El Drifte – “Here The Holidays Is” / “This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)”

El Drifte – “Here The Holidays Is” / “This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)” – Singles Review

Wellllllllllllllllll…

…ultimately you regular readers out there are very well familiar with how I feel about these yuletide tunes, but hey, it’s Christmas…so why not share a couple with ya even if they tend to make me squirm.

Honestly, the backing vocals of “Here The Holidays Is” actually kinda got me in the mood to listen to this song from El Drifte right away.  I’m usually fairly resistant to…umm…just about everything that is in this single from the style of music to the core of the Xmas theme…but what can I say, I’m a sucker for great execution & smart writing, and this has both of those ingredients.  For real though, the backing vocals get you in the spirit right from the drop!  Excellent voices to accompany El Drifte to begin with, and then he comes in to essentially seal the deal – dude’s got the perfect voice for something like this.  Obviously I like the play on words that the main hook & title use – “Here The Holidays Is” kind of implies that there is going to be some humor involved here, and I was very pleased to discover that was indeed the case.  Lines like “I don’t give a roasted chestnut for your politics” & “I don’t give a jingle bell what your religion is” were consistently fun…El Drifte clearly knows how to get a chuckle out of you, and the fact that he goes into this whole song charging right at the lyrics & vocals with full confidence in what he’s written really brought the best out of this entire tune.  He should sound confident – this is a genuinely solid Christmas tune…I might be a Grinch about a whole lotta things in the holiday season, but I’m still the same ol’ objective music critic you’ve come to know and love over the years.  I don’t make things up just for the sake of having something to talk about – I tell you what’s on my mind, pass or fail, every time.  So believe when I tell ya, El Drifte has got an exceptional voice, the musicianship surrounding him from the wild looseness of the piano to the tight rhythm section is all wonderful to listen to, and in general, there’s nothing here that doesn’t seem to work.  Whether you’re examining the central melody in the music or the vocals, the enticing way it starts or the extra fireworks saved for the finale, anyone out there complaining about “Here The Holidays Is” would be complaining for complaining’s sake and nothing more…and I ain’t about to be the guy to do that, especially on Christmas.  Even the like…I dunno – you could call it Country or Rockabilly or whatever ya want…it’s not USUALLY my jam…but this whole performance from El Drifte and his band of ace musicians is basically impossible to resist.  When you’re as into the moment as this dude is, trust me, you can pull in listeners from all over the map, even if it might not be a sound or theme that they would typically enjoy.  So congratulations El Drifte – you’ve already beaten the odds with me enjoying this tune as much as I do…let’s see if you can go two for two.

I think that, much like you could tell “Here The Holidays Is” was going to supply ya with some upbeat & lighthearted fun, you can also tell that a song titled “This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)” is going to go in a much different direction, which it does.  Even though it’s still got a Country/Folk bend to it, I’d tell you that this is typically much closer to something that I’d connect with or listen to.  What can I say?  I enjoy the sound of melancholy more than most people do I suppose.  Anyhow, regardless of how you might feel about bittersweet vibes yourself, you just can’t argue against flawless execution in my opinion.  If there was something that El Drifte could have done better, Christmas be damned, I’d be the first to tell ya…but the reality is, objectively speaking, he’s got a pair of undeniably great singles here.  I am more than positive it’s going to be the first cut, “Here The Holidays Is” that’ll become the favorite for the majority of listeners out there with such universal sound…the masses, as it were…but I also think that for those out there that listen to “This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)” and feel like it resonates with them, this is the track that’ll become the holiday classic they can’t live without.  I think many of us have experienced ‘the empty chair’ at some point in the many holidays they’ve been through – and that can put a whole different spin on the situation, right?  It’s still a celebratory time, but it comes with a different kind of weight to it when someone you loved isn’t around, or simply isn’t able to make it home in time to share the magic of the season with you.  El Drifte leans into the emotion of this theme with spot-on precision, and as a result, he ends up with a track that makes the kind of impact it’s intending to.  The organ gets the bonus points in the music this time around, but the whole darn thing is great if you ask me.  The backing vocals are wonderful once again, and I genuinely think it’s both impressive and admirable that with all of these great elements goin’ on in each song, it’s still the main star of the show on the microphone that we can’t take our ears off of.  What a freakin’ fantastic voice y’all…endearing & sincere when he needs to be in a tune like “This Year (Wishing You Were Still Here)” and charming when it’s called for in the lighter side of his sound like he was with “Here The Holidays Is” – it’s crystal clear to me that this dude is nothing less than professional and ready to rock when the studio lights come on and it’s time to record.  So while I never REALLY want to come into reviewing Christmas tunes shouting BAH HUMBUG at ya, no matter how much I might claim I’d want to – I didn’t even get a choice here.  Both of these songs were executed to perfection, and El Drifte didn’t leave a single thing on the table in terms of the potential in each tune.  The attention to detail is impeccable, and it’s because of that, that the songs are truly irresistible.  He’s got a little something for everyone in these two tracks…they’ve both got truly different vibes and different approaches to the holiday theme, but in both cases, he knocked it straight on outta the park without question.  Heck, I’d listen to these songs even if it TWASN’T the season – they’re really that good!  If you’re looking for new Xmas tunes that you’ll truly WANT to listen to, El Drifte has got what you want…so put these on, and have yourselves a Merry Christmas y’all.

Find out more about El Drifte at his official website at:  https://eldriftemusic.com

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