Melissa Carper A Very Carper Christmas
Putting together a Christmas album (a good one), particularly with new material, is a difficult needle to thread. Ideally, it needs to be original without being too divergent, sentimental but not sappy, and emotive but not treacly. And, even though she was initially hesitant to take on the project, singer-songwriter-upright bassist Melissa Carper has somehow managed all of that. Her perfectly titled A Very Carper Christmas captures all of her personal quirky humor and warmth while also inviting musical friends to share in the festivities. Fair warning – if you have vivid memories of holidays past (good or not-so), Carper will manage to tweak a tear duct or two somewhere across these 15 tracks.
Where better to start the festivities than with the decorations? “Plug in the Tree” leads off A Very Carper Christmas with a lighthearted push to get the season going – “Oh hurry up and plug in the tree/It’s November 23” (as I write this, it’s November 24/I’d better de-attic the decor). Spiced up by a trumpet solo from Doug Corcoran, it’s a reminder that the best holiday season is an extended one. Next up is “I Want a Dog for Christmas.” Penned with Brennen Leigh (who’s responsible for one of my all-time favorite pup songs, 2020’s “Little Blue Eyed Dog”), the wistful tune, sung from a child’s perspective, asks for the genuine article – “Not a stuffed animal/I want one that is real.” Tinkling piano from Emily Kimble and a fiddle solo from Katie Shore help paint the picture of a tyke lying awake on Christmas Eve, hoping.
Not everyone has idyllic Christmases, and that certainly includes musicians. The accordion-laced (via Jeff Taylor) “Christmas in New Orleans” reflects that first-holiday-away-from-home feeling, when money is tight – “We couldn’t find jobs so we practiced a few songs/And busked for a livin’ out on Royal Street” – and friends are vital – “We saved up our money and bought us a turkey/Had a little Christmas party in our shack on Dauphine.” Even when things might seem dire, as they do in “Dumpster Divin’ on Christmas Eve,” Carper’s true-to-life characters somehow find triumph in a sort-of holiday feast – “We’re hittin’ up Aldi’s right around 4pm/When they’re throwin’ out the good stuff/Straight from the fridge.” Their spirits, and the album, are recession-proof, and the songs are, even in this time of year, thought-provoking without resorting to either guilt or schmaltz. In fact, the only time the record resorts to cheesiness is gloriously literal. “Oh Cheeseball” brings strings and a properly reverent 15-person choir along to celebrate one of the holiday’s best (and suddenly hard to find) delicacies – “Oh beautiful delicious cheeseball gently rolled in nuts/I like you the most spread on a Ritz.” It’s those small traditions that, years later, make holidays memorable. Add A Very Carper Christmas to that list.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Christmas Memories” – This slower, waltz-y tune hits on a couple of my own memories, from namechecking Nat King Cole (a must while decorating the tree) to specific images seemingly pulled from my own head, even as I’d almost forgotten them – “Toys all over the living room/Scrabble games and Trivial Pursuit.” However you choose to celebrate this season, take time to soak these future memories in.
A Very Carper Christmas was produced by Andrija Tokic and Dennis Crouch, engineered and mixed by Tokic and mastered by John Baldwin. Original songs written by Melissa Carper, with co-writes going to Gina Gallina, Brennen Leigh, Katie Shore and Brian Martin. Musicians on the album include Carper (vocals), Gallina (vocals), Shore (fiddle, lead and harmony vocals), Dennis Crouch (upright bass), Tim Crouch (fiddle), Chris Gelb (drums, percussion), Chris Scruggs (rhythm and lead guitar, steel), Doug Corcoran (trumpet, saxophone), Emily Gimble (piano, Rhodes, pump organ, Hammond B-3, toy piano, harmony vocals), Greg Harkins (rhythm and lead guitar), Jeff Taylor (accordion, dolceola, piano) and the “Oh Cheeseball” Choir: Amy Carper, Ben Scruggs, Chris Carper, Chris Gelb, Chris Scruggs, Emily Gimble, Gina Gallina, Greg Harkins Jubilee Fly, Karen Rockett, Katie Shore, Melissa Carper, Rachel Owen, Tim Crouch and Troy Miller.
Go here to order A Very Carper Christmas (out November 24): https://www.melissacarper.com/shop/shop-by-album/a-very-carper-christmas
Check out tour dates here: https://www.melissacarper.com/upcoming-shows
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Melissa Carper “Borned In Ya”
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