Is there anything to be done with carols like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Joy to the World” that hasn’t been done in the past 300 years? If there is, Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Robert Glasper is the kind of artist to do it. “I like covering songs that people know well,” Glasper tells Apple Music. “That’s what I’ve done throughout my whole career.” It’s true: As a jazz pianist, he’s obviously learned his way around making classics his own, whether they were written by Mongo Santamaría or Kurt Cobain. But, he says, “The biggest challenge in making a holiday album was trying to do it in a way that feels festive but at the same time feels real and not corny.” He succeeds on both fronts on In December, his Apple Music exclusive that mixes classic carols with a set of originals, and which was recorded in Spatial Audio. Part of what keeps it credible is the fact that Glasper’s hip-hop/R&B/jazz fusion is done on a compositional level instead of just a cosmetic one (no collages of sampled sax solos and drum loops here). The covers reveal a lot about his musical worldview: Sung by Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” is turned into dark, airy neo-soul, while “Joy to the World”—sung by Alex Isley—feels like a Stevie Wonder ballad. But the originals reveal even more. “The intention for this album was less about Christmas songs and more about songs that feel good during the holidays,” Glasper says. “I stayed away from thinking too much about Christmas and its traditional lingo, and concentrated on real things people go through during the holiday season.” Here, Glasper walks us through In December, track by track. “Fireside (Intro)” “‘Fireside’ is an intro to the album that sets the tone and the vibe. I wanted people to get the feeling they were sitting by the fire while I played the piano.” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Carol of the Bells” (feat. Cynthia Erivo) “We did two songs in one. When Cynthia got to the studio, we landed on two different Christmas carols and figured out a way to mix them and make them into one. It was really fun and Cynthia is amazing.” “Make It Home” (feat. PJ Morton & Sevyn Streeter) “‘Make It Home’ is about what couples go through during the holidays. We tried to make this about real-life situations instead of the glossy, happy stories that are painted during Christmastime. We tried to have a fine balance on the album for the real stuff.” “Memories With Mama” (feat. Tarriona “Tank” Ball) “Tank from Tank and the Bangas wrote this song. I wanted to have spoken word on here to mix it up and bring a different vibe. I lost my mother in 2004, and I always think of her during the holidays. I’m glad Tank was able to create this to remind people what it felt like growing up and remind you what your mother would do and say that set the tone for the holidays in your own house.” “Joy to the World” (feat. Alex Isley) “‘Joy to the World’ was fun because it's one of the most well-known Christmas songs and I had a blast remaking this with Alex Isley. She is incredible. I tried to keep the integrity of the song while making it modern.” “December” (feat. Andra Day) “Andra and I co-wrote the song ‘December.’ It concentrates on real life and real feelings during the holidays. Some things aren't always happy and people feel alone, they feel anxiety and all kinds of things during the holidays. So we wanted to touch on those feelings and let people know you're not alone.” “Little Drummer Boy” (feat. The Baylor Project) “'Little Drummer Boy' was fun because Marcus Baylor is a drummer, so it fit them perfectly. It’s such an open tune that gives you room to do whatever you want. I wanted to keep the integrity of the tune while at the same time give it more of a gospel feel.”