Jerry Leger

Guestpost! Ton Ensing (aka @T55) on some Canadian Christmas swagger:

Out of the blue the not-yet-as-famous-as-he-should-be Canadian singer-songwriter Jerry Leger released a brand-new Christmas single. It’s called ‘Christmas Without You’ and it’s vintage Leger. Rock ’n’ roll swagger with a touch of Americana and a perfect dose of storytelling.

‘See the lights a-dangling / of the tree-branches bending / new candles in the windows / old cards on the mantle / ghost of the past / o please bring me back / to our home at last / Holy night, guide this light / shake the spirit / make it right / for how will I ever get through / another Christmas without you.’

A lovely ballad that captures the Christmas spirit without the usual bells and whistles. Great harmonics too. Jerry’s regular band The Situation provides a solid backing. All-in-all one of the best Christmas tracks released this year, if you ask me.
The single has a lovely B-side too: Father Christmas, a cover of the famous Kinks tune. It has a very nice punky feel: an uptempo track that sounds like it was recorded live in the studio.