Wednesday, 1 December 2021

Björn Skifs - It's Christmas


24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Stream It's Christmas here (Spotify)

Well this is all very delightful. Swedish pop royalty, Björn Skifs, has released a brand new Christmas album of wholly original material. It's Christmas contains eleven glittering songs, all penned by Sharon Vaughan and Peter Kvint. As one might expect with such a pedigree behind it, it is beautifully curated - a selection box of shimmering baubles that (in the best way possible) sound like an indelible part of every holiday memory you have and the soundtrack to many memories yet to be made. There is an elegance and emotion to the music which is instantly timeless - songs that would have sounded gorgeous 30 years ago and will sound just as resplendent in 30 years time...
  • The Whole World Loves Christmas Day ~ the album opens with a song that feels like a lost Bacharach/David classic, traversing hidden airwaves just waiting for Björn to breathe life into it. There is a sumptuous ease to the song, crafting the atmosphere for the  whole festive opus thanks to a wonderfully textured score, a twinkling of backing vocals and a vocal so warm from Mr Skifs that it could heat your hot chocolate all winter long. 
  • Home Again ~ such beauty and grace continues on Home Again. This is a soaring, hopeful ballad with magical use of piano and guitar that is an integral to the narrative of the song as the words are. There is a vivd, 70s power ballad vibe to the song yet it doesn't feel dated - just a loving tribute to a sound that became such a rich tapestry of our lives. Björn is a masterful melodic orator of the song, making it a musical hug from an old friend.
  • It's Christmas ~ the tempo canters forward, like Santa's reindeer on Christmas eve, on this giddy romp of a title track. There's something theatrical about the buoyant piano chords and that huge, sing-along chorus that conjures up images of an opulent stage production of a musical yet to be written. So joyful and triumphant is every moment of this that it shines a little hopeful light into the darkest cracks of our lives. Making you feel merry and bright. 
  • What This Christmas Means To Me ~ those Bacharach/David influences are rightly back on this heartfelt tale of the little moments of wonder and awe we see reflected through the eyes of those we love at the most wonderful time of the year. The ornate strings and mellifluous piano twirl around each other like the lights cling to the most glamourous of Christmas trees; the whole musical experience is just as charming and lovely.
  • Santa's Back In Town ~ a jolly big-band romp with frisky piano riffs (and one heck of a saxophone solo) sees Björn sing about (and reveals who is) the real Santa with some witty refrains and bon mots that stick in your brain long after the song has finished. What is so astonishing about this is how it could easily have been part of a Hollywood movie from the 40s/50s - that classic crooner chic and suave perfectly portrayed.
  • Christmas Star ~ if Love, Actually has taught us anything it is that you will always find your true love at Christmas as long as you tell the truth (or something). In case you don't have two hours to spare this year to watch the movie, this song is all about how finding romance at Christmas always feels heightened, yet - like the spirit of the season - filled with brimming possibility as long as you can just get them to shine as brightly as you do. Enchanting.
  • My Christmas Universe ~ the melody reminds of Agnetha Falkstog's The One Who Loves You More so feels familiar yet with a sobering tale of how the world can all go a bit to pot; yet it is the holiday season that perhaps can inspire us to make a change and put a little more love and kindness in the world - a world where we all have the power to create the change we want to see. That is exactly my type of Christmas universe.
  • (Christmas Eve) After Midnight ~ I am in firm belief that it is actually Christmas Eve that is the most magical day of the year; this gorgeous romantic ballad finds the balance between the two enchanting days with swooning charm and suave sophistication. I love how there is a flow between the sequencing of tracks on this album - each story seems to blend seamlessly into the next one, building the sense of story telling...
  • When Christmas Finally Comes ~ there is a huge amount of build up to the big day that, sometimes, the hype can't live up to the actual result. Björn finds joy in the smaller moments of the holiday traditions (with a delightful key change and some majestic brass moments). He casts a spell with his ability to captivate - some sort of musical alchemist prescribing the cure for what ails you.
  • Christmas Time ~ the real reward in this album is how the writers have managed to deliver eleven brand new songs that give new insight and nuance into stories that have been told in many ways before. In Björn Skifs, they've unwrapped the most resplendent singer to help bring the festive vision to life. Christmas Time is the most twinkling representation of that - another celebration of the season that is just angelic.
  • Forever Yours ~ every Christmas album needs a song you feel you can play anytime of the year; just to give you that little boost when you feel you the holiday spirit slip away. This is just the song to do that - a music box of a musical landscape with the most crystalline vocal. It is a radiant finale to a real treat of a Christmas album. We can only wish upon a star that Mr Skifs will return to the season in years to come.
**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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