Tuesday, 1 December 2020

Derek Ryan - The Road To Christmas


24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream The Road To Christmas here (external link)

Good ol' Derek Ryan. From a 5 year stint in boyband D-Side (whose single Speechless is still a corker), the singer-songwriter has parlayed the lessons from that experience into a successful solo career. He has given us a rich discography full of hit albums and sell out tours, and this year he delivers his first Christmas album, The Road To Christmas. A rollicking romp through some festive favourites, as well as his own spin on the season, the album is a treat which just keeps on giving. Like a Yuletide sat-nav, he will get you to the Christmas spirit we all deserve - not by telling us how to be, but letting it feel it with him. A jolly good time that will be a perennial favourite for years to come...
  • The Road To Christmas ~ the album opener and title track is a rousing, kick-up-your-heels feel good anthem. You can actually feel the appreciation and excitement in Derek's ebullient vocal and it is a sentiment which is utterly contagious. The sumptuous score is full of jingles and bells, horns and choral backing vocals, while that chorus sends your spirits soaring to 7th heaven and beyond. 
  • Jingle Bell Rock ~ the party atmosphere continues on this finger-click classic. The band are a textured delight, infusing every moment with a giddy glee so that each subsequent listen unveils something new. Derek's smooth singing style compels you to hit the dance floor and throw shapes like nobody is watching. I mean, that is the jingle bell rock after all...
  • White Christmas ~ Derek slows things down to go full on crooner with this Bing Crosby standard. Or at least for a few seconds in the introduction where it is just him and a piano. Then the tempo accelerates to a peppy pace, lush backing singers coo alongside him and strings cascade like tinsel round the tree. It is a charming reinvention that makes you merry and bright.
  • Winter Wonderland ~ there is something about this transports you back to the gorgeous sound stages of Hollywood movie musicals from the 1950s; Derek is an able leading man, conjuring up all the Yuletide images with his expressive vocals and sounding like he is having the time of his life. The woes of the world ease away and you are left grinning like a Cheshire cat. 
  • O Holy Night ~ if this was a vinyl album, my favourite ever carol would be the capper of a splendid side A. Derek has the ability to switch to a more reverent and respectful song without the flow of the set feeling disjointed. He sings with hushed awe during the first verse, letting the majesty of the words guide him into a glorious crescendo that will leave you tingling all over. 
  • Two Step 'Round The Christmas Tree ~ once you have recovered from the final notes of the previous song, it is time for the most radiant Christmas invitation you'll get this year. It is a ho-ho-ho down Christmas line dance gem that even the most reluctant will succumb to. Witty lyrics, engaging fiddle and the hand-clap good time atmosphere makes for an addictive track that will linger in your head until new year. 
  • Bellau Christmas ~ the Garth Brooks song (from his stellar album Sevens) detailed the miracle of the Christmas Eve truce in World War One. Derek's take on the song is lovingly deferential t o the lyrics, sung with a tenderness and wide-eyed wonder at the tale he is singing. When he concludes with "heaven's not beyond the clouds", it is an achingly sincere moment that you just want to hug.
  • Blue Christmas ~ is this the season's saddest song? There's a wry resignation in the way that Derek sings it; as if he has come to terms with the loss of his love at the most wonderful time of the year. You can imagine him in a bar, nursing his drink as the merriment builds around him. The swell of backing vocal and instrumental are the patrons coxing him out of his woes. 
  • Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! ~ one of the rewards of this album is how vivid Derek is as a raconteur of these tales; letting the listener imagine the setting while they luxuriate in the music. Here, he takes you to some elegant big-band style club where you picture him, bow tie undone, collar open and tux shirt sleeves rolled up, savouring every moment of singing this song. Heaven.
  • Last Christmas ~ my wise mum once said, Christmas isn't Christmas til someone sings Wham! Derek ends the album on a slightly melancholy note, a tender piano-vocal duet letting him revisit all the swirling emotions of the lyrics. Ultimately you believe he sings because it will help the healing process and let him move on to a better 2021 - something we all would love to do.
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