Dan Lowe - This Christmas
Blues, Singer-Songwriter, Americana, Roots
Oregon, United States
Overall Impression: Both melodically and harmonically mature and most certainly full of feeling, Dan Lowe's charming jazzy blues piece "This Christmas" serves as a wonderful way to get into the festive spirit of things with its soothing performances and gentle swaying grooves, giving listeners a thoroughly relaxing piece of songwriting that has both a big heart and a certain je ne sais quoi to it that you can't help but find endearing. From the relaxed nature of the walking bass and inspired dashes of heartfelt melodic splendor to Dan's soulful vocal presence and the track's laid-back sense of rhythm, "This Christmas" offers listeners plenty in the way of musical interest and I'm sure many will find it to be a thoroughly worthwhile Christmas tune to add to their collection.
Strongest Point(s): You can always tell when all musicians involved in a track such as "This Christmas" gel well, the chemistry simply oozes through the music in such a way that you almost don't notice it carrying you, it's a very particular feeling that only comes from all performers having a clearly defined unified vision and strong symbiotic creative bond, and having listened to "This Christmas" a few times now I can most definitely feel this, and as a result, there's an undeniable sense of fun permeating through both the music and performances that helps heighten the effectiveness of the songwriting tremendously. Keeping the instrumentation simple also helps create a particularly cozy feeling to the music that is perfect for the Christmas theme, there's never a feeling that one area of the instrumentation is dominating the other and as a result, the bass, acoustic and electric guitars, and vocals, are able to riff off one another brilliantly, ensuring the overall harmonic movement, melodic interplay, and strongly established sense of groove are always working in perfect tandem with one another.
Target Audience Appeal: Music lovers who like a hearty dose of Jazz-Blues mixed in with their Christmas song will undoubtedly connect strongly with "This Christmas" and its undeniably soothing properties.
Artist target suggestions: Buddy Guy, King Curtis, Ramsey Lewis Trio, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Rush, Keb' Mo', Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Robert Cray, Karin Krog, Chet Baker, Albert Collins, George Benson
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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 learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.