by Michael P. Coleman
The legendary Dionne Warwick and diva-of-the-moment Ariana Grande have released new holiday singles. Both deserve a place in your Christmas music collection.
Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” undoubtedly is keeping Mariah Carey up at night, as Grande has once again mined Mimi’s sound and displayed the pipes to pull it off. In fact, the infectious original Christmas tune sounds like a Yuletide “Dreamlover”, topping off a great year for the burgeoning artist. Time will tell whether or not she has a “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on her young hands.
Warwick pulled a Beyonce a couple of weeks ago, releasing “This Christmas”, an enchanting single that reunites her with composer Burt Bacharach, in the dark of a pre-Christmas night. Warwick certainly knows how to keep a secret, as she spoke with me last month about her love for the Christmas season and she never mentioned a word about this new single! It was a secret worth keeping — “This Christmas” is as warm and inviting as a mug of creamy cocoa. After listening to Grande’s “Santa Baby”, Warwick’s “This Christmas” reminded me of what great vocal pop music used to be.
Enjoy both singles, and Merry Christmas!
Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” and Dionne Warwick’s “This Christmas” are available at iTunes.com.
Look for Michael P. Coleman’s EXCLUSIVE conversation with Dionne Warwick soon at sacculturalhub.com, and for a feature on Warwick in the January issue of The Hub magazine.
Michael P. Coleman is a freelance writer based in Sacramento. He owns over 150 Christmas albums, from Christmas With Mahalia to Darius Rucker’s Home For Christmas. Connect with him at michaelpcoleman.com, via email at mikelsmindseye@me.com, or on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP.
