Christmas Kiss begins with a warm acoustic guitar and piano, in a groove that reminds me of something from a later Tom Petty record. This song is a duet between Austin Marolla and Sloan Wainright and it has a lovely quality that evokes the Christmas Spirit of the Big City. There is something engaging about this set of quirky Christmas songs on this album that range from the heartfelt to the hilarious. Austin is really funny in his new video for the tune The Santa Shake from the collection. It is a really fun song with an infectious chorus that sets the toe a’tappin’, and makes your belly do a dance on its own from the laughter. I personally am in favor of songs that have an accompanying dance to them. The Santa Shake is one of those along the lines of The Hokey Pokey. You do a shimmy-shimmy-shimmy and a shake- shake-shake, throw in a limbo too and you get the gist. The video is really fun to watch and has consistently high production values and a large eggnog like dose of humor.
Seems like the guy is having a lot of fun, and why not? There is a passion that this optometrist from New York City is doing straight from the heart. He began his musical career before he graduated from medical school, and is an accomplished writer from the “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” school of writing. The songs are deceptively simple and impactful, due mainly to the choice of lyrics and the music put underneath them. He is a hook minded singer and writer who seems to be going for the knockout blow in every song.
Things settle down a little with Miracles, a spiritual nod to the magic inherent in life and its trials and tribulations and the recognition of being thankful to have someone special to share Christmas and its season with. This song is intended to be a bit more serious than some of the other more lighthearted fare on this holiday musical outing. That sentiment is reflected in the production which brings out the drama in the song. Another song that touches the heart from a different perspective is I Don’t Know What to Get You for Christmas. It did not really dawn on me what the song was about until I realized it is about a soldier not knowing that his return home was the gift for his family and loved ones and not just whatever commercial good he may have bought and wrapped. That is one of the overall elements that makes this a strong holiday release. There are a wide range of emotions and humor running through this collection.
The release of this album and its videos are timed to bring attention to the live Christmas show Marolla is putting on in NYC. Austin Marolla and his band will be performing on Saturday, December 8th at 8 PM. The event takes place at the New York City Symphony Space in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95th St.). Ticket prices are $20 - $30 and can be purchased either at the door the night of the performance, or in advance from www.symphonyspace.org/events/austin-marollas-big-fat-christmas.
