The Backstreet Boys - “A Very Backstreet Christmas” album review

Story posted October 19, 2022 in Arts & Entertainment by Natalie Simone.

It’s never too early for a new Christmas album. The Backstreet Boys released their own twist on some of the classic Christmas songs in the 13-song album, “A Very Backstreet Christmas,” Friday.

The pop-Christmas album averaged around 16,000 listens per song with an anomaly of the song “Last Christmas”, with 199,653 listens in one day. The Backstreet Boys’ audience, which is mostly older, has been provided with a great seasonal album, but some too avant-garde songs.

There seems to be three different aesthetics demonstrated in the album. One fulfills the classic, nostalgic atmosphere, the other fulfill an avant-garde take on a song, and everything else is in between the two.

Some of the songs with more classic moods and great melodies and harmonies are “White Christmas”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and some others.

Those songs had a more traditional sound and were nostalgic. On the other hand, some of the songs used synths and it is obvious that the Backstreet Boys tried to take a different approach than others. Those songs include, “The Christmas Song”, “Last Christmas” and “This Christmas”.

There were even a few songs that were very upbeat and would make great songs to play at parties like “Together” and “Happy Days”. The Backstreet Boys are known for releasing fun, upbeat pop songs that make people want to dance. This album definitely showed their versatility, but stayed true to their reputation of using lots of backup vocals and different dynamics.

For the most part, the album was full of songs that would be the perfect background sound for a Christmas dinner. Most of them were calm and peaceful sounding.

The song “Same Old Lang Syne” even expressed some emotion as it explains a heartbreak during Christmas. The lyrics, “And tried to reach beyond the emptiness / and neither none knew how”, are sung solemnly.

The album as a whole is very cohesive. If you listen to the album from the beginning to end, it slowly becomes more different in its vibe and mainstream.

In the beginning it remains consistent with staying true to the songs’ original vibes, but by the end the Backstreet Boys created diversity and added a lot of their own twists on the classic Christmas songs.

The Backstreet Boys didn’t disappoint anyone with this new Christmas album. It is whimsical, fun and full of famous Christmas songs. Each song can appeal to a different music lover because of the variety in the album. The 2022 holiday season is now expected to be full of “A Very Backstreet Christmas.”

Rating: 9/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, “Last Christmas”, and “Winter Wonderland”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “The Christmas Song” and “This Christmas”

Natalie Simone is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email nvs5790@psu.edu.