Single Review - Happy Christmas - Biddy Ronelle and Tommy Taylor

 

Both Biddy Ronelle (Thrill, Let The Music Play) and Tommy Taylor (Popcorn, A Song for Her) class themselves as Americana artists that are happy crossing and blending genres such as rock, blues, folk and pop, both bringing their own unique twist to the ever growing UK Americana scene.

Not content to cover a standard Christmas track, the finished result of this pairing is an original rock ballad - Happy Christmas.

The song is written about what Christmas might look like this year, obviously very different to what everyone is used to, but dramatically different to what every performer is used to, with no live gigs.

The track starts with Biddy setting the scene. A Christmas full of cant’s - no crowds, the lights have stopped glistening, bells are not ringing, you can’t sing, can we even say “Happy Christmas”?

After the first minute the guitar changes the whole feel of the song and sweeps you along, your excitement begins.  

Their voices complement each other nicely; Tommy’s deep voice comforts you and Biddy holds those long high notes - what a powerhouse!

The guitar chorus reminds me of Slade – a more traditional Christmas sound. There a bell thrown in for good measure.

Tommy’s laughter left on the recording suggests they had a lot of fun; although both admit they never imagined releasing a Christmas track.

Times are hard, so raise your glass and sing aloud regardless and imagine you’re at that live gig. Raise your hands and sing together just like Biddy and Tommy have.

                                              

Happy Christmas, the new single from Biddy Ronelle and Tommy Taylor is available to download and stream from Friday 11 December

You can find and follow both on Facebook - Biddy Ronelle & Tommy Taylor and stream them on Spotify- Biddy  and Tommy

Single Review - Its Just Not Christmas - Jessica Lynn

If you have seen Jessica Lynn playing live with her band. You will know she is renowned for her energetic shows (and her incredible hair) but her latest single It's Just Not Christmas shows her gentle and reflective side

Opening with a lovely description of a fairy-tale Christmas – snow, lights and our favourite record playing, but this isn’t going to be a fairy-tale Christmas after all.  Our storyteller is actually looking at “another Christmas without you”.  The song encapsulates that feeling of missing someone at a time that is traditionally one for families and being together with loved ones

Whatever the reason for being apart or for having an empty place at the Christmas table, the emotion is there in this haunting song.  Jess’s voice almost cracks, and the soft male vocal and stunning guitar from Steve Marks of Gasoline and Matches ensures that we can feel the love that they feel, and the loss and loneliness.  It’s a theme that exists in many Christmas songs of the past but given an extra dimension by the simplicity of this arrangement – two voices, two guitars.  The guitar sounds are almost layers, which we normally reserve for backing vocals, but this style of electric over acoustic adds to the feel.

When we get to the instrumental break, you can see very easily why Jessica invited Steve to join her on this track – his acoustic guitar playing is sublime, and adds to the track without being overpowering in any way

As a Christmas song, It's Just Not Christmas won’t have you rockin’ around the Christmas tree, but it it will give you a moment to sit back, look at the decorations and reflect on absent friends, and perhaps raise a toast to those who aren’t with us this year for whatever reason

It's Just Not Christmas, the new single from Jessica Lynn is available now to download and stream from all major platforms

You can find and follow Jessica on Facebook, on her website, on Instagram and on Spotify

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