Tony Mortley - Santa’s Mayhem
Folk, Pop, Country
Sevenoaks,United Kingdom
Overall Impression: Tony Mortley takes the narrative perspective of a disgruntled Father Christmas in the original tune, "Santa's Mayhem"! Melancholically plucked strings form a simple but emotionally salient backdrop for Mortley's pensive vocal performance - revealing the lyrical contents of "Santa's Mayhem" to be a parodical plea for termination as St. Nick states, "All I want for Christmas is a P45".
Strongest Point(s): The entire premise is very humorous - taking such a lackluster tone with a figure that's traditionally steeped in jolliness creates a richly entertaining cognitive dissonance! The chorus line is clever, and while the nature of a P45 form may be somewhat esoteric, those that get the reference will find it to be deeply amusing. Tony's vocal approach suits the song well, and falls easily into the realm of low-energy but high-expressivity artistry. Very creative work!
Target Audience Appeal: "Santa's Mayhem" should resonate among those that identify as the Scrooges and Grinches of the world, as Tony Mortley's writing relays a dispassionate take on Kris Kringle's seasonal duties with stoic sincerity - guaranteeing a rise from like-minded listeners regardless of genre preference or cultural background!
Artist target suggestions: Flight of the Conchords, Bombadil, Fruit Bats, Ingrid Michaelson, Beirut, Johnny Flynn, Nick Drake, The Staves, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bug Hunter, Mystery Jets, fin, Hey Steve, Friday Pilots Club, Jack Conte, Good Kid, Wild Party, The Happy Fits, Wild Party
Interested in having your Song Reviewed by our Professional Staff? Head to your RadioAirplay.com dash and click Song Reviews under the Special Offers menu!
About the Reviewer:
Jon Wright is a trained multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and music educator with nearly twenty years of experience in the field. Working with musicians and their individual sounds is his passion and profession, and he strives to interact with and understand every aspect of the production process - from theory and songwriting to recording and mastering. He continues to teach students of all ages and is currently collaborating with artists in a wide variety of genres.