Monday, 2 December 2019

Us The Duo - Our Favorite Time of Year (Special Edition)


23 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Our Favorite Time Of Year here (Amazon GB)

One of the things I love about Christmas music is that it is not just for the holiday year you bought it in - a good seasonal selection of songs will enrich your festive playlists year after year after year. Even more so when artists like Us The Duo add to their existing Yuletide collections with a whole set of new songs to put a little extra bit of mistle in those tapping toes. Our Favorite Time Of Year (which I'm sure the couple won't mind me calling Our Favourite Time Of Year in the UK) was first released in 2017 and is back with some new tracks for a little bit more sparkle and shine. They've book ended their original opus of 11 songs with two new numbers; both, like the rest of the album, entirely delightful. Michael and Carissa have a lovely knack for blending their engaging voices with textured instrumentals to showcase their music in radiant arrangements which give Our Favourite Time Of Year a charming, intimate vibe that will keep you merry and bright well into new year.

The new special edition album opens with I'll Be There Soon. Piano cascades like icicles on the tree, whilst Carissa's vocal is as timeless as a Norman Rockwell painting. It could be a Doris Day classic which has just been waiting for Us The Duo to discover it. The elegant strumming guitar and muted horn enhance the sense of longing so tangible in both vocals; and with a sing-along refrain this will stay in your head all the live long day. Wonderful Christmastime keeps the peppy pace of the Paul McCartney original but is filtered through the Us The Duo kaleidoscope to make it a layered vocal treat, complete with shimmering bells and a funky head-bobbing bass. Their "ding dong" and twinkling piano in the bridge is a euphoric boost that will leave you positively giddy with glee, living the titular description. Holiday Heartbreak gives Darlene Love realness with its sassy brass section and soulful singing. With lyrics all about the very real desire to be with someone at the most wonderful time of the year, the song is performed with such ebullient fervour that you can't help but feel their wish will be granted merely by the magic of music. White Christmas has a lilting, laid-back vibe which turns the song from opulent Hollywood movie classic into coffee-shop bop - and the results are a delight. The guitar work intertwines perfectly with the piano to give it a slight Prince-esque feel and you absolutely sense that the duo are loving every single second of performing it.

Silent Night continues the contemporary interpretation with a beautiful melange of flute, piano and percussion. It provides a unique score for Michael and Carissa to sing this evergreen hymn as if it were a chart topping pop song. It is a real treat for the senses and makes everything old feel brand new all over again. December (a third original song) is further proof that these Us The Duo compositions are seamlessly placed next to the classics. If you didn't know they were new songs you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. This is a fabulously descriptive gem with a vivid instrumental that conveys the words as effectively as those heartfelt vocals. Now there has been a lot of chatter about Baby It's Cold Outside in recent years, but this married couple take is completely enchanting. Their playful interaction gives the song a new flirty vibe - date night for the wed, re-capturing the coquettish nature of courtship. John Legend and Kelly Clarkson may have gone uber-woke on their 2019 version but I'm always smitten with the original (particularly when done as delectably as it is here). Slide guitar into Christmas In Paradise, a finger-clicking groove which brings the island flavours. Rapid fire vocals make this one you'll just want to learn every word to and enjoy this thrilling sunny sleigh ride in perfect unison. Mele Kalikimaka indeed (we should definitely do this every year)! Now that Doris Day vibe from the opening of the album returns on Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. It conjures up images of opulent Hollywood movie musicals with Doris and her paramour dancing with precision as they decorate the Bruce spruce (other trees are, of course, available)...

You get two songs for the price of one on Jingle Bells/Jingle Bell Rock, a cheeky little medley which brings out the glittering hooks of both songs and blends them into one swaying ukulele sing-along. It is as if the songs were always meant to be together, as satisfying as honey melting into hot chocolate. There is a jazzy tinge to Winter Wonderland which puts you straight into an intimate bar whilst you watch the snowy storm swirl outside as Us The Duo sing (with some phenomenal piano playing that I will be spending most December trying to perfect). And, as always, the delivery of their singing is so intricate that you need multiple listens to appreciate every nuanced facet. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is performed with such a mesmerising sophistication that you feel every bit of optimism and hope that the couple saturate their delivery with. It is the type of interpretation which helps the craziness of the world outside stop, even if just for the time the music plays. That respite is very welcome as you luxuriate in their sincere and soothing sounds. The album closes with It's A New Year Baby - a wondrous romp that continues the feelgood vibes from the previous number and leaves you with a little glow that will keep a little bit of Christmas in your heart until it is socially acceptable to start playing this album loud and proud in 2020 (and for many years beyond that).

**Ghosts of Christmas Past**
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