Jessica Wicken - Mountain High Christmas
Country, Folk Rock, Jazz
Colorado, United States
Overall Impression: With Christmas just around the corner, what better way to get into the spirit of things than listening to a terrifically uplifting Christmas tune, and with its undeniable charm and feel-good nature, "Mountain High Christmas" is just the type of song to fire up that Christmas feeling. Jessica Wicken gives a wonderfully warm and graceful lead vocal performance that is backed by an equally well accomplished musical backing that you simply can't help but feel invested in from start to finish.
Strongest Point(s): As aforementioned, this is a track that's brimming with charm, and I particularly like the country context that the Christmas theme has been placed in. As a genre, the country-style has always had that certain sense of energy and positivity that lends itself well to the Christmas theme, and "Mountain High Christmas" strikes a great balance between these elements. The performances are both animated and assured, contributing significantly to the track's bouncy sense of energy as well as ensuring the track has a somewhat loose feel to it, which works very well for this style of song. More often than not, artists have a certain rigidity to their performance that can no doubt give the track a polished aesthetic, but this is often at the cost of feeling, so it's great to see that Jessica Wicken and co have retained the feeling of a live performance, which results in a sense of spontaneity.
Target Audience Appeal: This is a charming Christmas infused country number, and fans of the genre will easily connect with "Mountain High Christmas"
Artist target suggestions: Clare Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Blake Shelton, Whitney Duncan, Mitchell Tenpenny, Tim Mcgraw, Jessie James Decker, Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, Gary Allen, Keith Urban
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About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.