Nearly a decade after becoming widely known as pop music’s quirky vocal powerhouse, Sia finally released a Christmas album.
Everyday is Christmas, which is a refreshing take on festive music you didn’t know you needed, dropped Nov. 17 — just in time for the beginning of the holiday season.
There must be something uniquely challenging about writing original Christmas music that’s both organic and appealing, but leave it to Sia, a seasoned songwriter, to succeed. Everyday is Christmas is a lovely blend of sugary sweet jingles and lovesick ballads that somehow capture both the adult emotional investment of the holidays and the childlike joy you can’t help but feel at Christmastime.
The album kicks off with two high-energy tracks that seem to emulate exactly what it feels like enjoy Christmas as only a child can — writing letters to Santa, eating too many cookies and waiting for the first snowfall. “Candy Cane Lane” is an especially fun, light hearted celebration of the excitement of the season that twinkles with vintage-sounding backup vocals and big band instrumentation.
The tracklist moves forward into some softer numbers with a distinctly more adult feel to them. “Snowman” faintly hearkens to Elvis Presley’s timeless “Blue Christmas” with its easy going jazz beat, and “Snowflake” essentially talks about cuffing season in the most romantic way possible over soft piano arpeggios.
The rest of the album alternates between more fun, youthful tunes like “Puppies are Forever” and songs with more grown-up, emotional lyrics. The title song “Everyday is Christmas” is quintessential Sia — happy, yet impassioned lyrics made all the more impactful by a mournful-sounding melody.
Everyday is Christmas isn’t normal Christmas music, but to expect anything less from Sia would have been to underestimate her. As a musician who is experiencing her career’s peak much older than most other currently trending pop artists, Sia brings a different element to pop music, and her holiday album is evidence of it. Her always awe-worthy vocals only add to the peppermint-flavored mix that makes up a fresh take on holiday music that stands out from a crowd of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” covers.
Rating: 4/5
