Artist: Callann Lane
Title: Christmas This Year EP
Website: http://www.musicbycali.com
Style: Christmas Holiday
Label: Levity Records
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
By C.W. Ross
The young fresh face pop singer Callann Lane (formerly known as Cali) has released her sophomore effort, a holiday project titled, Christmas This Year.
Christmas This Year was originally recorded and released in 2007 by non-profit Gifts in Kind, with 25,000 copies sold as an exclusive CD release through 1400 Ronald McDonald Houses, 125 children’s hospitals and military bases nationwide. This year, the album will be available to everyone through a new agreement with iTunes.com.
I’ve been reviewing a lot of Christmas releases lately and most of them have been pretty traditional sounding but this is one that definitely took a different path. This release is the one that the kids and younger adults will want to put in the stereo this Christmas Season.
The six songs found on this EP are a collection of well known Christmas classics like, “Let It Snow” that’s filled with club beats, and techno sounds set against a up dance tempo. And the more modern Christmas classic “Carol Of The Bell” a very lively piano arranged song that’s also filled with club beats.
“Christmas This Year (Emma’s Song),” “Harmony,” and “Glorious Things” were the most traditional sounding songs found on the EP with their piano lead, more melodic feel, that still have some funky drum beats found in them.
Probably the most unexpected song is a cover of the Madonna hit single, “Holiday.” Nothing says Christmas like the thought of Madonna in a skimpy outfit singing- Not! But I guess that’s just the old in me coming out.
That mental picture aside I liked the fresh very upbeat approach that Callann took on Christmas This Year. The EP is a quick hitter though with its 6-tracks lasting for only 19 minutes.
The EP was produced by Darrell Vanzant and Chuck Butler, and mixed by Grammy Award winning Steve Hodge (Janet Jackson, TLC, Usher, Mariah Carey).
The Christmas This Year EP is the Christmas release to stuff into the kid’s Christmas stockings this year.
