Brett Eldredge: Mr. Christmas Review

Brett Eldredge is no stranger to Christmas music. Eldredge is an extremely popular country artist in the Chicagoland area, who hails from Paris, Ill. Eldredge played at the Cubs’ 2016 World Series parade as well as Chicago festivals such as Windy City Smokeout. His 2016 album, “Glow”, is a simply gorgeous Christmas album, packed to the brim with classic songs. Eldredge then produced a follow-up album to “Glow”; the album was titled “Mr. Christmas” (2021).

So, after a five-year Christmas album hiatus, did Eldredge’s second holiday album live up to my high expectations? I have to say that it did.

While “Glow” contains the Christmas essentials such as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, “The First Noel”, and “White Christmas”, the new album contains lesser-known Christmas songs. These songs include “Merry Christmas Baby” and “I Heard Bells on Christmas Day,” as well as two originals co-written by Eldredge himself: “Mr. Christmas” and “Feels Like Christmas”. Though I’d say that “Glow” contains the more traditional Christmas songs, the “Mr. Christmas” album does not feel like a waste of time or a retread. It feels like a brother album that sounds wonderful played back to back with “Glow”. Eldredge fills out his Christmas catalog perfectly with this record.

The standout tracks on “Mr. Christmas” are the title track, “Mr. Christmas”, “Merry Christmas Baby”, and “Feels Like Christmas”. Though Eldredge is traditionally a country artist, “Mr. Christmas” is not your typical country Christmas album. There are no acoustic and steel guitars, banjos, or fiddles present in these records. The gorgeous production sounds right at home in a Michael Bublé or Frank Sinatra Christmas album. Producers Jay Newland and Rob Mounsey did a great job capturing a traditional Christmas sound throughout the record. The production, featuring mostly traditional Christmas elements such as violins and horns (mainly trumpets and saxophones), is killer in “Mr. Christmas”. It evokes the feeling of listening to a big band record.

The title track, “Mr. Christmas” is the clear stand out to me. Written by Eldredge and Ross Copperman, “Mr. Christmas” is a delight to listen to. The horns, mainly the saxophone and trumpet, present are simply gorgeous, sounding equally grand and joyful. Eldredge is sure to pay homage to Chicago in the lyrics, referencing famous Michigan Avenue (“We'll take a stroll down Michigan Avenue/I'll turn your heart green and red instead of blue”). The guitar solo that leads into the bridge gives me serious “Jingle Bell Rock” vibes; it was wonderful. Overall, the title track did not disappoint. I love the sentiment of wanting to become “Mr./Mrs. Christmas” for your significant other; it is sweet.

The other Eldredge original, “Feels Like Christmas”, is a standout on the record. This time around, Eldredge is the sole writer of the song. The mid-tempo track is extremely catchy. In particular, the lines in the chorus, “Hey, hey hey, Santa’s on his way. Ho, ho, ho, where’s the mistletoe?” sounds gorgeous. I can’t help but want to sing along when the chorus kicks in. I’ve grown to love Eldredge’s songwriting over the last few years. Much like his underrated 2020 release, “Sunday Drive”, Eldredge packs “Feels Like Christmas” with great imagery (banisters wrapped in holly and lights, evergreen candles and cinnamon spice). Small details like these make the song feel lived-in. The imagery is top-notch, making you feel like you’re in this moment that he and his loved one are sharing.

Eldredge’s vocal performance is gorgeous in “Mr. Christmas”. He ranges from extremely playful on tracks such as “Jingle Bells” and “Cool Yule”, to simply jaw-dropping on “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. Eldredge is channeling his inner Sinatra once again on this album. His range cannot be ignored.

The production, like Eldredge’s vocals, is also gorgeous throughout the record. The plentiful additions of saxophones, trumpets, violins, and piano make this a sonically brilliant album. Even if Eldredge didn’t have a beautiful voice built for Christmas songs, this album would still sound stellar.

My only negative with the album itself is that the tracks present simply aren't as essential as the songs present on “Glow”. It’s an inherent flaw that any follow-up Christmas album will face, so it’s very minor in my opinion. This album is still a beautifully produced Christmas LP that would sound right at home on any Christmas playlist.

Michael Bublé definitely has some competition for the title “King of Christmas” after this LP from Eldredge. His gorgeous, booming voice, coupled with the joyful production on the record, make this album a must-listen this holiday season. “Mr. Christmas” would be a perfect album to turn on Christmas Day sitting around the tree. And if you’ve fallen in love with Eldredge’s Christmas catalog, he’s playing the iconic Chicago Theater back-to-back nights on Dec. 17 and 18 at 8:00 pm.

8.5/10