Controversial or not, I start listening to my Christmas music a few days after Halloween. I ease my way in with the Christmas classics, but after listening to the same songs on repeat for over a month, it always piques my interest when artists drop new Christmas albums. 

Luckily for me, Bryson Tiller came out with a new Christmas album entitled A Different Christmas. A Different Christmas dropped Nov. 19th, 2021 with a total of seven songs. Five out of the seven songs are originals, while the other two are his version of Christmas classics. 

The first song on the album is titled “Be Mine This Christmas.” This was a strong start to the album because it showed fans that, although this is a Christmas song, it is still very much the same vibe as many other previous Bryson Tiller songs, just with a flair of holiday spirit. 

The second song on the album is named “Cold December.” This song is actually an interlude, which means it is a short song that is oftentimes added into an album in between the actual songs in order to connect two different moods. It is one minute and twenty seconds long, and honestly, was an unnecessary addition in my opinion, as it mainly felt like background noise rather than meaningful lyrics. 

Song number three is titled “Presents,” featuring Kiana Lede. Aside from the light-hearted tone of the music, the lyrics themselves are about Tiller promising his presence for the Christmas season. Of course, this is a clever play on words given that presents—as in the ones that lay under the Christmas tree—is the song’s name. 

Song number four is Tiller’s acapella version of the popular Christmas song “I’ll be home for Christmas.” This song was a nice break from the first three because it was a peaceful, slow, 100% Christmas song. My only complaint is that, once again, the song felt extremely short, with a duration of one minute and thirty-seven seconds, whereas the original “I’ll be home for Christmas” was almost three minutes long. 

“Lonely Christmas” was the title of song number five, featuring Justin Bieber. This is potentially my favorite song due to the nostalgia it brought me. I vividly remember listening to Justin Bieber sing about Christmas in some of his songs from my youth. It also featured Poo Bear. 

Overall, I think this song was a much-needed and pleasant addition. 

In contrast to the last title, song number six is called “Ain’t A Lonely Christmas Song.” It opens with featured artist Tayla Parx, as she gracefully sings along to a fast beat. This song was one that sparks that exciting, warm Christmas feeling in its listeners and is definitely worth adding to your regular Christmas playlist. 

Lastly, is song number seven, “Winter Wonderland.” This is another classic that he re-did as a duet, featuring his eight-year-old daughter, Halo. Overall, I thought this was a very cute idea, but unfortunately, I much prefer the original version of this song. However, that being said, it still contains very beautifully executed vocals on Tiller’s part. 

The album as a whole did a phenomenal job of encompassing the Christmas spirit while still keeping the Bryson Tiller classic sound in check. Personally, I wouldn’t say this album perfectly fits my music taste, but despite this, I do believe it is a really entertaining listen that deserves credit for all the hard work Tiller and his featured artists have put in.