Thursday, 12 November 2020

Jon McLaughlin - Christmas Time (EP)



43 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream Christmas Time (EP) here (external link)
Read my Jon McLaughlin Christmas EP reviews here 

Jon McLaughlin is no stranger to Christmas. He's recorded two sparkling seasonal EPs (The Christmas EP and Red & Green), both of which remain holiday playlist favourites to this day. To cap off his creative surge in 2020 (his EP, Things I Say To Myself, is a pop odyssey that you should be spinning daily) Jon returns with a brand new festive collection to brighten up your Yuletide collection. Christmas Time is a selection of 5 songs which will remind you that, no matter what challenges life throws at you, it is how you choose to let the spirit of the season in that will determine how magical your December is. Jon has always had the ability to convey emotions we all feel in a way that is far more eloquent than most of us can manage - yet feel perfectly at home singing along to...
  • Too Cool For Christmas ~ if there is someone in your life who feels Christmas is just for kids or who just can't seem to see the sparkle that the season brings, then this song is for them. Jon sings in a way that doesn't judge the person for feeling like they do, just gently encourages them to dig down to recapture some of the childlike innocence that can make the world seem a better place. There is a genuine sincerity in Jon's emotive vocal, guiding that pretty melody with his smooth mellifluous singing. With piano that Billy Joel would be proud of, this is a rousing romp of a Christmas song that can't help but leave you with some holiday cheer as you shimmy around the tree...
  • Merry Christmas Time ~ from a big ol' convivial singalong that was the opening number, Jon offers up a more intimate insight into the emotions of Christmas.  He chooses words that conjure up images of winter wonderlands and cosy decorated living rooms. The gentle, laid back pace of the song lets every word be savoured - its impact glittering as brightly as the lights on the most ornate tree.  It all then crescendos into this glorious melange of seasonal sounds, leaving you with a giddy high as shining as the most wondrous star in the skies. Heavenly.
  • O Christmas Tree ~ I'll confess for a second I thought the opening keyboard riff was going to launch into a seasonal take on I Will Survive (which would have been tremendous) but this instrumental version of the holiday standard is just as satisfying. You are transported to the most sophisticated black tie club you can imagine for this gifted take that doesn't need vocals to help you feel every moment. So vivid, you can imagine Jon playing piano, tux shirt sleeves rolled up and bow tie loose round his open shirt collar!
  • Feeling Like Christmas ~  Set to the most gorgeous and sumptuous piano accompaniment, which is as essential to the lyrics as Jon's own voice, this 6/8 time ballad is all about sharing the magic of the most wonderful time of the year. Like the recipe for the most delicious Christmas cake, bass, guitar, organ and shimmering percussion are folded into the score, making it a rousing contemporary hymn.  Just when you think the song couldn't get more delightful there is a buoyant middle 8 which leads into a lovely reflective moment where a gospel choir sings like the angels from on high.
  • Silent Night/O Little Town of Bethlehem ~ while Jon gave us lounge bar elegance with O Christmas Tree, he gives his own Christmas Eve carol concert via the piano only medley of two of the world's most beloved carols. He performs them with a loving tenderness that comes through with each and every note. You can either listen in rapt attention or choose to sing along - the result is a moment of soothing calm and reverence that you can't fake. A wondrous finale to an enchanting EP...
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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