R&B quartet Boyz II Men were still basking in their massively successful single “End of the Road” when their first-holiday album, Christmas Interpretations, hit stores in the fall of 1993. The first single from the album was “Let It Snow,” and while the group could have gone the pop route and just covered the Vaughn Monroe standard, the four gents from Philly delivered a holiday slow jam classic.
“Let It Snow” found the group working with Brian McKnight, who produced the song with BIIM and co-wrote it with group member Wanya Morris. Wanya opens the song with his signature lush vocals crooning:
“It’s another Christmas holiday
It’s a joyous thing, let the Angels sing
‘Cause we’re together
We got a thing, can’t let it slip away
Go outside, it’s raining sleet
When our bodies meet
I don’t care about the weather
Let it snow, let it snow, outside it’s cold
But the fire’s blazin’ so, baby, let it snow
Let it snow, yeah
Let it snow, let it snow”.
Brian McKnight comes in on the second verse with a simple line, “Come over here and help me trim the tree “which sounds heavenly. Boyz II Men then come back to finish the song for the remaining running time. The song’s appeal is that the lyrics from Wanya and McKnight showcase the writing ability of both men.
Twenty-eight years later, “Let It Snow” still sounds fresh and is part of my annual Christmas playlist.
Final Grade : A
Christmas Interpretations is available on all streaming platforms.
This week’s Second Listen Sunday pick takes us back to 2006 to revisit “So Amazin’,” the third album from Christina Milian. Arriving in stores on April 19 of that year, the project was produced largely by Cool & Dre, sans one song, and saw the singer earn writing credits on nine of the album’s songs.
For this week’s Slow Jam Saturday, I want to showcase love for Rahsaan Patterson and his album track “Can We Wait a Minute” from his self-titled debut album, released in 1997.
For this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to take a trip back to 2000 and show some love to the R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo and their third album, “X,” which was released in stores on December 5, just in time for a holiday stocking stuffer. Arguably, the group suffered from the sophomore slump with their second album, as only two singles were successful.