First Album Fridays
Norwegian popstar Ulrikke has released her first album in general and for Christmas entitled Spend Christmas with Me. There five originals & five covers.
The music is Holiday/Pop with Jazz. The covers are a lovely homage to the Christmas classic, and the originals have a fantastic modern sound. The Christmas Song has the remarkable sound of the piano in the background. There is a European vibe, more specifically Norwegian and Baltic cultures. There’s a fantastic mix of instruments: piano, drums, guitar, and the organ that complement the Christmas feeling of this album. Spend Christmas with Me is an excellent example of this, and it reminds me of a Ben Adams and Morissette single This Is Christmas, with the sound of sleigh bells added to it. Grown-Up Christmas List has a composition similar to Janet Jackson’s classic Again (at the beginning) and a Disney song entitled GoThe Distance (Hercules) by Michael Bolton. The music on this album has an incredible variety of musical styles and rhythms.
Ulrikke’s voice is soft, beautiful and rhythmic. She is versatile with a bold variety in vocals parallel to Brandy, Mariah Carey, and Naomi Scott. She sings in three languages: English, Norwegian, and Danish. In the song Grown-up Christmas List, Ulrikke has a vocal style similar to Janet Jackson in her 1993 hit entitled Again. She has four incredible duets: one with Ben Adams (Spend Christmas with Me), The Thor Thorsen (Wait Till Christmas Time), Christian Stahler (Christmas All Around), and Trygve Skaug (Nyttårsnatt).
The lyrics of the originals songs are well-written, cheerful and romantic. The Christmas vibe has a presence.
The song Spend Christmas with Me, a duet with Ben Adams, is cute and romantic. The subject matter parallels that of Mariah Carey’s 1994 classic All I Want for Christmas Is You.
Wait Till Christmas Time, a duet with The Thor Thorsen, is a
romantic and sentimental song. It’s about looking forward to spending time with a significant other, which is an understandable topic.
Christmas All Around, a duet with Christian Stahler, is a cheerful and happy song. It’s about the excitement for the arrival of Christmas from a young girl’s perspective. There’s a lovely description of the little joys of Christmas, such as decorating the tree, Santa and the Choir singing.
There are two songs in other languages: Nyttårsnatt (a duet with Trygve Skaug) and Finnes du Jul, both in Norwegian. I don’t speak Norwegian, but I used a translation app to know each song’s subject or to have an idea. Nyttårsnatt, according to some sources, means New Year’s Eve or Happy New Year, which has a festive vibe. Finnes du Jul appears to be a lovely and happy Christmas song about reuniting with family.
The words of these songs are beautiful and sweet. Well done!
The album Spend Christmas with Me is available.
