That it took elfin violinist, dancer, and performance artist
Lindsey Stirling five albums to deliver a proper holiday offering is surprising, as her particular brand of (mostly) instrumental millennial pop is perfectly suited to heat up the year's coldest months in style. After all, this is an artist who skyrocketed to fame with a musical theater-worthy rendering of the main theme from the Nordic fantasy video game Skyrim. The aptly named
Warmer in Winter prances about with equal parts benevolence and solipsism, effectively pairing the season's most beloved and familiar melodies with the gamer-approved blips, beeps, and slick techno beat drops that have become her forte since dropping her eponymous debut in 2013. Enlisting vocal help from former Disney star
Sabrina Carpenter ("You're a Mean One Mister Grinch"), fellow internet phenom
Becky G. ("Christmas C'mon"),
All Time Low frontman Alex Gaskarth ("Time to Fall in Love"), and even in-demand New Orleans polymath Trombone Shorty ("Warmer in Winter"),
Stirling has crafted a fun and flighty brew of modern holiday cheer that is most certainly of its time. [Warmer in the Winter was also released on white vinyl.] ~ James Christopher Monger