Saturday, 29 October 2022

Norah Jones - I Dream of Christmas (Deluxe)


57 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy the deluxe edition of I Dream Of Christmas here (Norah's website)
Read my review of the original album here

Hurrah! Jolly Jones is back! After delighting us all with I Dream of Christmas last year, she's returned to make the dream even more deluxe (as is the very pleasing standard for holiday albums nowadays). Six new songs (including a brand new recording of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas) nestle alongside  five live recordings from her live-streamed concert from the Observatory at the Empire State Building. Although I've played the original release multiple times, these new songs feel as intrinsic to the project as if they were there all along (particularly as one now becomes the title track of this holiday opus). She is still the warmest conveyor of heartfelt sentiment, swathing her expressive delivery in wonderful arrangements that will be the soundtrack to your Yuletide festivities for years to come...

Bluesy gospel abounds on Last Month Of The Year, a standard that deserves all the wider recognition it can get. You can tell that Norah just adores performing this type of music, immersing herself in the roots of the sound that have influenced her own musical career. Her husky tones suit the content perfectly and it becames a brilliant alternative to your usual festive playlist. I'll Be Home for Christmas is more traditionally known fare, but still offered up with the ghost of Etta James infusing her influences into this shuffling, finger click groove. A cool addition is these 40s style Andrews Sisters backing vocals that come wafting in, as if traversing the passages of time from ancient transistor radios. It is as welcome as a hot toddy on the coldest night of the year; beautiful wish fulfilment at its finest.

I've always loved The Christmas Waltz and here it is given a playful vibe thanks to the frisky notes of the piano, blending with a shuffling percussive rhythm. The keyboard magic is as essential to the happy narrative as Norah's smokey singing, coalescing to craft images of a winter wonderland. It is all allowed to breathe at its own pace, immersing you in its charms. Now, I'm very protective of O Holy Night as it is my favourite of all the Christmas carols. A new arrangement actually breathes new life into the time worn words, celebrating the lyrics with the lolloping beat; it still achieves a certain level of reverence with the vocal delivery that is a bow of the head to the awe of the story being told. Very possible that this opens it up to a whole new audience who hear the song in a very different light. Now that's great storytelling.

Odd that the title track was either held back until the deluxe edition or created especially for it - I Dream of Christmas is beautifully evocative, conveying with elegant ease why (for many) it is the most wonderful time of the year. La la la moments make it a convivial sing-along where Norah doesn't tell you how to feel; rather she lets you feel the magic right alongside her. Her new version of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas does Judy proud - you'd definitely take up the invite to meet her in St Louis thanks to a shimmering instrumental and relaxed vocal where every note is savoured. Across this collection you can tell that Jolly Jones is thoroughly enjoying singing these songs, making it such a treat for her fans (new and old) to listen to. She's done it again.


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