Nothing says Christmas like festive album released in November! Don’t expect horns and trumpets, fake snow, a David Guetta’s production or a Nicki Minaj rap verse about beats and booze and the odd Christmas pudding, (expect that next year from her, no doubt).
No, Tracey Thorn slaps us back to the softer side of the season with blue, blue, songs about Christmas in November.
What starts with a song about someone getting the clear, sets the tone for this seasonal themed 4th solo album by the Everything But The Girl front woman. The follow-up to her critically acclaimed album ‘Love And Its Opposites‘.
The follow up has its moments but lacks the aforementioned jolly festive spirit; instead makes you want to drown your sorrows, making Christmas something already dreaded, even worse. But maybe I’m forgetting the niche of listeners out there who enjoy the soft tones of Mrs Thorn, it’s lost between Norah Jones coffee culture. There isn’t any reinvention with Thorn, at times feels like I’m listening to a cheap drum set and Casio keyboard; you’re guaranteed a soft album.
The only thing that saves a Thorn record, apart from the clock like artwork (A possible fall back career) is the lyrical content. I’ve already mentioned ‘Joy‘, the first song that talks about a close friend getting the clear, but might be different in New Year; it’s this that makes me want to listen to what Thorn talks about.
Okay it’s not snowball fights and saving Santa, but it’s more deep and emotional; showing that a river is still running when frozen.