Tuesday, 10 November 2020

JoJo - December Baby


45 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream December Baby here (external link)

You know that it has at least been a good year musically (if nothing else) when you get a second brand new album from singer-songwriter JoJo. Following on from the still potent Good To Know (like a modern day Control with equal hit potential), JoJo is celebrating the season - both of her birth (hence the title as she celebrates her birthday on December 20th) and the most wonderful time of the year on the giddy festive treat that is December Baby. A blend of new future oldies and classic standards, JoJo herself describes the opus as cozy, playful, soulful, nostalgic, hopeful. Sounds like exactly the type of holiday fare we all need in the world right now - a sumptuous mix of shimmering performances that will light up your mood as brightly as the star lights up your Christmas tree...

The album starts with a brief but sparkling remake of The First Noel. Noelle features Jacob Collier and rings in the season as wonderfully as that first Red Cup coffee from Starbucks or Hallmark Holiday movie. Gorgeous harmonies and a cappella accompaniment makes you long for more than the 43 seconds you are gifted with, but does heighten your excitement for what follows. Have Yourself A Merry Christmas is reimagined as a shuffling r&b infused groove; a quiet storm of a track with delectable guitar and seductive beat that wraps around you like a warm winter coat. Jingling bells and JoJo's enticing vocal help shut off the craziness of the world outside as the music washes over you. A brief interlude into O Come All Ye Faithful ushers in the first original composition. December Baby - a radiant percussive groove all about the redemptive power of second chances. JoJo's voice spins emotive yearning into pop gold on this track, exactly the type of song that used to fly up the British charts during December. This deserves no less success...

Coming Home feels particularly poignant considering the current climate. An ode to actual in-person connections rather than a who's zooming who Christmas, finger click beats and lush girl-group style harmonies ensconce the vivid lyrics, delivered with heartfelt magic by JoJo. She conjures up pictures of a winter wonderland that dance you right into The Christmas Song. Here the listener is transported to the elegant clubs of yesteryear, where live musicians played for the singer whilst patrons sat in rapt attention. The way she takes the phrase "reindeer really know how to fly" and sends it to the skies above shows she knows how to bend a note to her will. A criminally short romp through Deck The Halls takes us to Wrap Me Up. JoJo is full on 90s soulful star done 2020 style, using textured vocals to emphasise her seductive plea for the most romantic gift Santa could be bring. Bringing urban flair to the season with a jam that makes you want to grab the one you love and shimmy.

North Pole is possibly the most experimental track on the album. Drum loops and intoxicating sounds create a beguiling, intoxicating effect. Vocal riffs take you on a hypnotic journey - not the easiest song to initially immerse yourself in but endlessly rewarding on multiple listens.  Whereas the previous track had instrumental innovation at its core, Silent Night lets JoJo's voice shine forth with a glittering instrumental gently buoying her vocal. She helps the song crescendo, imbuing the words with a sense of awe and reverence - aided, once again, by lovely harmonies. A choir of angels sure do sing her song. She invites PJ Morton along for the album's finale. Wish List is a glorious piano-vocal ballad that shows how emotions are accentuated by the buzz of the season. This makes the melancholy even more so and this is elegiac beauty. The individual vocals are genuinely wondrous but when they combine it is a goose bump moment. Possibly the finest duet since Babyface duetted with Karyn White on Love Saw It. Stand by to be stunned.

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