I never thought I’d be doing a Christmas post at this time, but I’m totally bummed that I’d never heard Mariah Carey’s version of O Holy Night until I was poking around YouTube looking for a (believe it or not) Miami Vice video the other day. A great performance that actually gave me chills.

Sure, her style isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but let me tell y’all, some of the notes she hits during her performance are beyond stratospheric and positively mind-blowing – that girl can sing! It’s bluesy, passionate, tastefully done, and (more than anything else) righteous. Different from Ricki Lee Jones’ wonderful version in just about every way one can imagine, but just as great. It’s the mark of a great tune.

Not that I’m totally surprised, mind you – after all, her “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is one of my all-time Christmas faves. And I like the way she both presents and expresses herself during the song – she knows she’s just toying with a tune that her incredible range can run rings around. Just listen to how on the first “O night divine” she hits that note most mere mortals reserve for the second time around. Then, the second time around she’s in “dog range”, hitting a note I’ve never heard before (is it mezzo soprano?). What’s most surprisng (at least to me) is that she does it with a joy and dignity to pull it off without sounding irreverent. It’s a very fine line for sure – as a diva she comes awfully close – but she pulls it off in a fantastic performance.

You know what else I like? I like the way she smiles during the song, as if she’s almost embarrassed to really let loose, the way she wears her hair down with her Christmas dress, and the way the puts her hand up to her ear when she hits a really high note to make sure she gets it right (Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys used to do the same thing when he was front and center back in the early and mid-70s).

All in all, a great performance. Do yourselves all a favor and file this one away for next Christmas season!

Now, back to 2013…