Christmas (deluxe edition)

Only Cher could throw a Christmas party with Stevie Wonder, Tyga, Cyndi Lauper, Darlene Love, and Michael Bublé on the guest list—and on her first holiday album, the neatly titled <i>Christmas</i>, the legendary belter does just that. A collection of new cuts and seasonal chestnuts delivered in the legendary singer's strong alto, <i>Christmas</i> is a party soundtrack designed for a large gathering of people from different walks of life, with Cher's versatile voice serving as the evening's ever-welcoming host. <i>Christmas</i> leans into Cher's electro-diva status at its outset with "DJ Play a Christmas Song," a sparkling neo-disco track that puts a Santa hat on club classics like "Believe" and "Song for the Lonely," with Cher finding holiday camaraderie in the warm confines of the club: "Everybody hеre must be feeling the samе/Need a little joy and a little escape," she intones on the second verse, channeling the spirit of grinchier holiday tracks and flipping the script so dance-floor catharsis is the result. Its key change is a moment of triumph, sounding like a siren call for a red and green mirrorball to light up the night. From there, <i>Christmas</i> veers between the traditional and the new. Cher throws back to her roots in ’60s pop, throwing down with Stevie Wonder on the soul scientist's 1967 classic "What Christmas Means to Me" and vamping with Darlene Love over Wall of Sound production on the 1963 plea "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." She also calls back to more modern classics, duetting with smooth crooner Michael Bublé on a rework of his sentimental 2005 single "Home" and teaming up with Cyndi Lauper for a new take on "Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart," which was originally made famous by a then-teenaged LeAnn Rimes in the ’90s. Christmas ends on a hopeful note, with Cher fully throwing herself into an impassioned version of The Zombies' "This Will Be Our Year," a sweet tune about looking optimistically into the future with a loved one—a fitting close to an album that celebrates the holiday season with friends and good spirits.