One cold winter’s night in early November, an Atlanta angel shared her season’s greetings in the form of a contemporary carol titled ‘Mrs. Claus Don’t Have 2 Know’.
Yet, what this visionary vocalist didn’t realise was the not-so warm reception she would receive, as the tongue-in-cheek track was met with apprehension and much criticism.
Instead of hopping on her sleigh and retreating, Chlöe, much like the name of her mixtape, decided Resurrection was the next best answer. Exactly one week later, she’s back bearing the gift of A Chlöe Christmas, an 18-minute EP which rings in a new generation of Christmas carols.
In case it wasn’t clear from Chlöe’s discography, she’s an expert in knowing her priorities, with ‘Treat Me’ and ‘Rose’ attesting to this. The EP’s first full-length track, ‘Money 4 Christmas ’, continues this self-assurance with the repetition of, “I just want some money for Christmas / Is you gon’ send some money for Christmas?”
Grand horns set the stage for ‘Mrs. Claus Don’t Have 2 Know’, the magnum opus, as its dramatic instrumental runs throughout and is fit for soundtracking any iconic slow-mo walk scene, and there’s a sleigh-packed amount of raunchy lyrics like “I’ve been a good girl all year” and “Sit up on your lap, ‘cause I love a man in power”.
Although the jingle bells and Christmas chimes may be subtle, this doesn’t discredit the song’s holiday genre placement, and its sultry lyrical content shouldn’t either. If pop-r&b alumni like Ariana Grande can sing about straddling by the fireplace in ‘Santa Tell Me’, or ‘A Christmas For 2’ where Brandy offers herself as a gift, “Slowly unwrap me, you can have me”, then why can’t Chlöe declare her “Cookie’s out for you, time to devour”?
‘Hallelujah’ plays is a synth-heavy number that feels distinctively 80’s-inspired with Chlöe repeating the track title in a variety of impressive vocal runs and riffs while ‘Winter Lover’ is the epitome of a contemporary Christmas classic.
There’s murky 808s, heavy-bass beats and jingle bells with lines like “Kiss me slowly while it snows, it’s cuffing season as you know” wrap this all together. Chlöe’s cadence on the second chorus harks back to pop-trap tracks like Bey’s ‘7/11’ or Grande’s ‘7 Rings’, and acts as the bow on top of this perfect present.
It’s obvious that Ms. Bailey is a Parkwood alum, as much like the label’s founder Beyoncé, who made her debut album B’Day in two weeks; Chlöe shared on social media: “Did I just whip up something together this past weekend? Yup.” And, assisted by KayCyy, who’s known for working with rap royalty, he revealed, “Me & C did this sh*t in like a night.”
After all the constant discourse about Chlöe’s artistry, is it fair that she should be put on the naughty list this Christmas?
Whatever the public’s perception is of the star, in ‘Here2Sleigh’ she acknowledges them: “I know you lurking hating on my page/ Sorry for you, yeah, you know I’m here to sleigh”, disregarding these premonitions completely.
A Chlöe Christmas rings in the festive season while setting a clear precedent for any criticism: “Stay mad ho-ho-hoes”.
I like Resurrection so I’ll check this out! But yeah the criticism on her is wild! I can agree though that there is something still off about her conveying sexiness. At times, it can feel like she’s trying too hard. Might be that how she seems in interviews doesn’t seem to match the music, but she’s allowed to be multifaceted. I think everyone just needs to take a chill pill regardless 😅. If Drake can be corny and cringe sometimes, so can she 😂. She’s still young in her solo career and experimenting.