Scott Roos, Herald contributor
Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, Christmas is on the horizon. I repeat Christmas is on the horizon. In fact, it’s practically here and as an extra special bonus, the good folks at the EA Rawlinson Centre For the Arts have decided to gift wrap P.A. with not one but two extra special Christmas shows. The first of which is Serena Ryder, who set off on her “Christmas Kisses” tour a few weeks ago in support of the 2018 released album of the same name. She’ll be stopping in Prince Albert to play the Rawlinson on December 8th.
“I am so excited to get back on the road and tour the Christmas Kisses record,” Ryder says in a press release. “The show will consist of mainly songs from Christmas Kisses sprinkled with a bunch of other songs of mine you know and love. I can’t wait to see everyone out there.”
Recorded in Toronto under the watchful eye of legendary producer and Canadian Music Hall of Fame Inductee Bob Ezrin (Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd), Christmas Kisses is Serena’s first holiday-themed album. It features several tracks that you would expect to hear on a Christmas album like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, “Let It Snow”, “Blue Christmas” and “White Christmas”. It’s basically a swing record that brings out the jazz influences in Serena’s mezzo-soprano voice. As you listen to the record it’s evident that Serena is not out of her comfort zone when it comes to jazz. Everything is there musically to provide great holiday entertainment and I’m sure you will savour it live as much as Serena did when she worked through the songs in the studio.
“Jazz music has always been one of my biggest vocal influencers,” says Ryder. “When I was a young girl, I would spend hours upon hours locked away in my room listening and singing to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simon and Chet Baker. It’s been a dream of mine to be able to sing an entire album in this style – and also a dream to be able to embrace the spirit of Christmas in a genuinely joyful way.”
So buckle your safety belts and keep your trays in the upright and locked positions, folks, because December is finally here. ‘Tis the season, so they say. And to all the Grinches out there: no, you can’t stop Christmas from coming. So just sit back, embrace it, and enjoy the ride.
The show will get started at 7:30 pm. At press time, tickets are moving for this show quickly but are still available. You can purchase them at the EA Rawlinson Centre box office or at www.earc.ca/events.
