Review by Saya Mochizuki
Kate Magdalena’s soulful rendition of “The Christmas Song” radiates the same warmth you’d feel while gathering around a fireplace on a cozy December evening. Setting the serene mood, a soft, ambient synth pad slowly fades in at the beginning, which transitions smoothly into the piano. The delicate piano and string arrangement blends beautifully with Magdalena’s vocals, which maintain an incredible tone throughout while still leaving enough room to flow freely with emotion. The piano and strings fluctuate in volume often, mirroring the dynamics of her voice, allowing each heartfelt lyric to breathe—and emphasizing the undertone of longing. Although Magdalena’s voice is placed upfront in most of the mix, the jazzy piano solo shines halfway through, creating a pleasing balance between the soaring vocals and intricate piano runs.
The way Magdalena powerfully belts, “Although it’s been said, many times, many ways, merry Christmas to you” concludes the song on a merry and uplifting note amidst its mellowness.
This cover of “The Christmas Song” preserves the heartwarming qualities which many know and love from the original. Still, Kate Magdalena truly makes it her own by staying connected in her vocal performance—and brings each detailed lyric to life through her unique voice.
About Kate Magdalena
Kate Magdalena is an independent singer-songwriter out of the San Francisco Bay Area, and recently Nashville, TN. Most at home in folk-pop, she calls her genre ‘Timely Americana’, as she is inspired to write for the particular times in which we live. Kate was selected by BWH Music, (Austin) in both 2020 and 2021 as a Women to Watch: Best Female Independent Artists, and her recent album “The Water Is Wide” was awarded Best Album in Adult Contemporary in the 2020 W.A.M. Awards. The album, released in August 2020, contains 9 songs of water and land, including the iconic covers “Downtown” and “I Know A Heartache When I See One,” as well as several originals, most notably “The Waking” a setting of the poem by Theodore Roethke. On this album is also Magdalena’s political song “Backstory” about some of what we are now living through. Kate is dedicated to using her music as an art form that can and must bring about awareness, and ultimately change. In November 2019 Kate Magdalena released her second album with Grammy nominated producer Billy Smiley (Johnny Cash, WhiteHeart, Clay Aiken) “A Larger Dance” with singles “Be the Lark,” “New Earth,” “Battle Hymn,” and “Streets of Any Town.”. The full album includes songs by Joan Armatrading, Leonard Cohen, Sinead O’Connor, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. The title track “A Larger Dance” was just awarded a “Best Song” Silver Medal in the 2021 W.A.M. Awards for Adult Contemporary Music. Kate’s first album “Acquainted With the Night” was released in 2018 and contains the song “United (to Save the World)” (featured in the album “Peace Street” by BWH Music. Kate released an EP for Christmas 2020 called “In the Bleak Midwinter,” with 6 carols and her new carol for 2021 “The Holly and the Ivy” will add to nicely to that holiday collection. She is also now releasing singles from her next EP “CANYONLANDS” expected in the first part of 2022. Kate lives happily ever after with her husband Randall both in Northern California and Franklin, TN. Connect on Facebook Follow on Instagram Stream on Spotify
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