With Christmas in the air (it seems), the Holiday-themed music rapidly materializes faster than store displays do. One of the things I miss from my 30 years in California are the walks in malls, tree lighting ceremonies, and the overall, somewhat unnatural, atmosphere. Nevertheless, despite being less than a traditional Christmas with snow, etc, it managed to effectively fill the air with its own brand of magic. With music, the same can be said. Often, what seems like a strange pairing, the magic simply shows up.
On December 8 (November 17 in the UK), Universal will release a holiday-themed album by Tom Chaplin. Tom Chaplin is well known for his time with Keane. It’s been five years since a Keane album, however, Tom released a successful solo effort in 2016 with The Wave. That album produced four singles, and achieved a high position on the UK charts. But even worldwide, the album was well-received. The new album is called Twelve Tales of Christmas. The album will contain a whopping twelve tracks (coincidental?).
Chaplin, like the many of us, still finds a magic in Christmas that isn’t seen or felt by everyone. And not that there are those who hold a special insight; but there are those that never really let it go from their lives.Tom says it like this: “Christmas is my favourite time of year. The passing years have conspired to erode that magic but I still feel it’s presence when I gather together with my family.”
Twelve Tales of Christmas will be released on CD, DD, and vinyl LP. The album’s twelve tracks is a collection of eight originals, and four covers (“Walking In The Air”, “The River”, “2000 Miles”, “Stay Another Day”).
Fortunately for us, there is a single that we can hear and enjoy. With that unmistakable and familiar Keane voice, this should be fun for you to listen to!