My Festive Fizzy Pop: Julia Stone - Everything Is Christmas

2 WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy-stream-adore Everything is Christmas here (external link)

There are many things I love about Christmas music - not least that even sad seasonal songs make me feel something I somehow can't quite re-capture at other times of the year. It is so much more rewarding than that though - it is how festive tunes know no musical snobbery or genre boundaries; it is how my all-consuming love of holiday playlists leads me to discover artists who might have otherwise pass me by. Take Julia Stone, for example. Somehow I wasn't aware of her Sixty Summers opus that has garnered critical acclaim all this year - now I am as smitten with it as I am her new Yuletide album. Everything Is Christmas reveals her love for the most wonderful time of the year and balances this with the more poignant and sorrowful memories we may associate with each and every December. It is beautifully done and one that will no doubt stand the test of time...

The album opens with It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas - where her evocative vocal is swathed in playful percussion, impish piano and delectable music box chimes. The strumming guitar has a warm, engaging vibe to it that makes this a sparkling introduction. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town continues with the lo-fi country music sound; a slowed down pace makes this feel like a musical bedtime story. Lush layered vocals and a strings solo make this a gentle enchantment that lingers long after the music finishes. Come All Ye Faithful continues to deliver the unexpected with a sleigh ride banjo accompaniment and, like the previous song, her brother Angus adding a lilting charm to the track. There is still a reverence and respectfulness of the lyrics that makes this a fascinating interpretation of the age-old carol.

I've always thought All I Want For Christmas Is You had a poignant melancholy to it and that is bought to the fore by elegiac piano and yearning violin. Julia's vocal is imbued with a sense of unwavering hope that still lifts your spirits. Jingle Bells sees Ms Stone savour every note, letting the magic of the song shine through - liberties with the melody give it a new perspective (as does the focus on the "oh what fun" moment as the refrain). Similarly, Let It Snow takes us to new places with a seductive bass and flirtatious vocal while an extended middle 8 helps you enjoy the ride. It feels fresh yet instantly timeless. The First Noel is further proof that a carol concert with Julia Stone may well be the most captivating way you could spend Christmas Eve. The intertwining of piano-guitar-voice is intricately done and as beautiful as the story being told.

The carol concert continues with Away In A Manager. There is an earthy, organic nature to the music that helps it feel like it could have traversed the passages of time to bless us with its calming presence in these turbulent times. Joy To The World continues the celebration of the greatest story ever told - what works well is how Julia's vocal shares the jubilation without having to belt it to the rafters. It is just as effective and mesmerising with her studied performance. Joni Mitchell's River has always been an exquisitely sad song; here there is an earnest honesty in Julia sharing her regrets to such a graceful, string infused score. The music tells as much of the story as her own voice. Winter Wonderland casts broad descriptive brush strokes that make it feel like it could have been lifted from some delightful Doris Day movie musical, somehow lost in the annals of history.

A trio of The Great Christmas Song Book provide the finale to this emotive journey. White Christmas dazzles thanks to its elegant, acoustic nature and Julia's voice making the titular wish sound so sincere that it wraps around you like a hug from an old friend. She then seamlessly segues into Wham's Last Christmas with plucked and punctuated strings making for a stirring accompaniment. The music has luxurious extended moments whilst the singing has a resoluteness to it that makes this cathartic. Won't spoil the second verse but it changes this song in gorgeous new ways. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas is a sombre yet sophisticated ending that brings the journey full story. She's a gifted melodic orator and her unwavering optimism is wonderfully contagious and uplifting.

**Ghosts of Christmas past**

My Festive Fizzy Pop

Saturday, 11 December 2021

Julia Stone - Everything Is Christmas

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