Gwen Stefani, You Make It Feel Like Christmas | Track Review

Gwen Stefani, with a little help from Blake Shelton, returns with “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” the promo single for her Christmas LP.

Gwen Stefani has done a lot of things in her career.  She was the frontwoman of No Doubt, clearly, her claim to fame.  After No Doubt faded, she didn’t, embarking on a fabulous, lucrative solo career, led by her multiplatinum debut, Love. Angel. Music. Baby.  While her successive albums haven’t had the same amount of success, Stefani has clearly left her mark.  Her next career adventure is a Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas.  Fittingly, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas,” featuring Blake Shelton, serves as the promo single.

“You Make It Feel Like Christmas” commences with a throwback, vintage-pop sound.  As the production develops, horns and background vocals arrive, ‘fueling the fire.’ Blake Shelton takes ‘first blood,’ delivering clear, nuanced vocals.  He doesn’t under- or over-sing, giving a balanced vocal. Gwen Stefani follows, taking the second half of the verse. Naturally, her distinct pipes further amplify the personality or “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.” In that regard, Stefani makes it known that she’s the star. Then again, who sounds like Gwen Stefani? No one. When Gwen and Blake join forces, they exhibit nice vocal chemistry.

Final Thoughts

Fun is the modus operandi of “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.”  It’s so energetic, one is hard-pressed to find glaring cons.  The biggest let-down is the fact that it just crosses the two-and-a-half-minute mark.  That’s very little song.  Other than that, there’s little to dislike, even if the song itself doesn’t make you go “gaga” over it. What it does do is set up You Make It Feel Like Christmas as a potentially intriguing Christmas album.

Gwen Stefani • You Make It Feel Like Christmas • Interscope • Release: 10.6.17

Photo Credit: Interscope