Tag: Apple Music

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Al Nicol & Evelyne Brochu “On Christmas” (2024)

a painting of a snowy scene in the mountains

Self Released
Buy: 7Digital (FLAC/MP3) | Apple Music

Last year, Nashville-based Canadian singer/songwriter Al Nicol and fellow north-of-the-borderer, actress and singer Evelyne Brochu teamed up on “On Christmas,” a great slide guitar and brass-laced Christmas tune. Happily, I came upon this song because Al Nicol recently released a track with Hiss Golden Messenger on it – and this time of year, I click through on EVERYBODY. So here I am, standing in the kitchen, poking at my phone and listening to his excellent new single, “Only Hoping,” and my eyes widen. This song is likely to be good… and it was. A short love song, with church and too much wine. The orchestration is beautiful, the lyrics are original, and clocks in at about 2:30. Bullseye.

Bottom Line: Christmas 2024, and Al and Evelyne are singing a wonderful Christmas love song. Christmas 2025, and I hope I didn’t just send ICE to a young Canadian songwriter’s home.

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Ceramic Animal – Tinkertown: A Christmas Tale (2023)

Self Released
Buy: Apple Music

With all the new stuff coming out (which Christmas A Gogo is handling quite nicely!), I find myself writing about things I missed from past years… My methods are quite scattershot, and I never quite know what I’m going to hit… so when you bring back yet another song, the taste of satisfaction is sweet.

Doylestown, Pennsylvania’s Ceramic Animal dropped a 6-song Christmas EP, Tinkertown: A Christmas Tale, which has a swagger that I appreciate. A silly sense of humor runs through the songs, which makes perfect sense when you see their press photos. These guys look like a good time. There is most certainly a standout in “Santa Please (Spare My Wife),” which has the narrator bargaining with Santa not to… well… seduce his wife.

Santa, Santa, in your sleigh
Spread that joy in a different way
I believe in magic, in love and in life
But Santa, don’t bang my wife

Hehe. I remember listening to this song the first time, and I hadn’t really registered the title yet, and the whole premise had me shaking my head and chuckling. Then on the third or fourth listen, I started to kinda dig their whole laid-back sound. For those who enjoy a bit of comedy in their mixes, this may fit the bill.

Bottom Line: Funny and full of swagger, Ceramic Animal might have the levity you all need this season. Of note, I could only find one place to purchase this record – iTunes/Apple Music.