Review #3: “Everything Starts With Christmas” (2024) by Baa Baa Sheep Productions

Luckily, this blog is entirely and solely for the purpose of having fun, so I’m allowed to have a 7-month hiatus and then review another Christmas album in the middle of July. Let’s get into it.

As a preface, I did listen to this entire album for the first time during ACTUAL Christmastime while I was on a long drive, but then never sat down and wrote a review. In the present day, I’m giving the album a fresh listen on headphones so I can get an alternate audio perspective (listening in a car doesn’t necessarily allow for the sharpest aural experience) and so that I can affirm my opinions of each song individually and the album as a whole.

Track 1: Christmas Morning

Before I get into it, let me say: I do like this song—once they actually start singing. However, to be completely honest, when I was listening to this in the car as my first ever impression of the album, I was pretty frustrated that I couldn’t understand what the guys were saying at the beginning. Later when I discovered that there is also an accompanying YouTube video for this song my frustration was eased a little bit, but overall my opinion is that they should have cut the talking part at the beginning of this “song” for the album release.

All that being said, I think this is a pretty fresh ode to Christmas mornings. There is a lowfi-beats-to-study-to vibe which you might not think would necessarily convey the cheer and excitement usually found in a song based on Christmas morning, but once you listen more, you discover that actually in this narrative Santa is “still asleep in the morning / 6am in the morning / That’s way too early to deliver the gifts” so in fact I think the slightly dreamy quality is very appropriate.

A few notable moments:

- Early on, there’s a slight rhythmic stumble in the delivery of the lyrics “Every Christmas I be riding on the beat”, the irony of which did not escape me. Very appreciative of the easily overlookable moments in this song which elevate it in a great way.

- Near the middle of the track there’s a word-association-like call-and-response section that is a lot of fun and really works for the song

- Favorite lyric: “I got lots of Christmas presents / One of them’s a harmonica / Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, yeah / In Spanish, it’s called ‘Hanukkah.’”

Track 2: Christmas Under the Tree

Right off the bat, the scene is set: “I wake up in the Christmas / Take a look what I can see / I got all these presents, waitin’ for me / And they’re under the tree.” And then the entire rest of the song is pretty much talking about what else is under the tree for Christmas.

As far as vocal production, haters might say that this is not the singer’s natural timbre and he’s straining his voice, and that’s why he gives a hacking cough in the middle of the song. Nothing to say on that point.

Favorite lyric: “I got fireplace, chimney under the tree / Ow, that’s hot / Oo ba dee dee.”

Track 3: Christmas Lights, feat. Spencer Oswald

Genuinely there’s a few parts in the flow of this rap that I was pretty impressed with. I like the triplet section at around 2 minutes. I like the way each theme is laid out and then later on they fit together in a great way. It’s a bit of an earworm as well; I’ve found myself singing the bridge and chorus, and I really like the delivery of the lyrics “How do you feel about Christmas lights?”—it comes out a little more like “Chris-sa-mas lights” and it works.

Least favorite lyric: “I’m in awe of your naughtiness / You’re all on the naughty list / That time you broke my heart? / I saw that, and shawty / That’s a bad thing you did / So I hope you like coal / What idiot told you being naughty was the goal?”

Track 4: Christmas Wish, feat. Jayden Heart & A-Jam

Featured artists Jayden Heart and A-Jam both literally and figuratively bring fresh voices to the album. The album didn’t have a romantic Christmas song yet, and it needed this as a fun pick-me-up. “Christmas Wish” comes across almost like if Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and a few bored college students made a song together. The vibes are cozy, the harmonies are tight even if they’re sometimes slightly lagging behind the melody, and the longing is palpable.

Least favorite lyric: everything in the rap section, but most notably “Holla back at me, girl / That’s why they call it ‘holla-days.’”

Track 5: Sound of the Snow, feat. Bese$$en

I’ve only seen “Polar Express” one time and I hated it, but I’m assuming the sample used in this diss track is from that movie because of the line “We’re on the track / Like the Polar Express / Even Santa hates you / He forgot your address” and, you know, the other references to the movie throughout the song.

To be completely honest, I know the diss track is a popular musical form these days but it totally took me out of the Christmas cheer in the flow of the album. It just kind of made me sad. That being said, I did kind of enjoy the line “Hot take / If you offered me hot chocolate, I’d say no thanks / You’re looking like a motion captured person voiced by Tom Hanks.” Overall the rhymes were pretty good and the delivery didn’t take me out of the music.

Track 6: Tiny Tim

Any song named “Tiny Tim” is already going to make me tear up before I even start listening, because I am instantly reminded of the extremely moving performance from baby Kermit in the Muppets’ Christmas Carol (about which Charles Dickens later based a hit novel). So, I was admittedly predisposed to like this one. The general premise of the song is about someone who, when feeling disillusioned with the world and with Christmas in general, receives a vision of Tiny Tim, who comes to him and teaches him how to find the Christmas Spirit.

Musically, the song is essentially the same four chords with literally no variation, but the different timbres of the two characters as they interact conversationally with each other, as well as the tender message of the lyrics, makes this song a Christmas classic—and a wonderful homage to the legacy of Tiny Tim.

Track 7: Kazoomas, feat. Cory and the Food

This is undoubtedly my favorite track on the album. I think it could be argued that “Christmas Lights” is the “single” of the album considering that it was released as an actual single on Spotify before the album came out, but this track is stealing the show and the spotlight in my heart. It’s everything a Christmas song about a recent breakup needs to be and more.

This is a song that makes you think, should we be featuring kazoos more in Christmas music? In all music? Is kazoo THE instrument of the 21st century? And in this writer’s opinion, the answer to all of these questions is yes.

Favorite lyric comes from the chorus: “Alone on Christmas with kazoo / Deck the halls, ’cause I miss you / It’s just not Christmas without us / I guess I’ll call it ‘Kazoomas.’”

Track 8: Naughty List, feat. Gorilla Oranga-Tang

I think the track is good but the lyrics left something to be desired. The rest of the album set a certain standard as far as lyrical complexity and depth, and this track just dropped the ball, although I’m sure it was the best that featured artist Gorilla Oranga-Tang could do. I will say that the rhythm was spot-on, and the rhymes were passable. Didn’t have a favorite or least favorite lyric in this one; my feelings remained about the same throughout the verses and chorus. Didn’t really understand the title choice, either. I did appreciate the way the energy built up and released throughout the song; it felt natural and kept what could otherwise be a stagnant piece feeling like there was a sense of direction and intention. And, at the end of the day, this did feel like a good palate cleanser that was well-placed in the album.

Track 9: Obligatory Classic Christmas Cover Song (Bonus Track) [Really Good] [Parody of It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year]

You know, sometimes an obligatory classic Christmas cover song can really come as a letdown or an energy-killer in a Christmas album, but this track lived up to its second subtitle (“Really Good”) by being really good. Perfect way to wrap up this pithy, 30-minute tribute to Christmastime and all of its joys, woes, and mundanities. I particularly loved how the kazoo made a comeback at the big finish of the song; lovely time and place to add the unique timbre of that instrument and a wonderful way to tie the album together.

Initially I wasn’t a fan of the auto-tuned sound of the vocals in this song, but upon further contemplation I’d say that it’s actually a subtle commentary on the fake, commercialized nature of much of the Christmas music, tradition, and festivities that we engage in on a yearly basis.

Favorite lyrics: 

3rd place: “There’ll be stories of ghosts and the toasts and the, / Most of the stories of ghosts in the snow”

Runner up: the audible sniff heard at second 10 of the track

Pretty good one: “There’ll be children are playing / And Santa is slaying / With Christmas this year!”

Overall, I hope that this album will gain more traction later this year as the holidays begin to approach, and will continue to run the circuits of Christmas listening in years to come. While it’s not a perfect album, the sense of heart and whimsy poured into its production is palpable and significant. Give it a listen either now or at an appropriate month to listen to Christmas music, and let me know if you disagree with any of my impressions. Many thanks and much love to Baa Baa Sheep Productions in all of their endeavors.