I don't know how it is we've come to be so blessed, but we've had the joy over the past few years of some artists and labels offering us the opportunity to debut some Christmas tunes here in this tiny corner of the internets. I hope that says we're doing something right.
I don't think we've had any bigger Christmas artist make such an offer than Elizabeth Chan (although I remain open to a call from Johnny Mathis...or Bing from the beyond). If you're a regular here--or at any of the Christmas music sites--you know the backstory. Successful business woman chucks it all to pursue a dream...a dream to write and sing Christmas music. Those are just the bare bones and make the whole thing sound almost easy. But you know it wasn't easy. If your Mom was anything like mine, I'm sure she told you more than once not to let go of one branch until you've got a firm hold on the next. It's scary as hell to just take the leap and have faith you'll land on your feet.
I don't think we've had any bigger Christmas artist make such an offer than Elizabeth Chan (although I remain open to a call from Johnny Mathis...or Bing from the beyond). If you're a regular here--or at any of the Christmas music sites--you know the backstory. Successful business woman chucks it all to pursue a dream...a dream to write and sing Christmas music. Those are just the bare bones and make the whole thing sound almost easy. But you know it wasn't easy. If your Mom was anything like mine, I'm sure she told you more than once not to let go of one branch until you've got a firm hold on the next. It's scary as hell to just take the leap and have faith you'll land on your feet.
So, anyway, Liz is one of our readers and, a while back, asked if I'd be interested in sharing a sneak peak of her latest Christmas record, "Five Golden Rings". That's sort of like asking someone if they'd like free ice cream for life. She asked me which title interested me and I said "anything but 'Jolly Old St. Nicholas'" (though she assures me that her version of that old chestnut will win me over). And we had a little email exchange in which I said that the best Christmas songs, I think, are the ones born of honest emotions. It's one thing to sing about decking the halls and Santa Claus. Drawing from your personal faith to sing about the birth of Jesus gets you closer. But, I think, you really only get "there" (wherever "there" is) when you reach deep into yourself and bring out something real and personal, getting past the human insecurities that practically scream at you, warning that you're making yourself too vulnerable. Because, to me, its that kind of emotional honesty that results in the true bittersweet flavor of Christmas--that results in the timeless classics like "White Christmas" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." Of course, if its all kazoos and Chipmunk voices, I'll take that, too.
Liz says, by the way, that many of her originals on "Five Golden Rings" are, in fact, deeply personal and real. And, to me, that suggests that this album will be her best yet. It's worth considering that Elizabeth Chan was a woman who was strong enough and courageous enough to take a leap of faith to pursue a dream. And, personally, I can hardly think of anything requiring more courage than making the transition via Morgan Spurlock's web series, which bore the title of "Failure Club" (that's a longer story within the longer story). And yet even more courage is required to get to the heart of the thing. I'm not sure what the critics thought about last year's "Red & Green", but I thought it was her best effort yet. I felt she was flying so close to the heights she was reaching for. And I'm being entirely honest when I tell you that I believe that this is the one. Haven't heard it all yet, but the signs are good. I think it's tremendous that Liz included some traditional Christmas songs this time (that takes a kind of courage, too). And the titles of her newest originals--"Home", "Ghost Of Christmas Past", "The Prayer"--are evocative of more than tinsel and twinkle lights. The international flavor is a nice touch, too (how many Chinese song titles do you see on domestic Christmas albums). Even her 9/11 inspired "Concrete Tears" seems illustrative of a kind of graduation.
And, certainly, we're off to a nice start with the song Liz chose to share exclusively with us here at Stubby's. "We Are The Stars". In our email exchange, I talked about losing my parents and this song comes from a similar place. Yeah, I cried. I'm too old to be proud. You can listen to the song here for the next two weeks. After that, on September 30, the preview vanishes, but "Five Golden Rings" will be live for purchase with previews of all of the songs then available here. And let's not be greedy. Please feel free to share the link(s) with friends and family.
Liz says, by the way, that many of her originals on "Five Golden Rings" are, in fact, deeply personal and real. And, to me, that suggests that this album will be her best yet. It's worth considering that Elizabeth Chan was a woman who was strong enough and courageous enough to take a leap of faith to pursue a dream. And, personally, I can hardly think of anything requiring more courage than making the transition via Morgan Spurlock's web series, which bore the title of "Failure Club" (that's a longer story within the longer story). And yet even more courage is required to get to the heart of the thing. I'm not sure what the critics thought about last year's "Red & Green", but I thought it was her best effort yet. I felt she was flying so close to the heights she was reaching for. And I'm being entirely honest when I tell you that I believe that this is the one. Haven't heard it all yet, but the signs are good. I think it's tremendous that Liz included some traditional Christmas songs this time (that takes a kind of courage, too). And the titles of her newest originals--"Home", "Ghost Of Christmas Past", "The Prayer"--are evocative of more than tinsel and twinkle lights. The international flavor is a nice touch, too (how many Chinese song titles do you see on domestic Christmas albums). Even her 9/11 inspired "Concrete Tears" seems illustrative of a kind of graduation.
And, certainly, we're off to a nice start with the song Liz chose to share exclusively with us here at Stubby's. "We Are The Stars". In our email exchange, I talked about losing my parents and this song comes from a similar place. Yeah, I cried. I'm too old to be proud. You can listen to the song here for the next two weeks. After that, on September 30, the preview vanishes, but "Five Golden Rings" will be live for purchase with previews of all of the songs then available here. And let's not be greedy. Please feel free to share the link(s) with friends and family.
 | 1. Sleigh 2. Ghost Of Christmas Past 3. Home 4. Deck The Halls 5. Jingle Bells 6. Jolly Old St. Nicholas 7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 8. Joy To The World 9. Angels We Have Heard On High 10. We Are The Stars 11. Adeste Fideles 12. The Prayer 13. Fa La La (En Espanol) 14. 城市聖誕節 (Christmas City) 15. Cancion De Navidad 16. Best Gift Ever (Remix) 17. Concrete Tears |
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