Friday, 27 October 2023

Gavin DeGraw - A Classic Christmas (EP)


59 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Buy A Classic Christmas here (external link)

The last time I caught up with Gavin DeGraw at Christmas, he was singing Celebrate Home with Leanne Rimes on her 2015 festive set. Fast forward to 2023 and not only did I get to see Gavin perform live in England (a night of live musician/singing artistry at the O2 in Birmingham) but the world gets to experience A Classic Christmas right alongside Mr DeGraw. After the emotional experience that was his exquisite and heartfelt Face The River album, A Classic Christmas is a seasonal experience in nostalgia; a selection of songs which elicit memories of Christmases gone by, provide the soundtrack to the one you are living through and will, no doubt, be your new favourite future oldies for many years to come. Gorgeous arrangements swathe Gavin's crooner voice in a way that makes the music both familiar but also A Very Gavin DeGraw Holiday EP. Unwrap this gem now...
  • It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year ~ if I had my way, every Christmas album would start with this radiant classic. Gavin manages it to make it an opulent yet intimate welcoming to his musical party. Blasts of horn, ripples of strings and resonant backing vocals all dance alongside his joyous singing. It is as if the song feeds his soul and he just gets to share that back through his performance. Timely yet timeless, it is a joyful and triumphant introduction to his six song set. 
  • I'll Be Home For Christmas ~ the holiday's most hopeful musical promise gets a radiant piano accompaniment (with little flourishes of Silent Night) whilst an elegant orchestra and bells chime alongside this essential addition to the narrative. The music lifts Gavin's country-tinged performance, a symbiotic duet partner that helps the perhaps futile wish edge closer to reality. It is so beautifully done, so vivid that you can picture the hay ride/sleigh ride he may sing from the back of on his slow but certain journey home.
  • Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree ~ Gavin has always been an eclectic performer, infusing his sound with inspiration and  innovation. Here, he blends rockabilly with New Orleans style brass, making this a kick-up-your-heels/grab-the-one-you-love-and-shimmy style romp. As inhibition loosening as 3 glasses of Grandma's Egg Nog, you can't help but click your fingers and let the good times ripple down from your head to (mistle)toe. Oh and the guitar licks in this? Chef's Kiss!
  • Silent Night ~ elegiac strings, mournful guitar and a little drummer boy of a percussion help strip this song back to its blueprint, reconstructed so that Gavin can not just sing every word but make sure you feel all the feelings alongside him. It is a quiet moment of reflection in the commotion of Christmas that helps you remember those perhaps not with you anymore and celebrate that you once had them in your life. It flows at such an easy pace that it really does open the much-loved lyrics up and lets them breathe.
  • White Christmas ~ like a long lost song from days gone by traversing the passages of time, Gavin delivers a take on this indelible Christmas classic that is both throwback to the Bing Crosby movie era whilst also adding his own sprinkle of ribbons and bows. It's that muted trumpet that adds something new to the song whilst dipping you into Andrews Sister style harmonies that make you believe your days will be merry and bright. I guess you could call it newstalgia...
  • The Christmas Song ~ you may recall that Gavin sang an acoustic version of this on his Instagram page last holiday season. His adoration for the music shone like the brightest star in the sky and we can only be grateful that it guided him to undertake this project this year. The final song on the EP is a stark reminder that the nuance isn't just in his expressive vocal, it's saturated in the way each musical note is placed and how they layer each other as the song progresses. A magical end to this enchanting set. 
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