James Carter Cathcart - Christmas Morning (I'll Be Home With You)
Rock, Pop, Adult Contemporary
New Jersey, United States
Overall Impression: Wonderfully performed and dazzlingly graceful in its execution, "Christmas Morning (I'll Be Home With You)" is a deeply mature piece of songwriting that injects the notion of the Christmas song with a healthy dose of added sophistication and class. James Carter Cathcart is obviously an astoundingly accomplished writer, arranger, and performer and this track is a clear testament to that. Melodies beautifully cascade against one another, the contrasting timbres of the instrumentation cast a warm blanket of tonal color over the arrangement, and the tender performances perfectly embody the season of joy down to a tee, "Christmas Morning (I'll Be Home With You)" is a joy to get swept up in and I'm sure audiences will undoubtedly agree.
Strongest Point(s): Where do we begin? Let's start with the performances. The vocal performance is excellent and James has that certain vocal presence that is really easy to engage with and it certainly helps heighten the effectiveness of the delicate nature evoked by the lyrics. The diverse instrumentation provides a plethora of tonal and timbral variety throughout, whether it'd be the sweeping strings, warm expressive nature of the brass, or the wonderfully gentle qualities of the harp, there is an abundance for listeners to experience, and when combined with the mature arrangement, the results really are quite magical. I particularly like the way the piece subtly builds over its duration, from its softer and gentler opening to its climactic conclusion, the song always feels as it if is moving towards a grand and sprawling finale, which thankfully, in this case, pays off dividends.
Target Audience Appeal: Audiences who like a bit of extra refinement sprinkled over their Christmas tune will find "Christmas Morning (I'll Be Home With You)" to be both highly captivating and undeniably charming.
Artist target suggestions: Christopher Cross, Elton John, America, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Electric Light Orchestra, Sam Smith, Jerry Vale, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Dan Hill, Chicago, Dan Fogelberg
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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.