You remember that line in Forrest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Well, that's not entirely true. Because there's one thing for certain with a box of chocolates. Whichever one you pick is going to have chocolate. Sure, some have nuts, some have cream filling, some might even have a piece of fruit. But they've all got chocolate. Well, friends, Bob Malone's Christmas album, "The Christmas Collection", is a little bit like that box of chocolates. Some may be Rock, some may be Jazz, some might even be quasi-Classical, but it's all going to have Blues. And it's all gonna taste real good.
Bob Malone is a keyboard wizard. Classically trained with a degree in Jazz, he's the guy all the Rock, Pop, and Folk artists want playing with them. And he's played with pretty much everyone there is to play with--Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Ringo Starr, and the list goes on. He's been a member of John Fogerty's band since 2011. But he's also an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right and has been recording and touring as a solo artist for better than 20 years. To hear him is to love him.
I think of Bob Malone as a Blues Rock artist, but he doesn't confine himself to any particular sound or style. He's gonna use every damn shade of Blues that comes in that jumbo box of Crayolas...and then invent a few of his own besides. Everything he's ever done and everywhere he's ever lived gets rolled into his music which is a unique hybrid of Rock, Blues, Gospel, Folk, Jazz, Country and New Orleans R&B. That combination, along with the nature of his voice, often call to my mind Southern Rock groups like the Allman Brothers more than anything else (or sometimes I think of some kind of cross between Leon Russell and Elton John). But even that is a mile away from the truth as Bob is completely one of a kind.
Bob Malone is a keyboard wizard. Classically trained with a degree in Jazz, he's the guy all the Rock, Pop, and Folk artists want playing with them. And he's played with pretty much everyone there is to play with--Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, Jimmy Buffett, Ringo Starr, and the list goes on. He's been a member of John Fogerty's band since 2011. But he's also an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right and has been recording and touring as a solo artist for better than 20 years. To hear him is to love him.
I think of Bob Malone as a Blues Rock artist, but he doesn't confine himself to any particular sound or style. He's gonna use every damn shade of Blues that comes in that jumbo box of Crayolas...and then invent a few of his own besides. Everything he's ever done and everywhere he's ever lived gets rolled into his music which is a unique hybrid of Rock, Blues, Gospel, Folk, Jazz, Country and New Orleans R&B. That combination, along with the nature of his voice, often call to my mind Southern Rock groups like the Allman Brothers more than anything else (or sometimes I think of some kind of cross between Leon Russell and Elton John). But even that is a mile away from the truth as Bob is completely one of a kind.
| 1. Nothing But Love 2. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch 3. River 4. I Bought You a Plastic Star (For Your Aluminum Tree) 5. Sad on Christmas 6. Jingle Bells 7. Christmas Time Is Here 8. Please Come Home for Christmas 9. Christmas With You 10. The After Christmas Song |  |
It does bear mentioning that "The Christmas Collection" is what it sounds like. Bob loves Christmas music and about half of "The Christmas Collection" are songs he's dropped here and there over the years. "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was a Christmas single he released in 2004, backed by "The After Christmas Song". "Please Come Home For Christmas" was recorded in 2015, I believe. "Jingle Bells" is from 2016. And "Nothing But Love" has been around for a couple of years as well. Back in 2016, Bob packaged these up as a digital download that fans and followers could purchase from his site. But, other than the "Grinch" single, none have been "officially" released and only fans and followers have heard them.
I've mentioned before that, generally, I find Bob is one of those artists who just keeps getting better and better. His version of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch", heard in the trailer for the current Grinch film, is bound to be popular, but it just doesn't do it for me (in spite of the cool arrangement that's one part Old West saloon piano player and one part New Orleans Jazz band). The more recent tunes are much more satisfying to me. And the brand new stuff is off-the-charts amazing.
For a lesser artist, "Jingle Bells" is pretty much a throwaway. But Bob puts everything he has into it. Literally. He, himself, described it as a "bluesy-jazz-pop-with-a-semi-classial-break instrumental", and that's exactly what it is. Y'all know what Joni Mitchell's "River" sounds like, right? We've had a lot of covers of that lately and they all pretty much fall into three groups--Jazz, Folk, and Pop--or some combination thereof. So what could possibly bring new life to "River"? An infusion of Blues and Classical, that's what (yes, Blues AND Classical). The result is soulful and unique; you get the feeling you're deeply contemplating life while watching the sunset on the Mississippi Delta. To date, the few covers of Michael Franks' "I Bought You A Plastic Star (For Your Aluminum Tree)" have treated the tune as a light Jazz novelty (which, in some ways it is, though Franks' original had sincerity; I did hear a Barbershop version once, which was different, but it still sounded like a novelty). Bob gives the tune a beat and some oomph, and grinds out a rendition you can dirty dance to at your favorite Juke Joint or Honky Tonk (or shag to in the Carolina sand, for that matter).
For me, though, the two best tracks are the two new originals...the Gospel Rocker up top, "Christmas With You", and the ballad "Sad On Christmas". The former is Bon Jovi meets Ray Charles while the second is just the most magical sad piano ballad you've ever heard (I keep trying to place it but, when you're calling to mind such disparate artists as Tom Waits and Barry Manilow, it's time to give up and let the song speak for itself). For these two tracks alone, "The Christmas Collection" is well worth the price of admission. But there isn't a track where you aren't amazed at Bob's keyboard prowess. His husky vocals are like the perfect syrup for that perfect ice cream. And there's always this sense, no matter how big the sound, that he's singing just for you, like it's just before closing time and you're the only one in the place.
The digital edition of Bob Malone's "The Christmas Collection" was released November 9, while the CD is expected November 23. Yeah, it's true, I usually prefer a box of chocolates that's all nuts--the cream filled ones aren't my favorites. But every piece in the assortment box is still chocolate. And, when you get right down to it, chocolate--any chocolate--is a wonderful thing.
I've mentioned before that, generally, I find Bob is one of those artists who just keeps getting better and better. His version of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch", heard in the trailer for the current Grinch film, is bound to be popular, but it just doesn't do it for me (in spite of the cool arrangement that's one part Old West saloon piano player and one part New Orleans Jazz band). The more recent tunes are much more satisfying to me. And the brand new stuff is off-the-charts amazing.
For a lesser artist, "Jingle Bells" is pretty much a throwaway. But Bob puts everything he has into it. Literally. He, himself, described it as a "bluesy-jazz-pop-with-a-semi-classial-break instrumental", and that's exactly what it is. Y'all know what Joni Mitchell's "River" sounds like, right? We've had a lot of covers of that lately and they all pretty much fall into three groups--Jazz, Folk, and Pop--or some combination thereof. So what could possibly bring new life to "River"? An infusion of Blues and Classical, that's what (yes, Blues AND Classical). The result is soulful and unique; you get the feeling you're deeply contemplating life while watching the sunset on the Mississippi Delta. To date, the few covers of Michael Franks' "I Bought You A Plastic Star (For Your Aluminum Tree)" have treated the tune as a light Jazz novelty (which, in some ways it is, though Franks' original had sincerity; I did hear a Barbershop version once, which was different, but it still sounded like a novelty). Bob gives the tune a beat and some oomph, and grinds out a rendition you can dirty dance to at your favorite Juke Joint or Honky Tonk (or shag to in the Carolina sand, for that matter).
For me, though, the two best tracks are the two new originals...the Gospel Rocker up top, "Christmas With You", and the ballad "Sad On Christmas". The former is Bon Jovi meets Ray Charles while the second is just the most magical sad piano ballad you've ever heard (I keep trying to place it but, when you're calling to mind such disparate artists as Tom Waits and Barry Manilow, it's time to give up and let the song speak for itself). For these two tracks alone, "The Christmas Collection" is well worth the price of admission. But there isn't a track where you aren't amazed at Bob's keyboard prowess. His husky vocals are like the perfect syrup for that perfect ice cream. And there's always this sense, no matter how big the sound, that he's singing just for you, like it's just before closing time and you're the only one in the place.
The digital edition of Bob Malone's "The Christmas Collection" was released November 9, while the CD is expected November 23. Yeah, it's true, I usually prefer a box of chocolates that's all nuts--the cream filled ones aren't my favorites. But every piece in the assortment box is still chocolate. And, when you get right down to it, chocolate--any chocolate--is a wonderful thing.
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