Christmas Queens 2

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Christmas Queens 2
Compilation album by
various artists
ReleasedNovember 11, 2016
Genre
Length58:54
LabelProducer Entertainment Group
Various artists chronology
Christmas Queens
(2015)
Christmas Queens 2
(2016)
Christmas Queens 3
(2017)

Christmas Queens 2 is a holiday compilation album by various artists. It was released by Producer Entertainment Group on November 11, 2016. Consisting of 30 tracks, the album is a sequel to Christmas Queens (2015) and features RuPaul's Drag Race contestants alongside Jackie Beat, Michelle Visage, and Carnie Wilson performing mostly original material; exceptions include ensemble covers of "Deck the Halls" and "Auld Lang Syne, as well as Visage's rendition of "O Holy Night". The compilation was promoted by a music video for "Working Holiday", which features Alaska Thunderfuck and Manila Luzon, a web series entitled Christmas Queens, and a tour by various artists with December 2016 shows in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. It received mixed reviews from music critics and peaked at number two on Billboard's Comedy Albums chart.

Composition

Carnie Wilson (pictured in 2014) is featured on "Down Home Country Christmas".
Michelle Visage (pictured in 2018) performs "O Holy Night" on the album and hosted the Christmas Queens tour.

Christmas Queens 2 is a 30-track compilation album that features various artists;

traditional folk song. Also featured is Visage's rendition of "O Holy Night", a Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 from the French poem "Minuit, chrétiens" ("Midnight, Christians") by Placide Cappeau.[3]

Phi Phi O'Hara performs "Fireside". Ginger Minj's "Down Home Country Christmas" features Wilson.[5]

Detox's "Homemade for the Holidays" precedes Sharon Needles' "Snow Machine", which was described by Billboard's Joe Lynch as a "tribute to the coke-fueled disco days of Studio 54".[2] "Working Holiday" is performed by Manila Luzon and Alaska. Visage's "O Holy Night", which features Thorgy Thor on violin, is followed by Ivy Winters performing "Elfy Winters Night". Interludes are spread throughout the album, which runs for approximately one hour and ends with "Auld Lang Syne".[5]

Release and promotion

Christmas Queens 2 was released by Producer Entertainment Group on November 11, 2016.[1][6] It is the second compilation in the Christmas Queens series, following Christmas Queens (2015) and preceding Christmas Queens 3 (2017).[7][8]

The

making-of footage with Alaska and "Chr!$Tm@$ $Ux" co-writer Ashley Levy.[10]

Tour and live performances

Alaska,

The Novo in Los Angeles from December 10–17.[10][11][12]

The New York show featured four "impressive, stylistically fluid" dancers according to Lynch, who also analyzed Sharon Needles' performances of "Snow Machine" and "

assless chaps which he called "pure XXXmas delight".[2]

RuPaul's Drag Race contestants Alaska Thunderfuck (left), Katya (center), and Manila Luzon (right) performed on the album and tour.

Katya performed "Merry Christmas, It's Whateva" as her "trashy" alter ego Trish (described as "a recovering drug addict who still smokes pot") as well as her "hysterical, marathon" rendition of "The Twelve Days of Christmas".[2] Lynch called her New York performance "perfect".[4] He also praised Visage for her "joke-free" rendition of "O Holy Night" and her "inspiring words about the need for the LGBT community to spread love and kindness as we move into Trump's America". He wrote that "she absolutely stunned the crowd with the purity of her voice—no small feat, given that this was an audience otherwise primed for kitschy outfits and dick jokes. Adding a layer of seasonal sweetness was Thorgy Thor backing Michelle on violin, keeping the music elegant and minimal while her voice soared."[4]

Jinkx Monsoon performed her songs from the first two Christmas Queens albums for Jinkx Monsoon and Major Scales: Unwrapped, which played at London's Soho Theatre during November and December 2016.[13] Alaska, Ginger Minj, Phi Phi O'Hara, Sharon Needles, and Willam performed at A Royal Holiday, an event in Los Angeles that was also streamed online and raised funds for the Human Rights Campaign.[6]

Reception

Lynch wrote of Christmas Queens 2, "Of all the songs on an album of dirty, joke-laden seasonal offerings, [Visage's] might be the most shocking: It's a (gasp) reverent rendition of a religious Christmas classic."[14] In his list of the "hottest (and coldest) holiday albums of 2016", Entertainment Weekly's Eric Renner Brown gave a B rating to the compilation, which he said is "as wild and packed with hilarity as its 2015 predecessor". Brown wrote, "The beats don't always work out—cuts like Jiggly Caliente's 'Xmas Hams' and Alaska Thunderf—'s 'Chr!$Tm@$ $Ux' have little replay value—but side-splitting skits and synth jams like Sharon Needles' 'Snow Machine' redeem the set."[15]

Thorgy Thor (pictured in 2018) backed Michelle Visage on violin on "O Holy Night", both on the album and on tour.

Maunier called the compilation "an hour-long celebration of camped up holiday cheer" and a "sprawling, indulgent, and incredibly campy ode" to Drag Race, with many references to the show's "iconic" moments and in-jokes.[3] He opined, "While Drag Race alumni have become somewhat infamous for putting out albums that might have been better off not seeing the light of day, Christmas Queens 2 reminds us that when a group of talented queens comes together with veteran producers (and World of Wonder's budget), the results can be magical... It's enough to be exhausting, but might also be exactly what's needed to get us through the off-season."[3]

Renowned for Sound's Michael Smith called the album "much less exciting than the first volume despite its increased scope", noting that some songs "feel awkward rather than creative". He found a number of the interludes "entertaining" but unnecessary and unsubstantial.[16] Smith complimented tracks by Phi Phi O'Hara and Sharon Needles, and he said that Visage and Thorgy Thor "smash it out of the park with a faithful, powerful" rendition. He thought Jackie Beat and Katya "mixe[d] humour and quality the best, melding with the personalities of both queens perfectly", further stating that their duet stood out from the other carols and dance tracks. He commended Alaska for "capturing the apathy of modern Christmases perfectly while working in her own funny attitude", before summarizing his feelings as follows: "Christmas Queens 2 is an overwrought, overthought package... Die hard Drag Race fans will surely enjoy seeing their favourites come back again, but for the most part Christmas Queens 2 is still a follow-up that loses the spark that made the first one so interesting."[16]

Christmas Queens 2 reached a peak position of number two on Billboard's Comedy Albums chart, matching the debut and peak of its prequel.[6]

Track listing

No.TitleArtistLength
1."'Twas the Night (Interlude)"Christmas Queens2:02
2."
Detox
3:04
21."Tardy for the Party (Interlude)"Christmas Queens0:46
22."Snow Machine"Sharon Needles3:09
23."Darienne Lake vs. Egg Nog (Interlude)"Christmas Queens3:32
24."Working Holiday"Manila Luzon, Alaska Thunderfuck3:04
25."Blackout Fantasy (Interlude)"Christmas Queens0:48
26."O Holy Night" (feat. Thorgy Thor)Michelle Visage3:50
27."Let There Be Light! (Interlude)"Christmas Queens0:43
28."Elfy Winters Night"Ivy Winters3:33
29."Miss Fame Serving Santa (Interlude)"Christmas Queens0:48
30."Auld Lang Syne"Christmas Queens1:37
Total length:58:54

Track listing adapted from the Apple Store.[5]

Charts

Chart performance for Christmas Queens 2
Chart (2016) Peak
position
US Comedy Albums (Billboard)[6] 2

References

  1. ^ a b c Rudolph, Christopher (October 31, 2016). "'Christmas Queens 2' Is Sliding Down Your Chimney With Alaska, Ginger Minj, Katya, Thorgy, And More". NewNowNext. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  2. ^ from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Maunier, Sean (December 1, 2016). "Merry Melodies: Holiday Album Roundup". Metro Weekly. Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d Lynch, Joe (November 25, 2016). "Alaska & Manila Luzon Spread Christmas Cheer & Jeers in 'Working Holiday' Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Various Artists (November 11, 2016). Christmas Queens 2 (Album). Apple Music. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d Caulfield, Keith (December 13, 2016). "Ring In the Holidays With Live Performances From 'Drag Race' Royalty: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  7. ^ Cusimano, Lauren (December 10, 2015). "Willam Belli on Bringing RuPaul's Drag Race Contestants to Phoenix for the Christmas Queens Tour". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Tenreyro, Tatiana (November 17, 2017). "'Christmas Queens 3' Holiday Album From 'RuPaul's Drag Race' Stars Out Today". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  9. from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c Rudolph, Christopher (November 3, 2016). "Alaska Gets In The Holiday Spirit In New "Christmas Queens" Web Series". NewNowNext. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  11. ^ from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  12. from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. ^ Lynch, Joe (November 29, 2016). "Michelle Visage Talks Going 'Full Jesus' for 'Christmas Queens 2' Album & Why Lady Gaga Is 'So Underrated". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  15. from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Smith, Michael. "Album Review: Various Artists – Christmas Queens 2". Renowned for Sound. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.