A new album by Liz Callaway is always a cause for celebration, and much more so if it is a Christmas album, her first one (though she released an EP a couple of years) This is also a duets album, with Peter Caro on guitar, and I can’t think of a voice more suited with a guitar than Liz’s.
And the songs are marvel, and in these solitary complicated times we are living in, much appreciated. You can hear the ache and tenderness in the season in all these tracks – a very hopeful ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ is much too welcome. When she sings ‘We’re apart, that’s true,’ from ‘Merry Christmas Darling, for example,’ the pain is almost unbearable.
And I think she has found herself a new signature tune (much like she kind of owns ‘Meadwlark’ now) with Dolly Parton’s ‘Hard Candy Christmas.’ I have seen her sing this version everywhere, and I haven;t gotten tired of it, and doubt if I will. The whole album is contemplative and perfect for your Christmas quarantine.
A Christmas Album is for me a good test drive for a singer. I know I have heard some of Jessie J’s music before, but sadly for me, nothing ever stuck. And listening to her voice, I am actually impressed by its great texture – there’s a huskiness there that is quite appealing and not too vocal fry-ish. And in this album, ‘This Christmas Day,’ she has some powerful production: Babyface, Darkchild, and David Foster, just to name three. There is a white soul R & B feel to the sound, and it’s great. And the songs sound perfect, creating a mood.
It’s always nice to see Broadway takes on Christmas albums, and I particularly welcome a Norman Lewis one, so I was happy to listen to ‘The Norman Lewis Christmas Album.’ At the very least, we will know it will be well-sung, with Lewis’ powerhouse vocals. And Lewis gives us a packed repertoire, with eighteen tracks. And some great tracks here: a swinging and funky ‘Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer,’ to ‘Mary Did You Know,’ to a soulful ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.’ I mean, there’s plenty of soul here for everyone’s stockings. But I wish it had more Broadway inflections. He does include show tunes like ‘Where Is Love,’ from Oliver, and ‘Bring Him Home’ from Les Miserables. I don’t know why, though, but they sound like fillers and feel kind of out of place here. Still, good playlist shuffling would give a lot of satisfaction from this album, and his fans, me included, would be delighted to spin this.
I’ve had Gwen Stafni’s ‘You Make It feel Like Christmas’ a while now, but I just played it. I wasn’t to listen to it for some reason. Maybe it’s the Blake Shelton connection – he duets here and is dating her in real life, and by the way, he is also a famous homophobe. I was sure I would not like this album, I told myself. Unfairly, I was already judging it as a bland pop Christmas album. But surprises of all surprises, it is pretty darn good. It sounds more like a Gwen Stefani album more than a pop one. and that is definitely a good thing.
When October goes, can Christmas be far behind? Well, at least Holiday music is here, and here I am listening to my first one for 2017. I have always been a lover of Holiday music, but old age has made me perhaps a bit cynical about it. But still, I still get a thrill when it is fresh and new, and Leslie Odom Jr’s new album ‘Simply Christmas’ made my heart skip a bit.
Thanksgiving is the official beginning of the Holiday season, so what better way to start by seeing a Christmas movie? I was not expecting much going into ‘Almost Christmas’ because I can’t remember seeing a good Holiday in some time now, but every year they keep on making them, and it seems that this one is the “urban” version of that tradition. At best, I thought this would be entertaining, but empty. But minutes into the movie, I found myself weeping. I guess that’s what Christmas means to me now – a day that starts with sadness. You would think that as each year passes by it gets better, but the sadness just deepens. But then you appreciate more and more that the little things matter most at this time of year.
Blake’s “A Classic Christmas,” if for anything, has a great reason for existing: the album has a great opening track: “The Christmas Song,” which they sang with Dame Shirley Bassey. Supposedly, Dame Bassey has never had a Christmas Day top single, and this gives her the chance this year (Sadly, she probably will lose to Justin Bieber) It’s a soaring track, the kind you thought they don’t do anymore. She is featured prominently, as if Blake is just playing the role of her back-up singers. I love it, a real diva star turn, and it makes hearing such an ubiquitous song seem special.
It is easy to dismiss Jann Arden’s Christmas album as boring and derivative, because in some sense it is. I was ready to write that review after listening to it once. But as I putzed on the computer, I kept it on repeat, and I found out to be rich and subtle – it’s one of those albums that grow on you, and very rarely does that happen for me on a Christmas/Holiday album.
Luha Thoughts 