Album Review: Holiday Wishes by Idina Menzel

It's November which means holiday albums are coming out from many artists. Idina Menzel is a Broadway star. You might know her from Rent or Wicked. And unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard her voice many times singing "Let it Go" from Frozen.

I first heard about Holiday Wishes when the music video (embedded below) for Baby It's Cold Outside went viral because of the cute kids. The album version of the song is not as modified as the video version but the song still sounds amazing.

Many of the classics on Menzel's album have a jazz edge to them. It's nice because while they're the same old songs we hear every year, they have a fresh sound. My favorite classic on the album is Menzel's version of All I Want For Christmas Is You. I also like that she included When You Wish Upon A Star which isn't normally considered a holiday tune.

There is one original song, December Prayer, on the album. It's a very simple song with minimal instrumental sounds behind. I could clearly hear piano, harp, and oboe before more instruments filled the chords and bass. The lyrics are touching and while I don't see it reaching the "classic" level of other holiday music, I think it's a wonderful song that will touch everyone's heart.

Chorus:
Hear the song within the silence,
See the beauty when there's nothing there,
Sing a song within a silence that hope and love are everywhere,
And when the quiet night is falling watch an angel dancing in the air
To the song, the song within the silence a December Prayer,
A December Prayer. (Source: Metro Lyrics)

Disclaimer:I participated in the Idina Menzel Holiday Wishes album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided an album to review but all opinions are my own.