A different kind of Christmas Time
author: Gary Dalkin
North Carolina’s singer-songwriter-composer Marc Hoffman is a diverse artist, his releases ranging from jazz (the excellent Jazz) to the solo piano music of Long Way Home to the contemporary Christian songs of Dream of God. It is particularly to fans of this latter disc that Christmas Time will appeal, though the album should find a welcome home anywhere looking for a distinctively different Christmas platter.
Central to Christmas Time is Marc’s tenor voice, here as adept at light modern pop / MOR styles as previous projects have been to the classical concert hall. Make no mistake, Hoffman is a high calibre musician able to turn himself to diverse genres. Here he has provided the orchestrations and arrangements throughout, as well as adding two new songs of his own. In addition he plays piano, percussion and keyboards, and is joined by his brother, Sandy on acoustic guitar. Meanwhile John Sharp and Gray Fallin, who also graced Jazz, respectively contribute polished electric guitar, bass guitar and mandolin, and drums. There is percussion from Carlton Jackson and Carrie Ezell contributes violin.
The album opens with a brief take on Gerald S. Henderson’s ‘Jesus is Born’, Marc’s layered vocals making an effective introduction to an imaginative modern arrangement of the classic spiritual ‘Go Tell It On the Mountain’. An old song, perhaps over familiar, but a welcome change from traditional Christmas album fare, and Hoffman delivers it in joyful voice with due care to the lyrics, singing like he not only knows what the song means but that he means it too. Equally thought is given to ‘O, Little Town of Bethlehem’, which showcases Marc’s voice against plaintive acoustic guitar, while ‘Silent Night’ is presented in straight-forward fashion with voice and piano set against rather static and unconvincing synthesised strings.
There are two instrumentals on the disc. ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ is treated to a relaxed instrumental jazz piano treatment accompanied by low-key percussion, while the Latin carol Good Christian Men Rejoice is remade into a little jazz jewel.
Hoffman takes the unusually step of delivering his own captivating arrangement of the traditional African folk song, ‘African Noel’, and the disc ends with a wonderfully laid back and romantic roaring-fire cosy ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’. Hoffman delivers his finest vocal performance on the disc and it is clearly the best choice for a closing number. More like this and the disc could have been a Christmas classic.
That said there are still two Hoffman originals to consider. The titular ‘Christmas Time’ deliberately evokes every traditional sentiment and cliché of the season, but does so to a memorable tune and seamless arrangement, never forgetting to lyrically recall the original reason for the season. Given the right break, which is to say the radio play, this could capture the Christmas mood and become a perennial favourite. The ‘Saviour’s Star’ is less immediately striking, a simple piano and voice ballad, but after a few plays has a way of lingering in the memory.
Together the ten tracks comprise a fresh and attractive Christmas disc which retains both musical value – it never becomes over produced or unnecessarily slick and cloying – and the spiritual values of its title.
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