John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John made a great pair in Grease,
so it stands to reason that they might do well to team up elsewhere
too. Still, it surprised me to see that they had decided to collaborate
on a new Christmas album. This Christmas is not an album I would
listen to repeatedly, but it is fun to listen to these two sing together
and imagine them as Danny and Sandy decades into the future.
The album consists mostly of traditional Christmas songs, a couple of
which, unsurprisingly, have a predominant romantic theme to them. Baby It’s Cold Outside
makes for a fun duet, particularly since Newton-John is the one
imploring Travolta to stay rather than the other way around. While the
pace feels overly slow to me, the flirtatious bickering fits these two
well, while the brass-heavy This Christmas, which features a lengthy piano solo, presents a more united expectation of a cheery Christmas.
Several of the songs have a jazzy feel to them, particularly the peppier numbers such as the two-minute-long Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, which includes a smooth sax solo by Kenny G, and Winter Wonderland, which includes Tony Bennett and the Count Basie Orchestra. Slower songs include the melancholy I’ll Be Home For Christmas, which is augmented by the presence of Barbra Streisand, and White Christmas, which includes the often-omitted introduction and resolves with some lovely harmonies.
Of the two, I would say that Travolta’s voice has held up much better
than Newton-John’s, and his sounds particularly strong on Rat Pack-style
numbers like The Christmas Waltz, which he performs by himself, and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,
in which he sounds much better in his solo lines than she does.
Together, however, they fare very well, particularly in the cozy The Christmas Song, which concludes with them wishing each other a merry Christmas.
They also sound quite nice in conjunction with others. With James Taylor in Deck the Halls, they make a terrific trio, and they complement choruses of children and adults well on the Celtic-flavored Silent Night and the intriguing medley of Auld Lang Syne and Christmastime Is Here.
While I don’t think the blend entirely works, the focus on nostalgia is
present in both, and it makes for a memorable album closer.
OF course, given the parties involved, I was hoping there would be a song specifically written to emulate the feel of Grease, and that comes with I Think You Might Like It.
This bouncy number does have a rockin’ 50s style to it, but it focuses
on a couple who have already found domestic bliss and have just been
separated from each other a while. It’s a nice song, but it doesn’t
really stick out in my mind, and I doubt it will become a big radio hit.
Ultimately, this album delivered about what I thought it
would. Sometimes it comes across as pretty campy, though it also is
quite nice in places. If you’re looking for a true fusion of Grease and Christmas music, you’ll be disappointed, but as a sweet reunion between two old friends, This Christmas is worth a listen.
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