The Earliest Bird: Top New Recorded Release 12-16-22 – 12-22-23 Barry Holdship And Half Of His Jesse Garon Band’s “Winter Wonderland”
Is that Britt Slocum killing on the drum solo as he pushes this rockabilly meets classic rockisms, just the way he did last year on Barry Holdship’s “Brando’s Lair” band uproarious and charming “Santa Bring My Baby Back” (here). But that was 2021.
A year later Barry takes on Darlene Love’s “Winter Wonderland” and is rocking and charming with a terrific rockers voice that in an alternative would have discovered him as honored as one of the last truly great singers, he has an odd restraint: he knows the song will do the work for him and he lets it and just rides the band with the ease of a joy in the season; and his pleasure, excitement takes the speeded up tempo with ease. With him is, yes, Britt and bassist Andy Bartel (half of the band that gave us Barry’s Jesse Garon Project). Next year, I am hoping for “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” which, while, sure, overplayed, is something Barry could really wrap his lungs around.
Plus, now we have a video it is perfect, cha-cha-cha
Grade: B+
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