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Try as I will, I can remember no other entirely secular Christmas record in my collection. I am always thrilled to discover such a strange oxymoron, because I believe this sort of ironic oddity was unlikely to be an accident. The artist made a deliberate choice, perhaps imagining that someone like me would notice. Notice, and speculate about why Michelle Malone would choose to go entirely "seasonal" on her Christmas release.

I believe musicians who release Christmas records are, as a group, more playful than those who don't. It could be the sign of a playful spirit to consciously choose the Santa side of the season. Maybe Santa Baby swings in a way that Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella doesn't. Or perhaps Ms. Malone simply chose to exercise her constitutional right to separate church and... Attic.

But I'm guessing it is her playful spirit, the spirit that swings through Here Comes Santa Claus, that belts out a bossa nova I'll Be Home for Christmas, and melts an icy hot version of Torme's The Christmas Song. I like raw, youthful exuberance of this record (aided by Alan Broyles barrelhouse piano). Malone got serious only on the final cut, a heartfelt Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The rest is party music, the kind of party where you're with friends who can let down their inhibitions of a Saturday night using nothing stronger than cappucino and peppermints.

A Swingin Christmas in the Attic was recorded live at Eddie's Attic, November 3, 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia. It captured the spirit of the moment of a season of the spirit of the artist (if you follow me). If you follow this artist, it is a collector's item. If you just love Christmas music and swing, then it is quite a novel and spirited addition to the CD library.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2000)

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From the liner notes:

Described in the press as "one of the musicians you've never heard", Michelle Malone has earned both critical acclaim and a substantial regional following along the east coast.

Based on recordings I've heard, A Swingin Christmas in the Attic is somewhat jazzier and quirkier than her other work, much of which is more aligned with the acoustic Lilith Fair genre. Her career has been marked by her independence (in the early 1990s she quit Arista and formed her own label, SBS Records) and the relative frequency with which she is able to release quality new work.

Michelle Malone

A Swingin Christmas in the Attic

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Track List