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Our Review

What a folksy jewel of an album! On Merry Christmas, with love, Christy Jefferson delivers a crystalline voice of breathy beauty, covering a grand range of holiday faves and adding her own delightful Memories We Build On, Year to Year. It's all good!

In fact, I absolutely love almost everything about this excellent release. Generally, I believe that less is more, so I embrace the simple, down-home context here. And Jefferson has the vocal chops to be the center star of this little universe--her voice is bright, vulnerable, and textured in ways that entreat me to listen for hours and hours. And the minimal instrumentation (guitar, piano, cello, accordion) provides a gentle, rustic framework for the vocals. So what's the low note? Sadly, the outstanding offering grinds to a halt after a measly 31 minutes. My heart is broken.

Every single cut has merit. If I must pick favorites, I suppose Jefferson's shining interpretation of Happy Christmas (War Is Over) gets a vote, and her syncopated Little Drummer Boy, complete with maracas, gets extra points for making me smile and forcing my toes to tap.

Christy Jefferson's Merry Christmas, with love is a warm batch of chocolate chip cookies on a cold winter's night. Simple, but rich, and certainly rewarding! Wonderful!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

"Memories" by C. Jefferson.
Produced by C. Jefferson.
Vocals, Guitar, etc. -- C. Jefferson.
Cello -- Kathy Miller.


From the artist's Website:

Who is Christy Jefferson?

Her original music is an eclectic combination of rock, folk, cabaret, and pop, brought to you via piano and guitar (she plays both) and delivered with a delicious voice in solo, duo, and full band (Christy Jefferson & Vogon Poetry) formats. Her story is a well-rounded one, complete with an early start in music, many brushes with fame, a few bouts of tragedy, and through it all, success.

Christy Jefferson

Merry Christmas,
with love

Artist link

Track List