34 DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS!!
Buy Blake's A Classic Christmas here (UK iTunes)
I've long been a fan of the vocal harmony group, Blake. Their blended voices and exquisite arrangements transcend their operatic overtures and provide the listener with sometimes sumptuous, sometimes restrained, always delightful and emotive music. It's music that stirs the senses and soothes the soul, for even when they sing of the more melancholy moments in life it is done with such innate beauty that you can't help but feel there is a better tomorrow ahead. And as we sadly live in a world that could use a little more tender understanding and a little more kindness, we need the elegant grace of Blake's music to lift us up during the darker times. That's why I'm so delighted their Pledge Music campaign came to fruition and I am now holding in my hands their first holiday album, Classic Christmas. It's a beautiful collection of 13 songs that takes you from reflective to rousing, and back again - leaving you with a heartwarming glow of happiness and satisfaction by the time you've finished listening. It's called a Classic Christmas not only because they've chosen some much beloved songs and not only because the beautiful orchestral scores that accompany them are timeless, but because it will be an indelible classic that soundtracks your holiday season and celebrations for many years to come.
It kicks off with the much ballyhooed contender for Christmas number one, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire). It's a duet with none other than Dame Shirley Bassey and a truly mesmerising performance to start the album. You can view the video for the song here (YouTube). The boys glide you into the song with a smoothly sung introduction before Ms. Bassey's gorgeous flowing vocals guide the melody of the song forward. She imbues the song with a sense of that majesty and magic the season commands - and when the three guys join their voices to her, it's as spellbinding a moment as if you saw Santa and his sleigh dashing across the night sky. I love how the tempo kicks up a notch towards the end - and they all look and sound in their absolute element at making such a enduring standard joyful and triumphant all over again. It's this tempo that continues in Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow. The playful piano sets a bright, exuberant pace that dances with an impish charm around their resonant tones. A shuffling percussion adds to the organic feel the song radiates, and once again the individual vocals, harmonies and ad-libs are fueled by a gleeful delight at the thought of being in a winter wonderland. At one point, they exuded such a 50s leading man charisma that I thought they were going to go into singing Snow from White Christmas. Now that would have been the icing on this already delicious cake. Frosty The Snowman sees them approach this seasonal make-believe (OR IS IT?!) with a believable sincerity that doesn't make you feel like they are winking at you, but committing to the narrative with a child-like wonder. Once again, I have to compliment the piano score because it really does accentuate and contribute to the story the lads are sharing with their dulcet tones. Similarly, the percussion and strings are subtle but an absolutely essential part of this wonderfully produced tapestry. It's an attention to detail and quality that radiates from every song on the collection.
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas has vocal harmony arrangements so intricately tight and flawless that you really need to listen several times to pick up on all the cadence and nuances the singing has to offer. It's a thrill to behold - especially when the speed of the song accelerates and images of the three dapper chappies singing whilst skating along on the ice dance in front of your eyes. I love an evocative performance that conjures up scenes from your memories and this is just that. Their take on the Beach Boys Little Saint Nick reminds you both of the sunny original yet allows Blake's own style to shimmer on through thanks to the personality in their voices and their ability to strip songs back to their origins and re-build it in Blake's own image. For example, can you say Walking In The Air without thinking of the falsettos of Aled Jones' original? Probably not - but there's a maturity in the Blake version that makes you think of the song in a different light. Adults often forget how magical things were to us as children, and this performance does an excellent job of reminding us what it's like to just suspend disbelief and cynicism just for a moment, to let the miracles happen. It's fascinating to have a well known song mean something completely different...
Of course there moments of pathos, yearning and longing - because what is Christmas if emotions (both good and sad) aren't heightened? Christmas Time Is Here is set to a languid and languorous piano and sees our three gents pondering on these heightened emotions and wondering why they can't continue throughout the year, presumably particularly the ones that edify and enrich. There's a sadness to their singing that's not depressing - rather it's poignant and particularly relevant this year with all the atrocities in the world. The type of singing that makes the world stop in it's tracks, if even just for the moments the beautiful music plays. These sentiments extend into one of my parents favourite songs - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. I played this earnest melodic wish from the guys to my mum (who has quite advanced dementia) and it was like a door unlocking as memories tumbled forth and tears & laughter were shared. It's the power of music and the guys heavenly ability to pour their souls into the words of the song that makes life so much better, just when you needed. Plus, it really is quite the enchanting version of the song. Judy Garland would be proud. I'll Be Home For Christmas gives the famous ballad a more jazzed and jhuzzed up setting that feels like someone left a transistor radio playing in the 1940s and the vocals traversed the passages of time to be heard with all their elegant grace in contemporary times. It really does remind you of how song writing structure that focuses on the heart of lyrics and allure of melody can stand the test of time more robustly than any quick studio trick or fad. These songs of love and devotion complete their cycle with Back In Your Arms (For Christmas). That guitar has a delicate fragility to it that tugs at your heart strings (much like the boys vocals). There's such intense elegiac aching in this song that, even though it's a restrained performance, there is an emphatic conviction to the delivery that leaves you with no doubt that our fellas will inevitably stand by their promise.
Traditional carols round out the album and each one is as humbling and inspiring as you could wish for. In The Bleak Midwinter has a reverent solemnity to it that feels like it was recorded in a grandiose, imposing cathedral. The a cappella arrangement is all that is needed, their textured vocals allowing the words to shine like they were always meant to. O Holy Night captures the celestial majesty of the story of Christ's birth, particularly the strings swirling alongside an angelic piano. The power of the vocals ("fall on your knees" in particular) allows the band to recognise the awe of the words they sing. And then it all comes to an end with another a cappella performance. This time it's the song that is sung in church halls and school carol concerts across the world - Silent Night. It's an appropriately vocal driven performance that reminds you one last time of how gifted Blake are - and how they've shared this gift with us via Classic Christmas. It's certainly going to be the gift that keeps on giving for - as I noted at the start of this review - it's an album that will accompany you on an annual journey through all Christmas has to offer. The message is clear - things don't change. Kindness, love, tolerance and understanding will always make a classic christmas for us all.
**Ghosts of Christmas Past**
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