For a brief blip, music is welcome again on primetime TV.
There used to be lots of it, you know. Singers had their own shows – from Judy Garland and Dean Martin to Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie.
But that ended. Mostly, there’s no primetime music unless you’re giving an award … or unless it’s Christmastime.
So now we get a surge … with results that range from awful to excellent.
Let’s look at five from this year. Three (ABC’s “Holiday Spectacular” and “CMA Country Christmas,” NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center”) have aired and are still around via streaming. Two are coming up — “Little Big Town’s Christmas at the Opry” (shown here, 8-10 p.m. Dec. 16, NBC) and “Joy: Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir” (8-9:30 Dec. 17, PBS). We’ll also list others coming up.
THOSE INTRODUCTIONS
We would endorse any legislation that bans all attempts to introduce singers.
A simple name on the screen would suffice. Or maybe a faceless announcer. But the rest is meaningless babel.
(Hint: Having one album in the country top-10 and one single in the top-20 does not make one a “country superstar.”)
(Hint 2: If you say you “love” everyone, you may be confusing the word with “like quite a bit.:)
The biggest offender was the “Holiday Spectacular,” which kept pouring on praise for all things Disney. At one point, it said it was going to treat us to an advance look at the movie “Mufasa”; instead, it showed a prolonged ad.
Two of the specials even felt they needed a second layer of intros. “Holiday Spectacular” had Kristen Bell, lathering more Disney praise; “Rockefeller Center” had the “Today” people, whose credibility vanishes by the end of each Macy’s parade.
Still, the Tabernacle showed restraint, as usual. And the CMA concert gets a “best comeback” award: This year was hosted with dignity by Amy Grant and Trisha Yearwood; a while back, two young stars had to wade through some awful “comedy” patter plus product placements.
THE VENUES
Three of the concerts were indoor settings, in halls perfectly suited for sound and for TV cameras. The others, alas …
“Holiday Spectacular” was taped at various Disney parks and sites. The result was adequate, because there was time to fix things later. “Rockefeller Center,” however, was life and outdoors; people strained for adequacy.
THE BACKGROUND BANDS
Two of the concerts – “CMA Country” and “Little Big Town” – were done in Nashville, home of the world’s greatest instrumentalists.
They had it all, from guitar greats to horns, violins and choruses, all with chances to shine. Then there was the Tabernacle – a 150-piece orchestra and 360-voice choir, plus trumpeters, organ and more. The result was majestic.
THE FILMING
This is one area in which the “Opry” concert stands out. There’s a lush, filmic feel to its backstage scenes and its onstage performances – done in a hall (the Grand Ole Opry stage) designed for TV.
“CMA Country Christmas” also looked good. It zipped along quickly, half the length of the “Opry” special.
AND THE SINGERS
Yes, it’s nice to hear some perky people sing cheery songs. The “Santa Baby” quartet (shown here) – with Kelsea Ballerini, Kate Hudson (a surprisingly good singer) and the two Little Big Town women – is a delight.
But it’s also important to have some voices that can do something special. “Holiday Spectacular” had Ava Max and Leslie Odom Jr. … “Little Big Town” has Josh Groban and the choral dynamics of Kirk Franklin … the Tabernacle Choir has Michael Maliakel … “Rockefeller Center” had Jennifer Hudson. (Kelly Clarkson, who hosted, is also a great singer, but the conditions limited her impact.)
And the real rush of splendid singing was at “CMA.” There was CeCe Winans, Cody Johnson, the For King + Country duo and Yearwood, with a dynamic holiday medley. There was even a rarity – a newish Christmas song (Jon Pardi’s “400 Horsepower Sleigh”) worth hearing.
One thing more: TV sometimes reduces Christmas to a Santa-sleigh-snowman sameness. But many of the best moments – Winans, Franklin, Groban, Maliakel, Jennifer Hudson, For King + Country – came from songs that remember this is a religious holiday.
AND COMING UP:
— Dec. 11: “Motown Christmas,” 9-11 p.m., NBC; also, 9-11 p.m., Dec. 17. Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey host; Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, the Temptations, Andra Day, Jamie Foxx, Ashante, Jordin Sparks, Pentatonix and the cast of “MJ: The Musical.”
— Dec. 16: “Little Big Town Christmas at the Opry,” 8-10 p.m., NBC; also, 8 p.m., Dec. 19. Groban, Franklin, Ballerini, Little Big Town, Kate Hudson, Sheryl Crow, Orville Peck, Dan + Shay .
— Dec. 17: “Christmas With the Tabernacle Choir,” 8-9:30 p.m., PBS; reruns 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24 on PBS and often (starting 9 p.m. ET Dec. 19) on BYUtv. Maliakel
— Dec. 17: “The Gospel Messiah,” 9:30 p.m., PBS. Handel’s “Messiah,” entwined with jazz, gospel and R&B sounds.
— Dec. 18: “iHeartRadio Jingle Ball,” 8-10 p.m., ABC. Katy Perry, Tate McRae, Meghan Trainor, Teddy Swims, The Kid Laroi, Madison Beer, Benson Boone, Twenty One Pilots..
— Dec. 20: :National Christmas Tree Lighting,” 8 p.m., CBS. Mickey Guyton hosts; also, Yearwood, James Taylor, Adam Blackwood, Muni Long, Stephen Sanchez, Trombone Shorty and The War and Treaty.
— Dec. 20: “Josh Groban and Friends Go Home for the Holidays,” 9-10 p.m., CBS. Groban, Jennifer Hudson, Tori Kelly, James Bay, The War and Treaty.
— Dec. 24: “Gaither Vocal Band: New Star Shining,: 7 p.m. ET, UpTV.