TLC already made a mark on Christmas music with the early ’90s holiday banger "Sleigh Ride." But this being the season of giving, T-Boz and Chilli thought they'd serve up some more Christmas cheer with "Gift Wrapped Kiss."
And the ladies don't skip a beat, with the melody of the track spiced and sprinkled with the sounds of the season. Along with jingling bells and the clanging of more church-inspired brass, a dusting of "ho ho hos" layers the rhythmic tune, already making it a more seasonal-sounding jam than "Sleigh Ride."
But the music won't grab as much attention as the song’s lyrics, in which T-Boz and Chilli ask Santa to bring them a special man for Christmas. "I know you know what's on my list / The kind of package that comes with a kiss," the duo sings to the man in red. And even if TLC is now a party of two after the death of Left Eye, a third voice takes part in the track when Santa himself adds a verse, noting that he doesn't usually give gifts such as this, but will see what he can do for the two who have been so good this year.
With "Sleigh Ride" being such a classic, TLC had to reach high to top that effort from the ’90s. And "Gift Wrapped Kiss" succeeds in standing apart from that tune by being playful and driving in a different lane.
