Pop-star Colbie Caillat, known for songs such as “Brighter Than the Sun,” “Bubbly,” and “I Do,” returns with a new style. “Christmas in the Sand,” Caillat’s fourth studio album, is nothing more than another, repetitive Christmas album that sounds more like a grasp for straws than a fun, feel-good album, in characteristic of Caillat’s other records. While there are some songs worth a listening to, it’s not a new Christmas anthem.
What makes “Christmas in the Sand” an annoying album, is its “country” feel. While Caillat undoubtedly has a great voice, she is far from being a country singer. Her talent does not span to a successful country artist.
On the album, Colbie sings new songs, along with some new renditions of classics. For the most part, the album has quite a few songs that can be ignored. The worst songs on the album include: “Christmas in the Sand,” “Baby It’s Cold Outside” and “The Christmas Song.” The best two and the ones that are definitely worth listening to are, “Every Day Is Christmas,” and “Auld Lang Syne.”
“Christmas In The Sand,” is by far the worst song on the list with lyrics like, “I saw Santa in his bathing suit,” making up the majority of the song. The sentimentality behind Christmas begins to fall apart. “Christmas in the Sand” also lends itself way too much to this new found country taste that Caillat attempts to create on the album. “The Christmas Song,” in its simplest form, is a snoozer. With a sound and pace that will put anyone to sleep, it simply does not have the same essence as the classic rendition. Another classic, this time was not butchered by Caillat, but instead by the person she sings with, “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” sung with Gavin DeGraw. The song is not bad, at least not on Caillat’s part. The song suffers from the monotoned sound behind DeGraw’s voice, accompanied by his inconsistent and otherwise gravelly lines, creating an unharmonious sound between him and Caillat.
Caillat does bring a couple songs that are worth listening to. “Every Day Is Christmas,” may possibly be a true success story for this album. Unlike the rest of the album, there is a bit of power, along with some true emotions that bring about a truly classical Christmas feeling. The duet, sang with Jason Reeves, is one of a few gems within the album. Another standout song that is worth it is “Auld Lang Syne.” This song is something Caillat should be proud of. It is soft and sweet, but somehow keeps itself from becoming boring. It is a classic that is finally done right by Caillat.
The album as a whole is a cheap gimmick compared to her classic style. It seems more like an attempt to make money than do what she does best. Unfortunately for her, she cannot fully accomplish filling the cowboy boots she tries to wear throughout the album. With the exception of a few songs, the album brings about an emptier feeling that fuels itself off of the purely-for-profit, consumerist ideals of a capitalistic Christmas. Which is unfortunate since Christmas should be about so much more.
