Merry Christmas with love --- Clay Aiken --- 2004 (RCA)
God, they just keep coming, don't they? Perennial runner-up to American Idol Clay Aiken had to have his stab at the Christmas market too, and this only his second album! Of course, the American public (and, I'm sure, many millions of his fans outside the States) ate it up, as you would expect, but really, it's just taking the michael, I feel. Oh well.
Apart from the usual fodder, it's at least interesting in that it features two cover versions of songs by Christian contemporary artists, both of which were written approximately twenty years prior to this album, with Mark Lowry's "Mary, did you know" while Sandy Patti's contribution forms the title track of the album. There's a medley of "Hark! The Herald Angels sing" and "Come all ye faithful", and one of my other Christmas favourites, Spector's "Sleigh ride", but then Celine Dion's "Don't save it all for Christmas Day" brings things back to earth with a bump, while the intensely annoying and smug "What are you doing New Year's Eve" closes proceedings.
I suppose you'd have to say that it was maybe a bold move, making only your second album a Christmas one. Certainly paid off for Aiken, who I have developed a little more respect for after seeing him as a finalist on Donald Trumps's "Apprentice" show. But the problem here is that the high album sales --- two million copies sold worldwide as of 2010 --- must surely have been down in very large part to American Idol fans, and really, those are the sort of people who would buy a turd if it had Clay Aiken's name and face on it.
Although maybe that's not being fair. To turds.
TRACKLISTING
1. O Holy Night
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Silent Night
4. Medley: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing/O Come All Ye Faithful
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
6. Mary, Did You Know?
7. Joy to the World
8. The Christmas Song
9. Don't Save It All for Christmas Day
10. Merry Christmas with Love
11. Sleigh Ride
12. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?