Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Rachel Wammack - Dear Christmas


25 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy Dear Christmas (EP) here (Apple Music)

It is always such a treat to discover artists new to me as I do my sixty days of new Christmas music countdown each year. Not only do I get to hear their takes on seasonal standards (as well as infusing new songs that will soon become my favourite future oldies) but I get to uncover their back catalogue of music as soon as new year rolls around. It is like the gift that keeps on giving. I'm particularly smitten with Rachel Wammack's Dear Christmas EP - four tracks steeped in country music and bluesy influences that come alive in no small part thanks to Rachel's expressive vocal style. She's chosen some lesser known gems that deserve the chance to sparkle - and Rachel illuminates them like the lights on the tree at Rockefeller Centre...
  • Santa Claus Is Back In Town ~ the song opens with these delightful textured vocals and tinkling piano before blossoming into a full-on blues bar romp; deep bass and pounding percussion wrap Rachel's voice in a persuasive accompaniment that enhances every unspoken word of the narrative. She doesn't so much sing the song as live and breathe every moment - so vivid that you imagine you are in a dusky bar on Christmas Eve, feeling the magic all over again.
  • There's A New Kid In Town ~ if Rachel got the bar hopping with the opening number, she captivates and commands attention with There's A New Kid in Town. A gentle acoustic ballad all about the greatest story ever told. Rachel sings exquisitely with guest vocalist, Blessing Offer. Both give a reverent deference to the words, using beautiful harmonies and the mellifluous nature of the chorus to make this song shine as bright as that guiding star...
  • O Holy Night ~ I am actually very protective of O Holy Night as it is one of my favourite carols of all time. The stirring song is in safe hands with Ms Wammack. A dignified piano dances elegantly along side her respectful singing. Instruments and vox swell and crescendo in all the right places - and the song is all the more powerful for Rachel not belting it to the rafters. Rather she imbues each word with just the right amount of vocal power to give it maximum impact. 
  • This Christmas ~ the E.P. ends all too soon with the Donny Hathaway classic, a luxuriously relaxed take where Rachel gets to savour every word. A wall of instrumental sound feels like a shimmering of glitter alongside a smooth performance. Often an E.P. is a tester to see how a full festive album would land - I'm all for another 5-6 tracks being added to this next year. And if they aren't, well this is more than enough to make you feel merry and bright.
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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