Merry Christmas II You

《玛丽亚・凯莉：祝福之歌》流行天后Mariah Carey（玛丽亚・凯莉）全新大碟 这是Mariah Carey的第13张个人专辑，这也是她继连续三张全球大卖专辑，即2005年《Emancipation Of Mimi》（我心无羁）、2008年《E=MC²》（爱的相对论）、2009年《Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel》（不完美天使）之后的最新专辑。除了用Mariah式的风格重新演绎传统圣诞歌曲“The First Noel”（第一个圣诞节） 、“Little Drummer Boy”（小鼓手） 、“O Little Town of Bethlehem”（哦，伯利恒小镇） 、“O Come All Ye Faithful”（哦，来吧真诚的人们） 之外，《Merry Christmas II You》专辑也包含了4首由Mariah自己原创的歌曲，其中包括主打单曲“Oh Santa! 哦，圣诞老人”及其他很多给歌迷的惊喜。新专辑的制作人包括前美国偶像评委Randy Jackson，多白金唱片制作人Jermain Dupri，James Poyser（Aretha Franklin， The Roots， Lauryn Hill和其他知名歌手的制作人），以及5次奥斯卡提名、多次格莱美/托尼/艾美奖获得者作曲家Marc Shaiman。相信Mariah天使般迷人的嗓音必定会温暖这个寒冬节日中人们的心灵！ ------------------------------------------------------------------ Merry Christmas II You is the second Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The album was released on November 1, 2010 and features four original songs, covers and medleys of several traditional Christmas songs, and a re-recorded version of her 1994 Christmas hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You". After the cancellation of Carey's thirteenth studio album/second remix album Angels Advocate, speculation began to shift onto an alleged Christmas album. Fashion photographer David LaChapelle told The Times on April 24, 2010 that he shot the Christmas album's artwork, thus confirming that Carey was indeed planning to release her second holiday album. It was revealed that long-time collaborators for the project include Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johntá Austin and Randy Jackson. Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 said about the album, "Anyway, Mariah's Christmas album is said to be very lush, with lots of strings and no hip hop. A lot of it is said to be 'live' and there's an orchestra. So let's chew on that news, and calm down about the other. And believe me, she won't be announcing anything at Radar Online owned by the National Enquirer. That won't be happening!" It was later announced that Carey had worked with Broadway collaborator Marc Shaiman, with Carey saying that he was her favorite collaborator since her days with Walter Afanasieff. During a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, in August 2010, Island Def Jam executive Matt Voss announced that the Christmas album would be out on November 2. Several days later, the album's title was revealed. The II represents the follow-up to 1994's multi-platinum Merry Christmas album. An accompanying DVD will also be released. Three track titles have been passed around the web; Bryan-Michael Cox confirmed through Ustream that a track named "Oh Santa!" had been recorded. This will serve as the album's lead single. The song premiered on AOL Music on October 1, 2010. In November 2011 in an interview with Extra, Carey stated that she wanted to re-release the album containing festive collaborations with Justin Bieber and John Legend. In its opening week in the United States, the album debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 56,000 copies, surpassing the opening week sales of Carey's previous holiday album Merry Christmas of 45,000 copies 16 years prior, and making Merry Christmas II You Carey's 16th top 10 album. The album also debuted at #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, making it only the second Christmas album to top this chart, and also hit number #1 on the Holiday Albums Chart. On January 11, 2011, Merry Christmas II You was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of 500,000 units. As of April 2013, the album has sold 523,000 copies in the United States and 1,500,000 worldwide. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average". Both Allmusic and Rolling Stone gave the album three stars, with Caryn Ganz of Rolling Stone writing "Sixteen years have passed since Mariah Carey released her first blockbuster holiday album, but she hasn't lost her desire to dress up in a Santa suit or the silky flexibility of her voice...Half of the disc's new originals are ballads [and] thick with gooey orchestration... but Mariah bops to a schoolyard-chant beat on "Oh Santa!" and digs out a retro groove for "When Christmas Comes." Ganz concluded that although some songs on the album are lacking, "the LP's warm heart is in the right place." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine gave the album a mixed review, calling the album "adventureless", he wrote, "Aside from a few tracks co-produced by Jermaine Dupri, Carey's notions of what a holiday album is are exactly as they were 16 years ago. Ditch the hip-hop beats, heap on the figgy orchestral pudding. Pass those synthesizers to the left, gather around the brass section and the little drummer boy." Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post also gave a mixed critical reception to the album. Comparing the album to Carey's 1994's Merry Christmas, Fennessey suggested that, while Merry Christmas II You sees the "return [of] her piercing, five-octave vocal range to its glossy, meretricious roots", none of the new songs are as exciting or timeless as "All I Want for Christmas Is You". The album got 4 out of 5 stars from About.com, with reviewer Bill Lamb describing the album as "relaxed [and] comfortable", and, consequently, "very engaging." Lamb continues, "Some of the best moments evoke a party atmosphere. 'Oh Santa!' is perfect music for a party with friends. Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing along. Mariah Carey's version of music from 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' has an air of relaxed intimacy with breathy, jazzy vocals that will warm your holiday heart. The live version of 'O Holy Night' from WPC in south central Los Angeles will cause chills in its live simplicity. It is an opportunity to hear Mariah Carey tackle some deeper, throatier tones." The Houston Chronicle gave Merry Christmas II You three stars out of four, lauding the singer's vocal form on the album. Joey Guerra writes, "Carey sounds better than she has in a longtime throughout Merry Christmas II You, which keeps her in a swirl of gospel choruses and lush production. Her belting is strong, and she doesn't overdo the breathy coos." Guerra also had strong praises for a number of songs, calling "Oh Santa!" "irresistible", and writing, "'Christmas Time Is in the Air Again' boasts swooping notes and tasteful strings, and 'When Christmas Comes' plays like a holiday spin on the brassy R&B tunes that highlighted Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi disc... The solemn 'One Child' sounds a bit like a Michael Jackson tune (complete with kid chorus). It's a bit overwrought, but it's hard not to be swayed by the sweetness." The reviewer concluded that "Merry Christmas II You should boost the singer's career." (wiki) ------------------------------------------------------------------ by Stephen Thomas Erlewine Merry Christmas was released in 1994, and 16 years later Mariah Carey delivers a sequel, appropriately titled Merry Christmas II You and also featuring the diva in a sexy little Santa suit. The similarities don’t end there, either: Mariah revives her original seasonal tune “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and often touches upon the classy, clean updated traditional vibe of her readings from the 1994 set. Underneath this surface, Merry Christmas II You has a different vibe than its predecessor, derived in large part from the numerous originals here. Five of the 12 full songs bear a Carey writing credit (including that revival of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”) and these new tunes sometimes give Merry Christmas II You a lively modern feel, particularly the jumping Jermaine Dupri/Bryan-Michael Cox co-written opener “Oh Santa!” and the slow groove of “When Christmas Comes,” highlights that balance the too saccharine sentiment of “Christmas Time Is in the Air Again” and “One Child.” The range of these originals indicates the scope of the record as a whole, how it touches on a little of everything to please every kind of audience, mixing up “Auld Lang Syne” and a medley of Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas with traditional religious carols and secular favorites like “Here Comes Santa Claus.” Apart from that pair of stiff originals, the whole thing is cheerful and engaging, a worthy sequel to its predecessor.