It was tough to pick a song to lead off this post because every song on "Ding Dong Days" by Marcel Kapteijn has it's own texture and they're all great. While, overall, you would classify "Ding Dong Days" as Contemporary Pop, the songs range from classic Crooner to bizarre novelty.
Stateside, Marcel Kapteijn might be an unfamiliar name, but he's been turning out hit records in the Netherlands since the 80s. Back then, he was the lead vocalist for the Synth-Pop duo Ten Sharp. If you were a fan of groups like Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, and similar groups of the era, you should really check out Ten Sharp's back catalog. Great stuff. Ten Sharp had one huge international hit, "You", which made the upper reaches of the charts across Europe but, sadly, never made it to American shores. When Synth-Pop faded as a genre, Marcel met up with songwriter Peter de Wijn who was writing songs for a "Crooner" project which he expected to feature multiple singers. The two found they worked well together and one song led to another and another and another. Under the name Luckyfella, Marcel Kapteijn collaborated with Peter de Wijn on 4 albums over the next several years. In more recent times, Marcel has been recording and performing under his own name.
Stateside, Marcel Kapteijn might be an unfamiliar name, but he's been turning out hit records in the Netherlands since the 80s. Back then, he was the lead vocalist for the Synth-Pop duo Ten Sharp. If you were a fan of groups like Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, and similar groups of the era, you should really check out Ten Sharp's back catalog. Great stuff. Ten Sharp had one huge international hit, "You", which made the upper reaches of the charts across Europe but, sadly, never made it to American shores. When Synth-Pop faded as a genre, Marcel met up with songwriter Peter de Wijn who was writing songs for a "Crooner" project which he expected to feature multiple singers. The two found they worked well together and one song led to another and another and another. Under the name Luckyfella, Marcel Kapteijn collaborated with Peter de Wijn on 4 albums over the next several years. In more recent times, Marcel has been recording and performing under his own name.
| 1. The One I Want For Christmas 2. December Me 3. River Of Snow 4. Ding Dong Days 5. Rain Turns To Snow 6. Colours Of Christmas 7. Snow On The Roses 8. A Very Foggy Christmas |  |
The first thing you notice about Marcel Kapteijn is that voice. There's a term used for a voice such as his..."Timeless." In any context, "timeless" implies something that never goes out of style. In the context of music, it is a shorthand way of saying that, whatever the musical trends of the day, a "timeless" voice will always--always--command attention and admiration. A timeless voice is a voice that could sing the phonebook and be absolutely captivating. Marcel Kapteijn has such a voice. Listen to Marcel's early work with Ten Sharp, his work as Luckyfella, or the songs on his most recent albums--spanning a period 33 years so far--listen to any of it...and the first thought that's going to stick with you is, "Man...that voice." His voice is as strong today as it ever was and one imagines it will be every bit as strong 30 years from now.
There are no tired old chestnuts on "Ding Dong Days", no "White Christmas", no "Baby It's Cold Outside". If any of these songs are covers, I've yet to hear the originals. While I have no writing credits to go by, I'd guess that most, if not all, were written by de Wijn and Marcel. The album opens with the festive Pop Rocker "The One I Want For Christmas", the kind of tune that sounds great blasting out of your car radio in the middle of December and, these days, the kind that Europeans seem better at doing than we Yanks. It's got a bit of a slightly restrained Phil Spector sound to it and, naturally, there are bells. Ultimately, "The One I Want For Christmas" is a song that will sound as good on the 100th listen as the first.
"December Me" feels like a song lifted from Synth-Pop's New Romantic movement (think Spandau Ballet). "River of Snow" is a beautifully done a capella number. The lyrics, full of evocative imagery, speak to a vivid memory and a longing to "turn back the clock." "River of Snow" was originally included on an entire EP of such music Marcel released last year, "A Capella River Songs".
The EP's title track, "Ding Dong Days", was originally recorded and released in 2004 during Marcel's early Luckyfella days. It's an upbeat crooner that seems very theatrical--the kind of show-stopper you could imagine closing a night on Broadway or in Vegas with a full orchestra and dancing girls. It's also evidence of Marcel's long held desire to do a full Christmas record. It would just take a few more years.
"Rain Turns To Snow" is a very pretty song in its own right, and another one that would sound great on the radio. It puts me in mind of some of my favorite early Soft Rock hits ("Can't Find The Time" by Orpheus, "Precious and Few" by Climax, etc.).
Every great album should have a twist. Just when you think you've figured Marcel Kapteijn, he goes all Frank Sinatra on you. This is where you truly begin to understand what a "timeless" artist Marcel is. "Colours of Christmas" is a theme John Rutter explored in a similarly titled song several years back, but Rutter's song, as I recall, was Victorian in its imagery and hewed to the birth of Christ. Marcel's "Colours of Christmas" is a gentle Waltz that would sound at home on a 1954 Christmas album and features the symbols of a warm and cozy home at Christmas time.
While I can see "Colours of Christmas" as a tune ready for inclusion on hundreds of Christmas albums in the years to come--it has that "standard" feel about it--the real Christmas miracle on "Ding Dong Days" is "Snow On The Roses". Let me put it this way. The first time I heard "Send In The Clowns" was when Judy Collins sang it. Now, I like Judy Collins well enough, but the song didn't really move me until Frank Sinatra sang it. For me, Sinatra's will always be the definitive version of that song and nobody else will ever touch his mastery of it. "Snow On The Roses" is the kind of song you could imagine Frank singing and Marcel knocks it out of the park with a performance worthy of Ol' Blue Eyes, himself. Some will no doubt try, but I don't see anyone touching Marcel's rendition. And what a magnificent song. "When I look at you while you're sleepin'/all wrapped up in Christmas wishes/with a smile that knows no sorrow". Great lyrics, great music, great performance.
Ah, but then comes the second twist. Marcel closes "Ding Dong Days" with a fun little (somehow very British) Christmas novelty track, "A Very Foggy Christmas", about a family of ghosts sharing a holiday toast. I know it's a song a lot of my readers are going to like (so here's the video). And it turns out to be the perfect ending to a very original and satisfying Yuletide EP.
"Ding Dong Days" by Marcel Kapteijn has a little something for everyone, with every track shinning like the star on the top of the tree. The songwriting is masterful and Marcel's vocals are mesmerizing. "Ding Dong Days" is one of those little gems that an awful lot of people are going to overlook and miss out on. Don't be one of them.
There are no tired old chestnuts on "Ding Dong Days", no "White Christmas", no "Baby It's Cold Outside". If any of these songs are covers, I've yet to hear the originals. While I have no writing credits to go by, I'd guess that most, if not all, were written by de Wijn and Marcel. The album opens with the festive Pop Rocker "The One I Want For Christmas", the kind of tune that sounds great blasting out of your car radio in the middle of December and, these days, the kind that Europeans seem better at doing than we Yanks. It's got a bit of a slightly restrained Phil Spector sound to it and, naturally, there are bells. Ultimately, "The One I Want For Christmas" is a song that will sound as good on the 100th listen as the first.
"December Me" feels like a song lifted from Synth-Pop's New Romantic movement (think Spandau Ballet). "River of Snow" is a beautifully done a capella number. The lyrics, full of evocative imagery, speak to a vivid memory and a longing to "turn back the clock." "River of Snow" was originally included on an entire EP of such music Marcel released last year, "A Capella River Songs".
The EP's title track, "Ding Dong Days", was originally recorded and released in 2004 during Marcel's early Luckyfella days. It's an upbeat crooner that seems very theatrical--the kind of show-stopper you could imagine closing a night on Broadway or in Vegas with a full orchestra and dancing girls. It's also evidence of Marcel's long held desire to do a full Christmas record. It would just take a few more years.
"Rain Turns To Snow" is a very pretty song in its own right, and another one that would sound great on the radio. It puts me in mind of some of my favorite early Soft Rock hits ("Can't Find The Time" by Orpheus, "Precious and Few" by Climax, etc.).
Every great album should have a twist. Just when you think you've figured Marcel Kapteijn, he goes all Frank Sinatra on you. This is where you truly begin to understand what a "timeless" artist Marcel is. "Colours of Christmas" is a theme John Rutter explored in a similarly titled song several years back, but Rutter's song, as I recall, was Victorian in its imagery and hewed to the birth of Christ. Marcel's "Colours of Christmas" is a gentle Waltz that would sound at home on a 1954 Christmas album and features the symbols of a warm and cozy home at Christmas time.
While I can see "Colours of Christmas" as a tune ready for inclusion on hundreds of Christmas albums in the years to come--it has that "standard" feel about it--the real Christmas miracle on "Ding Dong Days" is "Snow On The Roses". Let me put it this way. The first time I heard "Send In The Clowns" was when Judy Collins sang it. Now, I like Judy Collins well enough, but the song didn't really move me until Frank Sinatra sang it. For me, Sinatra's will always be the definitive version of that song and nobody else will ever touch his mastery of it. "Snow On The Roses" is the kind of song you could imagine Frank singing and Marcel knocks it out of the park with a performance worthy of Ol' Blue Eyes, himself. Some will no doubt try, but I don't see anyone touching Marcel's rendition. And what a magnificent song. "When I look at you while you're sleepin'/all wrapped up in Christmas wishes/with a smile that knows no sorrow". Great lyrics, great music, great performance.
Ah, but then comes the second twist. Marcel closes "Ding Dong Days" with a fun little (somehow very British) Christmas novelty track, "A Very Foggy Christmas", about a family of ghosts sharing a holiday toast. I know it's a song a lot of my readers are going to like (so here's the video). And it turns out to be the perfect ending to a very original and satisfying Yuletide EP.
"Ding Dong Days" by Marcel Kapteijn has a little something for everyone, with every track shinning like the star on the top of the tree. The songwriting is masterful and Marcel's vocals are mesmerizing. "Ding Dong Days" is one of those little gems that an awful lot of people are going to overlook and miss out on. Don't be one of them.
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