I’m betting that nearly everyone who hears and enjoys James Robert Webb’s new song “I Just Wanna Be Your Santa Claus” will agree its big payoff moment arrives with the track’s chorus. The Tulsa, Oklahoma native has proven his mettle for crafting memorable refrains and I’m certain that, when we’re looking back on Webb’s musical output, his propensity for such hook-laden moments will shine especially bright when replaying this track. He knows what his target audience wants to hear from such moments and delivers the goods every time.
He’s definitely built the tune with the audience in mind. It doesn’t mean, however, that he’s slavishly giving them what they want and putting his own ambitions on the back burner. James Robert Webb’s personality is all over this arrangement, lyric, and instrumental performance. We’re hearing his vision here, no one else needs to apply. He’s written a genuinely affectionate and funny love song tied to the Christmas holiday, but it really has year-round appeal.
The appeal lies with a combination of the instrumental work, his voice, and the words penned for this particular occasion. There’s a reason you may very well hear the song in your neighborhood mall or department store. It’s because I hear a song that has across-the-board appeal – everyone past their teenage years who has known love can connect with this cut. Webb’s wide-open and often funny delivery further reinforces that. He’s careful, however, to never overstate the song’s case and I appreciate the tastefulness he brings to a type of song that’s often wallowing in overkill.
I’m a huge fan of the song’s guitar work. It supplies key color and instrumental support throughout the track before culminating with a stinging, even eloquent, solo near the song’s end. Webb has latched onto the perfect guitar sound for the song. The piano contributions scattered throughout the track give “I Just Wanna Be Your Santa Claus” more melodic layers without ever cluttering the arrangement. It’s a song that breathes and never rushes the listener.
It allows listeners a chance to enjoy the cut in full. It doesn’t linger long, barely clearing the three-minute mark, but I defy anyone to feel cheated by the length. He’s tailored it in the right way rather than saddling the song with added parts and flourishes that it doesn’t need and takes it further away from Webb’s initial intent.
Christmas tunes scarcely ever come better than this.
He’s been on quite a roll this year and this single shows it isn’t over yet. It’s one hell of a momentum builder for the pending New Year. I didn’t really expect much going into this song, however, despite his track record, because I’m not a terribly big fan of Yuletide-themed material. James Robert Webb proves me wrong however and “I Just Wanna Be Your Santa Claus” gives me all the encouragement that I need to step back and say, hey, maybe I should give more songs like this a chance to impress me. “I Just Wanna Be Your Santa Claus” impressed me and then some.
Kim Muncie