Friday, 12 December 2025

Dennis Van Aarssen - All I Want For Christmas Is You


DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Stream All I Want For Christmas Is You here (Spotify)
Buy Dennis' music here (external link)

I discovered Dennis van Aarssen's music via his very excellent indeed festive opus Christmas When You're Here (one of my fave Christmas albums of the decade), a collection of original and classic songs which bought a little magic and sparkle to my seasonal song list. Dennis always delivers like he's Santa Claus himself - from his adoration of the swing genre, through to his dapper style. He even looks splendid all bowtied up in his Christmas jumper on the cover of his latest Yuletide single, a cover of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You. To call it a cover, however, does it a disservice. It feels like Dennis has deconstructed the song back to its original blueprint, then rebuilt it as an achingly romantic plea at a time when love, actually, is all around. Lush horns, vibrant percussion and a newly added instrumental loop added in coalesce around Dennis' nuanced, hopeful vocal to give this old favourite new life. Just the song you need to make you feel merry and bright all Christmas long...

But wait! There's more. Just as in the days of the Rat Pack crooners Dennis admires so much, there's a b-side to this (should be) vinyl 7" single - a new tune called A Song For Christmas. It's a charming mid-tempo groove that reminds me of the rousing finale the old variety show TV specials would have in their special festive episode. His big band conjures up another dazzling score that peps along like an exhilarating sleigh ride, a lavish, textured wall of sound that brings to life Dennis' words as much as his singing does. I love this sort of symbiotic partnership in musical adventures - particularly when it is as exquisitely curated as this. Let's face it, writing an out and out Christmas smash can yield all sorts of financial rewards, but Dennis sings with such sincerity of the sentiments that you can't help but fall hard and sing along before your first listen is complete. Unwrap a song so vivid it paints a picture with the words right before your very eyes. Now that's some holiday magic...

**Ghosts of Christmas past**
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