Jillaine: Jazzy Christmas To You!

Merry and Bright readers who stay in touch through the off-season know that I'm a big fan of Jillaine, the immensely talented, beautiful, and young jazz songstress hailing from Utah by way of Iowa. Earlier this year, I contacted Jillaine and asked about purchasing her Christmas CD and having her sign it (Der Bingle loves signed books and CDs). Jillaine responded by sending me her entire CD catalog, signed as promised! I listened to her first two albums and fell in love with her voice and style, and reviewed the records in the blog (here and here).

I saved Jillaine's Christmas CD until the season, so it would be like a little treat for myself. You know – not unwrapping until the season and all. Well, the season arrived, I unwrapped “Jazzy Christmas To You!”, and it is, indeed, a Christmas treat from Jillaine.

 

 

Folks, I'm telling you, Jillaine has as distinctive a voice and style as I've heard in a long time. I had been totally blown away the first time I have heard an artist only three times – Oscar Peterson, Madeleine Peyroux, and Sophie Madeleine. Jillaine is number four.

“Jazzy Christmas To You!” is an amazing addition to Jillaine's recordings. Her voice is perfectly suited to Christmas music, and her interpretations of Christmas standards are fresh, unique, and, above all, fun!

“Deck the Halls” opens the album. In my opinion, “Deck the Halls” can be a tough song to make memorable. I've heard many competent but ultimately unexciting versions by artists major and minor. Jillaine breathes life into “Deck the Halls” in a completely original fashion, full of energy, full of holiday spirit. It's a perfect way to kick off the record (and, this song will open Der Bingle's 2012 Christmas Comp for family and friends).

There is only one rule for artists who record “Jingle Bells” - have fun with it. Bing had fun. Barenaked Ladies had a whole lotta fun with their version. Jillaine gives us a version of “Jingle Bells” loaded with fun and energy. It's short, sweet, and spirited.

The best song on the album may be “What Child Is This?”. Jillaine performs this with a soulful, spiritual power that is beyond comparison. Her love for the music, the message, and the meaning of Christmas exudes from this performance. I literally shed a tear the first time I listened to it.

There are 15 songs on the album, all of them strong, all of them beautiful.  Jillaine's musicians, Craig Adler on piano and guitar, James Archibald on bass, and Ryan Flores on drums blend and complement Jillaine's vocals.  Craig's piano work is especially superb, not simply accompanying Jillaine but instead combining and partnering, as great musical performances should.

What could be better?

I'll tell you what – a follow-up album this year! Jillaine has released “Jazzy Christmas To You II”, which I'm expecting to arrive in the mail any day now. No waiting around to open it – nosiree :-)

Hey Jillaine – how about a “Jazzy Christmas To You III” next year? Please?

Jillaine Music website

Jazzy Christmas To You on Amazon

And, once again, thanks to my friend Stubby for introducing me to Jillaine's music.

New Christmas Release Mini-Reviews

I've acquired a few new release Christmas CDs this year, so I'll post a few thoughts about them.  Mini-reviews, strictly my opinions.  These albums were already on my must-buy list this year, and there are a few others I'm considering.  The great thing about online music services such as Spotify is that you can listen to many of these new releases before you make a buying decision.  So, between my mini-reviews, all the other reviews out there in Christmas music land, and the ability to listen online, you'll have lots of information available to help decide what to add to your own personal Christmas music collection.

Chris Mann - "Home for Christmas"

Chris Mann was a finalist on season 2 of "The Voice" (a show I and my family love to watch).  Chris is an opera singer from Wichita, KS (hey!  I grew up 45 miles south of Wichita), and he quickly became a favorite of ours each week as he made it further toward the finals. 

Chris has released a 6-song EP this Christmas, a Wal-Mart exclusive release.  I set aside my personal pledge to avoid Wal-Mart in order to buy Chris' CD, and it was well worth it.  Chris' performances are splendid, and this CD will get a lot of play in the Bingle house this year.  The highlights are the beautiful "O Holy Night" and "Ave Maria", and Chris' rendition of "The First Noel" is one of the best I've heard.

Stylistically, Chris Mann will be compared to Josh Groban.  There's some legitimacy to that, although Josh Groban is a purer baritone while Chris edges closer to tenor. 

I think you will enjoy Chris Mann and "Home for Christmas".


Colbie Caillat - "Christmas in the Sand"

Colbie Caillat's Christmas release was one of most highly anticipated here in the Christmas interwebs.  I bought the Target exclusive edition, with a couple bonus songs.  Colbie has a terrific, natural singing style, effortlessly hitting the notes and rhythms.  "Christmas in the Sand" is very pleasant and tuneful, but seems to be lacking songs that are truly memorable.  Nothing here really stands out as exceptional, nor is there a bad song on the disc.  To me, it's a middle-of-the-road, pleasant to hear once or twice type of album.

I'll admit to not being much of a country music fan, but I wanted to love this record.  I like it, but don't love it.  Colbie performs well, but I can't hear much passion in the recordings.  And, there are too many duets.  It seems like country singers have a quota for duets on their Christmas releases.  Three of the first six songs as duets were just too many.  Maybe I would have liked the record more if it were just Colbie.  I'll never know.

It's pleasant, and Christmassy, and charming.  Just not too memorable.


Blake Shelton - "Cheers, It's Christmas"

Hmmm, I just said that I'm not much of a country music fan, and here I am reviewing another album by a country music artist, Blake Shelton.  Blake is terrific as a coach on "The Voice", and he's very good at his craft.  And, generally, Blake's brand of country music is not too bad to Der Bingle's ears. 

Blake's "Cheers, It's Christmas" is in may ways similar to Colbie Caillat's.  It's competently done, sticks to the dual genres of Christmas and country, and features several duets.  And again, like Colbie's, it's pleasant to listen to, but not one that I'll spin every day.

One difference though, is a standout song.  Blake, together with "Voice" protege Xenia, perform "Silver Bells" using a unique and outstanding arrangement.  This is truly a memorable performance, and placed as track 12, was a very satisfying surprise toward the end of the record.

Country music fans will probably love this record.  I like it, and love "Silver Bells".


Ceelo Green - "Ceelo's Magic Moment"

We didn't know what to expect from Ceelo Green, another performer tied to "The Voice" (a coach, as is Blake Shelton).  We knew that whatever Ceelo released on a Christmas record would be interesting.

So far, "Ceelo's Magic Moment" is my favorite new release for 2012.  Yes, it's interesting, but in very good ways.  Ceelo has given us a record with a wide variety of Christmas songs, with a few guest stars, such as Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart, Straight No Chaser, and The Muppets. 

Everything is solid and entertaining, with creative arrangements, going over the top when it makes sense (Baby, It's Cold Outside) and showing respect and reverence when appropriate ("Silent Night").  Ceelo has fun with the Muppets on "All I Need Is Love" and with Straight No Chaser on a great interpretation of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".

The highlight, though, is a tremendous verson of "Mary, Did You Know?".   Easily the most emotional song on the record, Ceelo treats this song with all the reverence it deserves.  It is a beautifully charged song, performed excellently.

I highly recommend adding Ceelo to your Christmas.


Well, that's all for tonight.  Der Bingle will be back soon with more Christmas-season ramblings...

The Season is Approaching...

It's getting close to that time of the year....  In only 7 more days I switch over to all Christmas Music.  I've been listening to some over the past few weeks, here and there, every now and then.  The WT Grant series has been getting some play in my office.  With Halloween nearing, I'm mainly spinning some classic spooky tunes for the next few days.  But then, come Nov 1, it's Christmas Music season!

I acquire Christmas Music CDs throughout the year when I find something of interest in a thrift or used book store, and then start buying the new releases as soon as they come out.  Today was a particularly good day.  I made a couple stops, and brought home the new releases from Chris Mann (from The Voice), Colbie Caillat, Christina Perri, and the latest Now! Christmas comp (pretty good stuff on it, with a few exceptions, ahem ahem Bieber ahem).  Previously I had picked up Blake Shelton's new release.  I'm not a big country music guy, but Blake is pretty good.  I wait until Nov. 1 to listen to the new stuff each year - it's like a little treat for ol' Der Bingle.

There are more new releases (or re-releases) that I will be getting.  I think Cee Lo Green's album will be interesting.  Jumped all over the chance to order a signed Doris Day release from Real Gone today.  Then there's the upcoming new release from one of my favorite new jazz singers, Jillaine. 

And, yes, I've been working on getting some shares ready for all of you awesome Merry and Bright readers.  I have some pretty good stuff I've been preparing.  I probably won't share anything out until after Thanksgiving this year, but you never know.  Maybe one or two special treats will sneak in early.  I've been focusing on recording, and tonight was a massive ClickRepair session.  Later comes the artwork scanning and processing.  Then zipping, uploading, and posting.  It's all progressing...

Well, have a great Halloween everyone!  I'll be back in the posting swing very soon.

Sophie Madeleine "The Rhythm You Started"

Hello dear readers.  All of you long-time friends of Merry and Bright know that Sophie Madeleine is my favorite artist of the decade.  You can check the archives for my posts about Sophie and her music, and my opportunity to meet her last December in NYC.

Such a lovely and talented artist deserves lots of good publicity, so I thought I'd create a quick post to let you all know that her CD "The Rhythm You Started" is now available in the U.S. on Amazon and iTunes.  The U.S. release contains a new song, previously unavailable, called "Poltergeist".

Sophie is an amazingly talented singer/songwriter/ukuleleist, with a *beautiful* voice.  Check out her videos on Youtube, then head on over to Amazon or iTunes and buy her CD.  Oh yeah, she has a cool website, too, and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

"The Rhythm You Started" on Amazon

Sophie Madeleine website

Cavalcade of Sports

Here's an interesting little record I found recently.  It appears to be a promotional 7" 33RPM record for a larger set of recordings.  This is called "Cavalcade of Sports", and features narration by the great Mel Allen.  Who else grew up just waiting each week for "This Week in Baseball" and the voice of Mel?

For sports buffs, this is a very interesting record.  You'll hear the voices of many sports greats from years past, including Jesse Owens talking about the Berlin Olympics, Lou Gherig speaking on his retirement day, and Babe Ruth, both at his retirement and just before his death.

One of the most interesting sound clips is from Knute Rockne.  There is an extended clip of Knute addressing his Notre Dame team before a game.  Trivia time:  Knute Rockne died in a plane crash near tiny Matfield Green, Kansas, in 1931.  Matfield Green is in Chase County, KS, one of the most beautiful counties in the state.  The 60ish miles on K-177 from Cassoday, KS North to Council Grove is one of the most scenic drives in the state.  Northbound, you can see the Knute Rockne memorial off to the right on top of the hill where the plane crashed.  The memorial in on private land, so is not accessible to the public.  I used to drive by there on my college travels, from my home in South-Central Kansas to Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Anyway, here it is, of interest to sports fans, probably not so much for others.  A final note:  the record was a little rough, so there are a couple skips in the recording.

Enjoy!

download link

Album Review: "Brighter Than The Blues" by Kelley McRae

The road was good to Kelley McRae.

Mississippi native and recent Brooklyn resident Kelley McRae and her husband/guitarist Matt Castelein left the security of jobs and apartment in February 2011 and embarked on the “Great VW Camper Van Tour”, criss-crossing the country performing in venues of all shapes and sizes, including many, many house shows, where Kelley and Matt would perform in a living room, a hallway, out on a deck, or wherever the host provided space for the performers and a gathering of friends.  After over 150 shows and 35,000 miles logged in their VW camper van, Kelley and Matt settled for a while in Tennessee to write and record a new album, with songs inspired by their travels across the country.

Yes, the road was good to Kelley, as an inspiration for this collection of songs, and as a way to practice and perfect her art.  Kelley’s new album, “Brighter Than The Blues” is beautiful.  Kelley’s vocals are stronger than ever before, and the musicality is tremendous.  Following her earlier albums “Never Be” and “Highrises in Brooklyn”, “Brighter Than The Blues” features eleven new songs written and performed by Kelley and Matt.  Their travels and experiences over the past year, and the closeness they felt as they toured together, all come through in this amazing collection of songs.

Kelley has long been a gifted songwriter.  “Sparrow”, “Time”, and “More of Nothin’” from her previous releases highlight her songwriting talent.  “Johnny Cash”, from her debut album “Never Be”, is as fine a song as anyone has written, ever.  Let me mention it here, in the same sentence as “Mona Lisa” and “Summer Wind”.  It’s *that* good.  The songs on “Brighter Than The Blues” are as strong as ever, and show that she continues to grow as a songwriter.  These songs are heartfelt, moving, and deeply intimate.  Kelley does not write superficial or fluffy.  Her songs come from deep within the heart of a true artist.

The arrangements, guitar accompaniment, and vocal performances on “Brighter Than The Blues” show Kelley’s true growth as a musician.  Her singing shows amazing strength and maturity, finely honed from her time on road.  The performances are rich and full, enveloping the listener, surrounding you and drawing you into an incredible musical experience.

The title song, “Brighter Than The Blues” opens the album and immediately sets the stage for the record with a superbly strong vocal performance and reminiscences of their long time on the road and their closeness as a couple.  These themes are revisited throughout the record, from the haunting melody of “Keeper of the Light” to the personal “When the Evening Comes”.  My favorite song is “25,000 Miles”, about the trials and tribulations and joys and stresses and growth that came from their tour.  In this one song, Kelley masterfully gives us a glimpse of their experiences.  In retrospect, what a glorious artistic journey this must have been.

Performing so many shows in such intimate venues has truly fostered Kelley’s growth as a musician.  On her website, Kelley says “I really wanted to capture the spirit of the live show” when creating “Brighter Than The Blues”.  As a house-show host who got to hear Kelley and Matt perform from about three feet away, I can attest that she succeeded.  Her new album has all the energy and warmth of a living room show.  By the way, let me tell you, Kelley and Matt performing in your living room is really cool.

“Brighter Than The Blues” is an amazing recording by a truly gifted singer/songwriter.  And, although Kelley is the name on the record, let me give a shout-out to Matt, whose vocal harmonies and excellent guitar work bring completion to this collection of songs.

If you hurry (by September 15, 2012) you can get a free download of “Brighter Than The Blues”!  Details are on Kelley’s website.  But wait, there’s more – join Kelley’s mailing list and you’ll get a free download of “Johnny Cash”.   It’s worth it, believe me.

Kelley McRae website

I was a backer of the production of “Brighter Than The Blues” on Kickstarter, receiving a pre-release copy of the CD and a darned cool T-Shirt for my contributions to the album production.  No other compensation was received.

Free Christmas Song from Jillaine!

Reader Zepp noted and commented that Jillaine has a free download of "Jingle Bells" from her (first) Christmas album on her website.  Nothing better than a free Christmas song, right?  Thanks to Zepp for pointing that out.  Here is a link to Jillaine's download page:

http://www.jillainerecords.com/downloads.html

Enjoy!