There’s probably no place better to embrace the warm, loving feeling of Christmas than beside a crackling fireplace decorated with stockings awaiting Santa’s arrival. Many an artist have tried to capture this exact moment, this unexplainable happiness that comes with basking in the glow of the holidays, but only a select few have even come close. R&B songsters Norm Adams and Julia Robertson join those exclusive ranks with their new single “My Kinda Christmas,” which grabs listeners by the collar and takes them on a happy go lucky adventure into the heart and soul of the season.
Lyrically they tell us the story of a couple with differing opinions on how Christmas should be spent together, ultimately coming to the conclusion that it’s not where they end up celebrating the holiday but how they end up sharing it together as a loving family. Beyond its positive message, “My Kinda Christmas” doesn’t disappoint on the musical front, dispatching a strenuous and muscular pop groove that is as boisterous and full of vitality as the vocals from Adams and Robertson are. When many of us think of these two, we often recall their sexy collaborative singles “Body Rush” and the swanky “Home Tonight,” but the pair prove to be just as adept at commanding the Christmas spirit as they are at dispensing seductive R&B harmonies with the release of this song.
YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb1czErnc30
Adams acts as the spice to Robertson’s sugar in this track, and their connectivity on a creative level is audibly noticable from the start. Robertson takes center stage in the first stanza, serenading us with illustrative lyrics about drinking eggnog, decorating the tree and getting cozy together. Following her lead, Adams cuts in to suggest something a little more exotic – passports, sunshine and play far away from the Monday morning grind. The difference in ideas isn’t the only ironic contrast to behold; where Adams has a grit in the timber of his voice that peppers the melody with bold rhythm, Robertson’s vocal is tender, resolute and spiked with a rigidity that is affectionate and hard to dismiss as anything less than incredible. Between the two of them they give us a special glimpse into an elite class of the R&B vocal spectrum, exploiting all of their proficiencies in this track perfectly.
You’d have to be a lot more of a Grinch than the funny little green fellow in Dr. Seuss’ classic story to disapprove of “My Kinda Christmas” and its mesmerizing pop hook. As a music critic I’ve noticed that it takes a lot of extra TLC to make Christmas songs even slightly appealing to the public, despite the seemingly endless parade of new holiday-themed anthems that accompany commercials every Black Friday. Adams and Robertson give us a legitimately moving performance in this song, and for as supposedly unfriendly to the genre as mainstream pop has become, “My Kinda Christmas” fits in beside the most soulful R&B melodies of Top 40 radio even with its very specific subject matter. It’s hard to imagine a Christmas morning that doesn’t come with a gorgeous harmony to match the glimmer of the lights and bows, and this year I plan on incorporating this tune into my own family’s holiday experience. My gut tells me that once you’ve heard it, you’ll likely do the same.
I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/my-kinda-christmas-single/1439835616
Kim Muncie
The music of Norm Adams and Julia Robertson has been heard all over the world due to the radio plugging services offered by Musik Radio Promotions. Learn more – HTTPS://musikandfilm.com
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