Santa Baby
Turtle Bay, 2022
8/10
The Brooklyn vocalist Sweet Megg brings us 10 holiday tunes steeped in her nostalgic, western swing, blues and jazzy ways, where an all star cast joins her on guitars, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, piano and drums.
“Winter Weather” starts the listen with warm brass, frisky drums and Megg’s soulful, inviting singing in the playful opener, and “Santa Baby” follows with a charming demeanor of cozy melodies and Ricky Alexander’s skilled clarinet making for a stylish version of the classic.
Halfway through, the retro spirit of blue Christmas flows with the bass lines from Tal Ronen being quite frisky amid Jesse Gelber’s piano acrobatics, while “White Christmas” is quite intimate, where the graceful piano and skilled bass complement Megg’s sweet pipes.
Closer to the end, the upbeat “Silver Bells” is a fluid instrumental that blends the brass and winds with much agility, and “Silent Night” exits with a hushed presence that uses bouts of brass strategically alongside the brushed drums.
Most of us have heard these songs before, but in Megg’s inimitable vision of prohibition era song craft, they live here in an entire new light that’s sure to make Christmas even more enjoyable.
Travels well with: Brennen Leigh- Prairie Love Letter; Sweet Megg & Ricky Alexander- I’m In Love Again