She won't have to
record a single other Christmas song because Mariah Carey already
has her stone cold classic in 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'.
This is one of those rare contemporary festive tunes that has
received universal approval and now sits alongside 'White
Christmas', 'Stop The Cavalry' and 'I Believe In Father Christmas'
as a bona-fide Christmas classic. Adopting a Phil Spector
methodology Carey threw herself into the recording and what emerged
was an engaging, if not totally exhilarating, homage to the season
of goodwill. The song emerged on Carey's 4th album,
released in 1994, called 'Merry Christmas' which contained 3
originals that she and Walter Afanasieff co-wrote. The other tracks
were a mix of traditional carols and secular tunes which all
benefited from Carey's desire to make the album sound as
traditional and Christmassy as possible. Given the critical success
and volume of sales of 'Merry Christmas' is seems a bit surprising
that it took Carey 16 years to record the follow-up. But, 'Merry
Christmas II You' did arrive in 2010 with 4 new originals written
by the singer as well as a reworking of her famous 'All I Want For
Christmas Is You'. The lead single 'Oh Santa!' certainly had the
energy and spirit but it failed to match the technicolour glory of
her former festive glories.