Friday, 29 November 2019

Saara Aalto - Fairytale (International EP)


26 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Stream Fairytale here (external link)

I love it when popstars genuinely embrace the most wonderful time of the year. And when that popstar is as splendid as Saara Aalto is, well the magic is even more sparkling. She's only gone and teamed up with the likes of Kylie "Snow Queen" Minogue and Steve "Auditioning to be Santa Claus" Anderson to deliver an entire Fairytale EP of festive bliss to the masses. Across six exquisite tracks, Ms Aalto explores the merriment and melancholy of the season through radiant instrumentals, heartfelt vocals, nuanced emotions and (of course) enough sing along hooks to win over even the most grinchiest of folk. This new future classic will make you sparkle and shine, leaving you feeling all sorts of merry and bright. Dive into Saara's fairytale and share the glad tidings of the happy ever after glow it leaves you with...

The EP opens with Every Christmas Day, a song written by Steve Anderson, Kylie , Biff Stannard and Ash Howes (a quartet of talent that know a little about pop and Christmas). It is a beautifully crafted love song that comes with a sleigh ride of a percussive groove, deliriously delicious jingling bells and an achingly insightful vocal from Ms Aalto herself. It is a song about finding the hope in the heartache and embracing the joy that the season brings. There is an enchanting whimsy to the vocals whilst the chorus refrain is instantly uplifting, lighting up the world as bright as Rudolph's red nose. Wraps around you like paper around a present to be a warming hug as lovely as honey melting into hot chocolate. Christmas Without You hones in a little more on the sadness of the season, particularly for those who thought their Christmas would be spent with a loved one only to have that dream fracture. With sweeping strings and an off-kilter groove, Saara's delivery of "my life goes on without you" is part devastating denouement, part empowering statement of independence that leaves you with the feeling that better times are indeed ahead for this determined young lady. It is smart then that the song flows into the next track - a euphoric cover version of Let It Go. Dramatic and grandiose, this is not only a showcase for innovative instrumental arrangements but it really highlights what a powerful and expressive voice Saara really does have. She seems to love being immersed in this modern day classic and her enthusiasm is absolutely contagious. It is a natural crescendo that leaves you tingling with glee from head to (mistle)toe.

Starry Skies has one of the most relatable songs I've heard in a pop song for many an age. "But we're too scared to kiss" brilliantly and simply tells how love can be terrifying, scary and exhilarating all at the same time. She paints a vivid picture of a blossoming love, one that has a picture perfect postcard of a setting. Saara sings with such poignant nostalgia that it has more of an emotional impact than an entire season of This Is Us. The glorious type of Christmas song that can be enjoyed all the year round. Can I Keep The Pictures brings mesmerising elegiac majesty through a searing mid-tempo ballad that is so full of pathos and longing that it seems to make the world outside stop; it elicits your own memories of relationships lost and becomes a retroactive soundtrack to the hurt you experienced. It is a wonderfully theatrical performance, as worthy of a soliloquy in a musical as it is of topping the charts for a month. Another song that is tinged with winter reminiscing but will keep this EP alive well beyond the chimes of the new year. An absolute gem of a song. And then the EP comes to a close with the sassy standard Fairytale of New York. Michael Monroe comes along for the ride and it gives gravelly vocal realness on this straightforward take on the Pogues/Kirsty MacColl smash. There is no denying the rambunctious charm of the song and there is a certain frisson of excitement in hearing Saara throw herself into it with such verve. Sing along, play it loud and let the bells ring out for Christmas Day. This is one fairytale you will want to revisit over and over again.

**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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