When Christmas Comes Around... in Bloomington, MN

Kelly Clarkson
's ninth studio album and second Christmas outing, 2021's
When Christmas Comes Around...
offers a mix of standards and original songs by
Clarkson
. Along with its 12 new recordings are three bonus tracks originally released between 2017 and 2020, including a version of
Vince Vance
's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (not to be confused with the
Mariah Carey
song). Other covers here include a refreshingly non-infantile "Santa Baby" and a jazz-combo version of
Wham!
's "Last Christmas." A vibrant, fully orchestral, high-volume set on average, it sees
take a momentary break from belting on the tenderer original "Merry Christmas (To the One I Used to Know)," a song she co-wrote with frequent contributor
Aben Eubanks
, and which still features the singer's precision pitch. More-high-profile collaborators here include
Ariana Grande
, who joins
on the upbeat "Santa, Can't You Hear Me," and
Chris Stapleton
, who duets on the equally exuberant "Glow," thought it regrets being separated from loved ones for the holidays. Following in the bootprints of 2013's
Wrapped in Red
,
topped the Billboard holiday albums chart upon release. ~ Marcy Donelson