Holiday Album Roundup 2012

Posted December 11, 2012 by J Matthew Cobb in Features

Cee Lo Green
Cee Lo’s Magic Moment

Thanks to 2011’s The Lady Killer, Cee Lo Green is looking quite comfortable riding in the retro bus. Magic Moment aspires to celebrate the ghost of Christmas past. Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas, Baby,” Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run” and Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means to Me” are all retouched with his highly-distinguishable soulful grit. Green doesn’t hold back on the Vegas glitz when he recruits the Muppets for “All I Need Is Love” and a cappella group Straight No Chaser for a moving remake of Dr. Suess’s “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Some songs lack cohesion, particularly when The Voice playpal Christina Aguilera duets with Green using copy-and-paste trickery for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” But Magic Moment works in reviving the classic R&B holiday collection. Major disappointment: Cee Lo misses a golden opportunity to whip out the originals. Could you imagine an amended holiday version of “Forget You.” Yes, the idea is extremely gimmicky, but totally necessary.