās peaked at number 3 so far. The album is a mixture of classic Christmas songs and original tracks alongside a cover of Imogen Heapās holiday-themed Just For Now. The title track Wrapped in Red kicks the album off with Clarksonās trademark powerful vocals taking the lead over producer Greg Kurstinās festive production. Lead single Underneath The Tree is one of the highlights on the record and could quite easily find itself becoming a Christmas classic. The bouncy production would make Mariah Carey proud and Clarksonās vocal is particularly strong.
Elsewhere on the album Clarkson tackles festive favourites including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Blue Christmas and White Christmas. She teams up with Ronnie Dunn for a playful rendition of Baby Itās Cold Outside and enlists country greats Trisha Yearwood and Reba McEntire for a powerful version of Silent Night. Johnny Marksā Run Run Rudolph allows Kelly to let rip over a classic rockānāroll beat showcasing the edgier side of her voice.
Original track Winter Dreams (Brandonās Song) was written for Clarksonās husband and it actually already sounds like a festive classic. Itās a beautiful moment on the record and one of the highlights. We werenāt quite as keen on 4 Carats which acknowledges the more commercial side of the festive season as Clarkson pleads for an expensive surprise on Christmas Day. My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music is another song we werenāt all that keen on and it doesnāt really fit with the rest of the songs here.
For the most part Wrapped in Red is a fun and enjoyable Christmas album. It showcases various sides of Clarksonās remarkable voice and is a pretty cohesive collection of songs. Whilst itās not as good as Mariahās classic Merry Christmas, itās definitely up there in terms of holiday albums from best-selling stars. Weāll definitely be giving it plenty of plays over the Christmas period. Well done Kelly!