A Philly Special Christmas Special
Jason and Travis Kelce pretty much took over the world in 2023. The Philadelphia Eagles center and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end host a highly rated podcast, played against each other in the Super Bowl, and even helped land their mom Donna a soup commercial. Rumor also has it that younger brother Travis has been dating a singer of some note, but Jason is the sibling who’s publicly displayed a fair amount of musical gusto, most prominently on last year’s album, A Philly Special Christmas. Featuring Kelce alongside Eagles teammates Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, sales of the record benefitted Philadelphia-area children’s charities to the remarkable sum of more than $1,25 million, making a sequel an obvious call. The three players, along with former linebacker Connor Barwin, got the band back together, including producer Charlie Hall (The War on Drugs), to once again celebrate the season with big fun and an even bigger heart.
Like last year’s effort, A Philly Special Christmas Special earns its musical legitimacy from Hall’s presence (along with most of his TWoD bandmates), plus appearances from other Philly music legends. Amos Lee sings along with Johnson, Kelce and Mailata on “The Christmas Song,” aided with pleasant piano and saxophone. Mailata, the Australian offensive lineman, once again gets a chance to show his (very legitimate) chops by trading verses with Patty LaBelle (really!) on Donny Hathaways’s Chrisrmas come-on, “This Christmas.” And fellow lineman Lane Johnson is joined by Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) on Willie Nelson’s “Pretty Paper,” where Johnson acquits himself quite nicely as a cowboy crooner.
Also similar to last year’s record, the music vets and special guests are simply a sumptuous side to the sense of fun that the Philly boys bring to the holiday table – imagine a road-worn version of “The Dreidel Song” that recalls Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” sung by three large football players and their boss (GM Howie Roseman) and you’ll find it here. Kelce provides an appropriately silly take on “Dominick the Donkey, “ bringing along his Casio SK-1 to add to the child-like fun. Younger sibling Travis shows up on “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” a take on The Pogues’ downbeat, New York-based holiday classic that replaces a love story with, well, brotherly love – “You took my dream from me when Mom first had you.” And Jason even pens his own take on Christmas Eve with “Santa’s Night,” featuring an emo St. Nick – “My sack is near empty and my blisters are torn/All this ‘cause some virgin’s son was born” – before the Big Man sees the magic in his journey – “I’m often caught thinkin’ “Why’s it gotta be one night?”/But as the wrappings rip open, I am healed with delight.” Which, at the end of a tough year, really is what this holiday is about for so many folks.
Go here to order A Philly Special Christmas Special (out December 1): https://phillyspecialchristmas.com/collections/frontpage
Learn more about A Philly Special Christmas Special’s chosen charities – Children’s Crisis Treatment Center and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – here: https://phillyspecialchristmas.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: A Philly Special Christmas
Watch A Philly Special Christmas Special’s stop motion animated special (featuring an animated Charlie Hall!) here :
A Philly Special Christmas Special was produced by Charlie Hall, engineered and mixed by Nick Krill and mastered by Alex DeTurk. Musicians on the album include Jason Kelce (vocals, Casio SK-1), Lane Johnson (vocals), Jordan Mailata (vocals), Patti LaBelle (vocals), Amos Lee (vocals), Waxahatchee (vocals), Jordan Davis (vocals), Howie Rosenman (vocals), Travis Kelce (vocals), Charlie Hall (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals), Justin Faulkner (drums), Thomas Hughes Mustang (bass, Mellotron), Anthony Tidd (fretless bass), Brandon Beaver (guitar, vocals), Kevin Hanson (guitar, electric sitar), DMHotep (fretless guitar, guitar synth, ukulele), Eliza Hardy Jones (piano, vocals, vocal coach), Zach Miller (Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer, piano, MOOG Mother-32, vocals), Luke Carlos O’Reilly (Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer, piano, Mellotron), Robbie Bennett (piano, toy piano, bells, See ‘N Say), Nick Krill (Farfisa Organ), Rob Hyman (organ, squeeze box), Eric Bazilian (mandola, recorder), Mike ‘Slo-Mo’ Brenner (pedal steel), Brennen Ernst (5-string banjo), Jay Davidson (alto and baritone saxophone, harmonica, horn arrangements), Matt Cappy (flugelhorn, horn arrangements), Nasir Dickerson (soprano and tenor saxophone), Dan Blacksberg (trombone) ,James Lavino (orchestrations), The Silver Ages Choir, the Philly Special Children’s Choir and “The Peanut Gallery” (Grant Calcaterra, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Landon Dickerson, Domani DiSandro, Jack Driscoll, Brandon Graham, Jalen Hurts, Cam Jurgens, Kenny Gainwell and Jeff Stoutland).
