Wrapped in Red

''Wrapped in Red'' is the sixth studio album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on October 25, 2013 by RCA Records. The album is a follow-up to her first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits – Chapter One'', and its companion extended play, '' The Smoakstack Sessions Vol. 2''. Produced by Greg Kurstin, it is her first Christmas album and her only record to be solely released by RCA. ''Wrapped in Red'' consists of sixteen tracks, featuring five original songs co-penned with Kurstin and eleven cover versions of Christmas standards and carols, two of which are duets featuring singers Ronnie Dunn, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood.

Weary of constantly being asked for her primary genre, Clarkson had long desired to record a Christmas album as a means to defy genre limitations. She commissioned Kurstin, who had studied jazz music under the tutelage of Jaki Byard, to produce the entire album. Drawing inspirations from the soundtracks of '' A Charlie Brown Christmas'' and '' White Christmas'', as well as the Christmas albums by Mariah Carey, McEntire, and Phil Spector, they experimented on various styles and sounds using Spector's famed Wall of Sound technique to create a contemporary holiday theme to classics. The Christmas music of ''Wrapped in Red'' comprises a variety of genres such as pop, jazz, country, and soul, marking a departure from the pop rock sound established from Clarkson's previous studio albums, while its lyrics share a singular theme of the color red, which represents a plethora of emotions during the holidays.

''Wrapped in Red'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart at number 3 and topped the ''Billboard'' Top Holiday Albums chart with 70,000 copies sold in its first week of release. For nine consecutive weeks, ''Wrapped in Red'' stayed on the top ten of both charts and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and Music Canada. By the end of 2013, it became the year's best-selling Christmas release in the United States and the second best-selling Christmas release in Canada. Its lead single, "Underneath the Tree", became an international top forty Christmas hit song and was radio's most-played new holiday song of 2013. In promoting ''Wrapped in Red'' Clarkson appeared in red dresses on various televised appearances and filmed an accompanying television special, '' Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale'', at The Venetian Las Vegas, which premiered on NBC on December 11, 2013. In 2014, Clarkson released the title track as the second single and hosted the Christmas benefit concert, Miracle on Broadway, at the Bridgestone Arena from 2014 to 2016.

Background

Clarkson had expressed interest in recording a Christmas album for years, having recorded various Christmas songs such as "Oh Holy Night" and "My Grown Up Christmas List" on the '' American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics'' (2003), "I'll Be Home for Christmas" on '' iTunes Session'' (2011), and being featured on Blake Shelton's Christmas album '' Cheers, It's Christmas'' (2012). Weary of constantly being asked for her primary genre, she felt that recording a Christmas album would finally pave a way for her to explore other different genres. She remarked, "I always get asked what genre I'm in: 'Is this country or pop or rock? What are you?' And what's cool about making the Christmas album was, 'Oh, there are no limitations! We can do whatever we want!'". She further added, "The thing about Christmas is that it almost doesn't matter what mood you're in or what kind of a year you've had—it's a fresh start. I'm going to clear the air and take stock of the good that's happened."

Discussions about making her sixth studio album being a Christmas record began on December 2012, a month after releasing her first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits – Chapter One''. Having found the opportunity to do so, Clarkson commissioned producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin, whom she had previously collaborated with on her albums '' Stronger'' and ''Greatest Hits – Chapter One'', to solely produce the whole album. Despite having been raised in the Jewish faith and unfamiliar with Christmas songs, Kurstin agreed to produce the project. As a result, the record marked the second time her studio album only had a single producer (the first being David Kahne solely producing ''My December'' in 2007). It also marked the fourth time Kurstin had solely produced an entire studio album apart from being a member of the musical groups The Bird and the Bee and Geggy Tah (the first three being Lily Allen's ''It's Not Me, It's You'' in 2009, Sia's ''We Are Born'' in 2010, and The Shins' ''Port of Morrow'' in 2012).

Recording

Recording sessions of the basic instrumental tracks for ''Wrapped in Red'' took place in Kurstin's Echo Studio in Los Angeles while orchestral sessions were recorded at EastWest Studios in Hollywood and featured vocals recorded in The Barn studio in Nashville. In recording tracks for the album, Clarkson and Kurstin wanted to showcase as many different styles as they could by experimenting in various sounds and styles to create fresh, contemporary sound to classic-sounding music. Kurstin recalled: "It was a lot of fun for us because we got to go back to our roots. When Kelly started singing, it was clear she had the chops and had been trained to do anything." He further added: "We really experimented. It was so much fun and liberating. And it pays off." Kurstin, who studied with jazz musician Jaki Byard at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, recruited various jazz and soul musicians such as James Gadson, Kevin Dukes, Roy McCurdy, and Bill Withers to perform on the record to resonate a Memphis soul sound. He also collaborated with Joseph Trapanese to arrange and conduct a chamber orchestra.

In providing instrumentation for the record, Kurstin used all of his instruments, such as a Mellotron and a Chamberlin, taping them from a distance to simulate the Wall of Sound, a recording technique originally developed by Phil Spector that was popular in the early 1960s. He enlisted Clarkson to provide all the background vocals herself. Clarkson, who grew up singing in a choir, was pleased with the aspect, saying: "Blending is something I knew how to do from childhood. Sometimes I'd have to do an alto instead of a soprano because they needed a bigger sound. But I've never had to do anything like this before—doing all my backup vocals, essentially being my own choir." Together, they began to record in May 2013 and continued through the summer of that year, beginning by recording " White Christmas" with Clarkson in the vocal booth and with Kurstin on a piano. She commented: "The production is all him. I would be just like 'Hey, can we make this more jazz? Hey, can we make this more bluesy. And he just, like Harry Potter, made this happen. It's so weird."

Composition

Theme and influences

Clarkson has cited the color red as the album's only theme. A color traditionally associated with Christmas, she affiliated the color to various emotions in the holidays. Wanting to stray away from her usual pop sound, she described ''Wrapped in Red''s music as a representation to explore different genres such as jazz, country and Memphis soul. She recalled: "What's cool about Christmas albums is you can do jazz, rock and roll, you can do pop, you can do blues, like you can do all that stuff and it works—cause it's all classic and it's Christmasy sounding." She also noted that the album's multitude of styles positively contributed to her artistic goal, saying: "My best friend from childhood heard it and said, 'This is what you sound like, before everything else.' And I agree, It's my core sound. Back in the day, when artists came out with things like " Fall to Pieces" and " Bridge over Troubled Water", those songs transcended genres. It wasn't, 'Where is it going to fit?' You catered to whatever the song calls for. And that's exactly what I did—without having to have an umbrella for everything."

In gathering inspirations for ''Wrapped in Red'', Clarkson started by listening to Bing Crosby's and Rosemary Clooney's contributions to the soundtrack of the 1954 feature film '' White Christmas'', as well as Mariah Carey's '' Merry Christmas'' (1994) and ''Merry Christmas to You'' (1997) by Reba McEntire. While Greg Kurstin, who used to play in a jazz band, took influences from '' A Charlie Brown Christmas'' by the Vince Guaraldi Trio and ''A Christmas Gift for You'' by Phil Spector as his inspirations, which resulted in the album's Wall of Sound resonance. Clarkson also cited that her relationship with her then-fiancé Brandon Blackstock had inspired some of the album's lyrics.

Song analysis

Clarkson shares writing credits on all five original songs on ''Wrapped in Red'', some of which were written in December 2012 to avoid writing Christmas tunes during the 2013 summer season. She co-wrote the opening and title track, "Wrapped in Red", with Ashley Arrison, Aben Eubanks, and Shane McAnally. A Christmas ballad, the song was inspired by a scene in the holiday feature film ''Love Actually'' (2003), in which someone confesses unrequited love towards another. Critics singled out the track the one that resonates the Wall of Sound the most. The second track, "Underneath the Tree", was written by Clarkson and Kurstin, making it the first time they had co-written a track together. Clarkson remarked: "Greg and I have worked a lot together, but usually I just come in and I just sing. We've never have actually written a song together at this point. And he and I were like, 'Let's just try to write something for the record." RCA Records chief executive Peter Edge remarked that its release as a single was partly inspired by the success of " All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey. The following track is a rendition of the holiday standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which Clarkson had selected for its saccharine content.

Clarkson favored "Run Run Rudolph" as her favorite classic, saying: "Just because it got to be a little more rock and roll." She also remarked that " Please Come Home for Christmas (Bells Will Be Ringing)" was the first song selected for inclusion after her mother's recommendation and the song's melancholic lyrics. Written by Clarkson and Eubanks, "Every Christmas", was the first song to be written for the album. She revealed that the song narrates of her holiday life prior to meeting Brandon Blackstock, Reba McEntire's stepson, saying: "Every Christmas, I was just like, 'This is going to be different, right? I'm going to actually find someone and not be pathetically alone for the rest of my life?'". The seventh track is a cover of Elvis Presley's " Blue Christmas". Its follow-up, a rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside", features Ronnie Dunn. Clarkson had approached Dunn thinking that his personality suited the song's content well, saying: "Like, it's straight-up his personality to say all of that to try and get you to stay, and have a drink." " Winter Dreams (Brandon's Song)" was written by Clarkson, Arrison, and Eubanks as a companion piece to "Every Christmas". Dedicated to Blackstock, the song accounts her holiday after meeting him. She remarked: "Christmas changes, it morphs, it comes to life a little more… It's just a happier time."

The tenth track, " White Christmas", was the first song to be recorded for ''Wrapped in Red''. A cover of Rodgers and Hammerstein's " My Favorite Things" follows up as the eleventh track. Clarkson opted for the Broadway performance of the song to stray away from Julie Andrews' version, citing: "I think you shouldn't go near anywhere of what she's doing because she's so good." Clarkson and Kurstin co-wrote " 4 Carats" with Cathy Dennis and Livvi Franc. Originally written as a pop song, they converted it into a Christmas song to fit the album's theme, describing it as a crossover between Eartha Kitt's "Santa Baby" (1953) and Madonna's "Material Girl" (1984). A rendition of Imogen Heap's "Just for Now" was described by Clarkson as her highly dysfunctional environment, saying: "Can we just stop for like five minutes and have like a normal Christmas setting?" The song begins by sampling the melody of the Christmas tune "Carol of the Bells". The closing track, a rendition of the traditional carol "Silent Night", features McEntire and Trisha Yearwood and ends in an a cappella setting between the trio. In addition, two tracks were also included in the deluxe edition of the album: the first, Clarkson's cover of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" from her '' iTunes Session'' extended play, and the second, her rendition of the first stanza of the ecclesiastical hymn " Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel".

Release

''Wrapped in Red'' was first released internationally on October 25, 2013 by RCA Records through Sony Music Entertainment. It then received a North American release on October 29, 2013 by RCA as part of its holiday promotional campaign with the soundtracks to the feature films ''Black Nativity'' and ''The Best Man Holiday'', with ''Wrapped in Red'' being promulgated as the one that will transcend formats and become a new holiday classic. In an interview with ''Billboard'', RCA marketing executive Aaron Borns remarked that the album was their main release of the holidays, quoting: "The angle on this album is that, like all great Christmas records, it's about amazing vocal performances. That's what this is intended to be – an album launched this year but timeless and genre-defying." In preparation for its release in the United States, RCA shipped a half-million units on Amazon.com and Target, which exclusively released a deluxe edition. A red LP pressing of ''Wrapped in Red'' by United Record Pressing followed the CD release on November 25, 2013, marking the first time an album by Clarkson was released on a vinyl record. A deluxe LP and CD edition was also released on the Sony Music store, which included a scarf, a holiday ornament and a snow globe, all of which were decorated in red as inspired from the album. An international promotion campaign was also planned for Clarkson, but was later halted due to her pregnancy. On October 21, 2014, ''Wrapped in Red'' was reissued by RCA with a special edition CD+DVD release exclusive to Walmart stores in the United States. A green LP pressing of the album would also be issued with a limited 500-copy release on December 9, 2014.

Promotion

On October 15, 2013, " White Christmas" was released as a promotional single from ''Wrapped in Red''. Three days after, "Underneath the Tree" premiered on Clarkson's Vevo channel. A television Christmas special, titled '' Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale'', was filmed by concert director Hamish Hamilton on October 30, 2013, the eve after its street date, at The Venetian Las Vegas. A pastiche of ''A Christmas Carol'', the Christmas special featured live performances of selections from ''Wrapped in Red'' (one of which featured Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood). Produced by Done and Dusted, ''Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale'' premiered on NBC in the United States and Global in Canada on December 11, 2013, being pegged by RCA as the album's primary promotional medium. NBC's premiere broadcast of the special was seen by 5.31 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. It also received a 1.4 share among adults between the ages of 18 to 49, and generated NBC's second biggest overall audience in its time slot. NBC had also a rerun broadcast of ''Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale'' on Christmas Day, which was seen by an additional 3.54 million viewers.

Clarkson also promoted ''Wrapped in Red'' in various televised performances, in all of which she was dressed in red attire. She first performed "Underneath the Tree" on ''The Today Show'' on November 26, 2013. On December 4, 2013, she performed "Run Run Rudolph" and " Blue Christmas" on the ''Christmas at Rockefeller Center'' television special. Clarkson had then performed "Underneath the Tree" on more televised events, such as on the fifth season of ''The Voice'' on December 3, 2013, ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' on December 5, 2013, and on ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' on December 12, 2013. On December 25, 2013, Clarkson returned to ''The Today Show'' on its Christmas Day broadcast, performing "Blue Christmas". Selected tracks from the album were also used in advertisements, such as "Run Run Rudolph", which was used in a Belk holiday advertisement, and "Underneath the Tree", which was featured in an Amazon.com and Amazon Kindle Fire HDX advertisement with an appearance by Clarkson performing the song. The following year, on December 20, 2014, she hosted a Christmas concert, Miracle on Broadway, at the Bridgestone Arena. An annual Christmas benefit concert, Miracle on Broadway featured live performances of various Christmas songs by Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Kacey Musgraves, Hayley Williams, Charles Esten, and Meghan Trainor, some of whom joined Clarkson in performing selections from ''Wrapped in Red''.

The lead single from ''Wrapped in Red'', "Underneath the Tree", was released to radio airplay on November 5, 2013. Praised in its initial release, music critics approvingly compared the song to " All I Want for Christmas is You" and blazoned it as a future Christmas standard. Reviewing for ''Slant Magazine'', Sal Cinquemani wrote that the track would likely become Clarkson's very own contemporary standard, while ''The Independent''s Hugh Montgomery applauded it as "a winner on all fronts." After debuting on the ''Billboard'' Holiday 100 chart at number 34, it became a holiday top ten hit by peaking at number eight on the chart. It also topped the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart for four consecutive weeks, becoming Clarkson's third track and the fifteenth holiday song to top the chart. "Underneath the Tree" also charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number seventy-eight and became a top forty hit internationally, ranking on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Hot 100 chart, the Dutch Top 40 chart, and the UK Singles Chart. ''USA Today'' reported that "Underneath the Tree" was American radio's most-played new holiday song of 2013, while Edison Media Research reported that the single was the first holiday song to receive a considerable support on mainstream contemporary hit radio in almost 20 years. ''Wrapped in Red''s second single, the title track, was serviced to radio airplay on November 25, 2014. On the week ending December 28, 2014, it debuted on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart at number 11.

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 6 reviews, and scored higher than any other album by Clarkson. AllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave it a rating of three-and-a-half out of five stars. He described its uptempo arrangements, as well as Clarkson's vocal performance, as "bold and brassy" and its mid-tempo arrangements as "even more alluring". He also noted the track selection "favors the bold," but that "she fares well in this setting, always sounding like the strongest element in the mix". Towards the end of his review, he wrote: "Perhaps the concept and execution are conventional, but even in this utterly expected setting, Clarkson retains her fiery, individual spirit, and that's what makes ''Wrapped in Red'' appealing: to the letter, it delivers what it promises." Sal Cinquemani of ''Slant Magazine'' also gave it a similar rating. He noted that the album "largely offers a respite from the pop-rock template she's been relentlessly pursuing since '' Breakaway'', with less shouting and more of the varied range and texture on full display that helped crown her the winner of the inaugural season of ''American Idol''. For better or worse, a decade of recording and touring has roughed up the edges of her voice, lending a lived-in quality that imbues lyrics about love and longing with an authenticity that might have otherwise been missing had she recorded these songs just a few years earlier." While ranking the "21 Best Christmas Albums of the 21st Century" six years later, he wrote for ''Billboard'' that "It's the album's five original songs, all co-written by Clarkson, that make ''Wrapped in Red'' the best Christmas album of the century so far."

NPR's Ken Tucker described the album as a "glossy but heartfelt work" and approvingly compared its contrasting philosophy to Nick Lowe

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