Your favorite Christmas songs get an interesting makeover.
Look, I'm going to level with you. This CD is ridiculous. I know it, the artists know it, and now you know it. Merry Mixmas is a collection of ultra-classic Christmas tunes "given a stylish modern twist," according to the blurb on the CD jacket. That means that the various producers and remix artists involved with the record simply took pieces of the holiday songs we all know and love and added drums and scratches and noises and bells and whistles to try to get us to shake our collective booty.
And they succeed. Yeah, I know, I can't believe it either. Don't get me wrong, the cheese factor of this disc is mighty high, but the last time I checked the Christmas season was generally pretty tacky anyway. Red and green aplenty, bright lights, inflatable light-up Santa Clauses and snowmen. I'd say that vacuous dance-pop remixes of Christmas standards fit right in - somewhere between It's a Very Brady Christmas and Christmas cards that play a scratchy version of "Jingle Bells" when you open them.
So yes, it is unnecessary and ridiculous, and the remix artists are so low-profile that few people would buy this album based on the lure of star power. But if you have a few extra bucks and are dying to hear the 50 bazillionth version of "Winter Wonderland," there's no reason that you shouldn't give this a try. It's not amazing - heck, I'd barely even call it good - but it could be fun music to play at your holiday get together.
1.5/4
