Monday, 1 December 2025

Zak Azoury - Christmas Love (Deluxe Edition)


24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!

Stream-buy Christmas Love (Deluxe Edition) here (Zak's shop)

Last Christmas, I gave Zak Azoury's Christmas Love my heart - and ended my review with a cheeky plea for him not to give it away but to revisit the most wonderful time of the year again with some extra songs for a deluxe version. While I doubt I have that much influence, Zak is back embracing the season with a set of new songs that sit beautifully alongside the original nine. There are five new future favourite festive oldies for you to immerse yourself in, including an original song so steeped in Christmas cheer that it feels like it will be streaming annually from now until the little white smoke appears over the North Pole to announce a new Santa Claus. What my mum would call a bobby dazzler of a collection - and with (in my humble opinion) a far more suitable cover art for his work. So, stream, buy, then social media everyone you've ever met to recommend this sterling project...
  • It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas ~ there's full on contemporary Andy Williams vibes on the first of the five; exquisite piano twinkles alongside percussion that shuffles in like snow gently blowing over the town in the most delicate of breezes. I like how Zak savours every moment, letting each of the words dance to the music so that his vivid picture paints an expressive canvas in your mind's eye. A lovely lilting middle 8 enhances the sheer enchantment of the song and you are left feeling both merry and bright...
  • Christmas Is Here ~ co-written with Alex Beane, Zak calls this the most generic Christmas song he could write - and that's probably the best barometer for producing an enduring hit. Christmas music is entirely forgiving in its ability to both be of one genre and yet straddle different approaches. Mariah may have all the whistles and bells, but Alex and Zak combine engaging vocals, effervescent guitar (courtesy of Mike Clowes) and sing-along lyrics to make this feel fresh and familiar all at the same time!
  • Silver Bells ~ one of Zak's skills is making songs feel luxurious, even when you feel you might know every single minute and even when he takes a stripped back approach. The way he folds in layered vox into the chorus is like listening to some vocal harmony group who have traversed the passages of time from 40s transistor radio to aid this in becoming streaming gold. Christmas can be crazily commercial and chaotic - this is a soothing reminder to take a little time out and focus on the magic of what's ahead. I mean, soon it will be Christmas Day...
  • Let It Snow ~ 50s Hollywood leading man emanates from Mr Azoury and that's a quality that never goes out of style. He's leading the charge here, via a romantic thumb on the nose to the frightful weather - focusing instead on the sumptuous sax and punctuated, playful piano chords to make this one seduction of a song. The north winds could bluster and blow and you'd still feel a sense of cosy comfort by playing this song. Magically, makes you feel like you are by a crackling fire even if you're not (and that's what Yule Log videos are for on  YouTube)!
  • I'll Be Home For Christmas ~ the Great Holiday Songbook's most hopeful and hopeless promise is a glittering delight in the hands of Zak. It lollops along like a relaxed sleigh ride through the deepest of snow. Zak sings with an assured confidence that helps you believe in his conviction. He's always a gracious partner to his instrumentalists, letting the music fuel the vocal and vice versa (but never overpowering each other's contributions). Now how nice do I have to be in 2026 to get some London Christmas shows next year?!
**Ghosts of Christmas Past**
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