Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

Pennsylvania-based singer Matt Goss, aided by a proficient jazz trio, take eight familiar Christmas carols and give them a makeover. People's reaction to this CD will depend on how much they like their Christmas classics jazzed up. Goss has a particularly good voice and the Tom Pontz Trio deliver a cool piano, bass and drums accompaniment that never overwhelms the vocals while the solos show their talents to good effect without being flashy or self indulgent. They even get an instrumental - "Christmas Time Is Here". Some of the yuletide evergreens lend themselves to a jazz arrangement better than others with "Winter Wonderland", "Joy To The World" and "White Christmas" being particularly enjoyable. I don't like too much experimenting with "Silent Night", so that would probably be my least favourite track, and I'm not sure "Angels We Have Heard On High" works that well, though the piano work is excellent. My favourite track is "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" which starts beautifully, and conventionally, with vocals and piano, before getting into the jazz groove.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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