Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Leona Lewis - Christmas, With Love Always


24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream Christmas With Love Always here (external link)

Back in 2013 (when I first launched this website), Leona Lewis was charming the folks of Britain with her Christmas, With Love opus - and its smash hit single, One More Sleep (a song that continues to chart year after year). I always thought it warranted a deluxe edition, but thought this would come the year after - and I'd have been happy with a new song or two, or even a remix of the sparkling Mr Right. Cut to 9 years later and Leona has the pop audacity to return to Christmas, With Love, retitle it Christmas, With Love Always and add two new songs to the mix. And why the hecky thump not, I say? A seasonal selection of songs is for life, not just the holiday year they were released in - most Yuletide fare is pretty timeless so why not dive back in when the time feels right? Two new songs adorn this repackaged gem and both feel symbiotic with what came before...
  • Kiss Me, It's Christmas (featuring NeYo) ~ this is such a dreamy, romantic duet that you can't help but getting lost in the magic of the moment. The lyrics detail all the craziness of Christmas Day and how important it is to find time for a quiet smooch with your loved one. Set to a shimmering mid-tempo groove, with requisite charming chiming bells and jingling percussion, Leona and NeYo make the mundane sound magnificent. Their voices blend together beautifully to craft a grown up lullaby that makes you glad from head to mistletoe. A lush, relaxed gem that will soundtrack your most lovely, intimate moments. Oh, and while you are here, go check out NeYo's own Christmas album (review here). 
  • If I Can't Have You ~ determined to keep the Christmas spirit going well into a New Year, Leona delivers a ballad version of the classic disco song of the Bee Gees penned Yvonne Elliman song. Surrounded by elegiac piano playing and melancholy strings, this tale of heartbreak and sorrow conveys simmering emotions that feel so much more pronounced as the holiday season rolls around. It isn't a Christmas song, per se, but it works because a) us Brits love a slowed down classic around this time of year and b) the dramatic finale, which brings Leona's impressive vocal abilities to the fore and adds a gospel choir, feels as essential as the Christmas day EastEnders cliffhanger. 

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