Sabrina Carpenter’s album fruitcake, released on Nov. 17, is the perfect record to get you ready for the Christmas season. A mixture of pop and holiday music, its six songs are the perfect accompaniment to drinking hot chocolate, baking gingerbread cookies, and wrapping presents under the Christmas tree. Carpenter puts a modern spin on Christmas classics, combining the best of both worlds and tailoring each to her unique style and heavenly voice.
“A Nonsense Christmas” introduces her unconventional, witty lyricism with some not-so-subtle innuendos. It induces a distinctly festive giddiness that will put even Scrooge in the mood for dancing. It is the perfect song to listen along with your friends as you get ready for holiday parties!
This follows into “buy me presents,” which mixes her distinctive pop sound with a classical feel. The song utilizes drums, keyboard, and a little bit of bass, and includes clever Christmas allusions, like referencing the Wise Men or a man who “knows when you’re awake and knows when you’re asleep”.
The next two songs, which are my favorites, slow the album down. In “santa doesn’t know you like i do”, she sings with amorous feel, describing a secure relationship, in which Carpenter knows her lover very well. It has an Adriana Grande “Santa Tell Me” feel, incorporating a range of vocals that will be sure be pleasing to your ears. She also sings how she has been with them through “the good and bad”, expressing how not matter the situation, unlike Santa, she will love them.
In “cindy lou who,” the atmosphere changes completely from fun, happy, and romantic, to heartbroken, with Carpenter’s gentle voice and beautiful writing. She laments how her old boyfriend is happy with another girl and how Christmastime only makes her feel more sad, seeing everyone else happy, but her.
Wipe your tears quickly though, as we get into another upbeat song, “is it new years yet”. Here, she illustrates the pain of being single during the holiday season, much like the previous song, but takes a more fun and entertaining spin on it, saynig how she cannot wait for Christmas to be over.
To end this lovely album, Carpenter takes on a charming and angelic rendition of the classic, “white xmas.” Taking her on spin on it, she adds vibrato do different parts and adds much more of a tone variation.
fruitcake is definitely worth a listen over winter break! Carpenter is an energic and enchanting artist whose songs reflect her bubbly and sweet personality. If you love fruitcake, you will definitely enjoy her other albums as well. Happy Holidays!
