Tag: Vocalist

Nostalgic Christmas — Olivia Van Goor Celebrates Holiday Music Past and Present on “Waiting for Santa” Album

Olivia Van Goor with her family’s dog, Murphy. Photo – Matt Ryan

This holiday season, Olivia Van Goor is stepping back in time.

The jazz vocalist-composer reimagines Christmas songs from TV specials and movies she loved as a child on her latest album, Waiting for Santa.

“I thought it would be fun to pick some of those songs that you forget about, that aren’t overplayed, or that aren’t overdone,” said Van Goor, who’s based in Royal Oak, Michigan.

“And speaking of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, if you listen to the full version of ‘Put One Foot in Front of the Other’ at the very end, they go into a section that’s in seven instead of in four. That’s what I did in my recording at the end. I thought, ‘This is so hip [that it’s in] an odd meter. I don’t even remember that when I was a kid.’”

Waiting for Santa also includes Van Goor’s soaring renditions of “Silver and Gold” and “There’s Always Tomorrow” from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and “Believe” from The Polar Express.

“It was really fun to think about those songs, and they just so easily are turned into a very standard feel in the jazz world,” she said.

“And then going from that, it was really fun to reimagine more stories from those things and write the song, ‘Hermey’s Blues,’ with Mike [Harrison]. Hermey the Elf [from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer] didn’t ever get a song. I loved playing along with those ideas and feeling like I was accessing that part of my childhood.”

While the album’s six covers sparkle, Van Goor truly shines on the seven originals, which include a combination of songs she composed or co-composed with others. There’s also a track composed by bandmate Mike Harrison called “Mrs. Mistletoe.”

“I started coming up with ideas, and I had a bunch of ideas for songs that I thought were missing from the Christmas repertoire,” Van Goor said. “And then I was thinking, ‘I don’t have to do this all alone; I can co-compose with some of my friends,’ and that’s how the album came to be.”

Along with bandmates Reuben Stump (bass, vocals), Dave Zwolinski (drums), and Mike Harrison (piano), Van Goor presents a refreshing Christmas album featuring soulful vocals, nostalgic and festive lyrics, and enchanting instrumentation.

I recently spoke with Van Goor about Waiting for Santa ahead of several live shows in December.

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Start Anew – Anthony Lai Weathers Life’s Obstacles on ‘Take Me with You’

Anthony Lai 1
Anthony Lai threads uplifting themes of resilience and renewal on “Take Me with You.” Photo – Reyshaun Payne

For Anthony Lai, it’s never too late for a fresh start.

The Dearborn vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist boldly weathers life’s painful losses, changes and challenges on his latest hopeful, folk-inspired album, Take Me with You.

“Every song is a very real experience, and some are more specific than others, but they’re all very honest. As I was choosing what songs I’ve written, I kept gravitating toward the honest ones and the ones that gave an emotional response,” Lai said.

“The album just started to take shape, and it ended up having this theme. I originally set out for it to be less themed and more of just a collection of tunes, but it looked like I had a common thread after all.”

In fact, Lai beautifully threads uplifting themes of resilience and renewal throughout eight introspective tracks into his genre-defying tapestry of Take Me with You.

Each thread weaves different tonal colors and instrumental palettes to represent a cohesive sound tinged with hints of pop, rock, bluegrass, classical, choral and folk.

“It feels like this album is finally me saying I understand who I am as a Beatles fan and as someone who has also studied classical music and is a choral director. You can hear all avenues of my life in this album,” Lai said.

Continue reading “Start Anew – Anthony Lai Weathers Life’s Obstacles on ‘Take Me with You’” →