Spins • Roland Gift “Everybody Knows it’s Christmas” 7″ vinyl single
Roland Gift
“Everybody Knows it’s Christmas” 7″ vinyl single
(London)
Just in time for the holidays comes the first Christmas single from Roland Gift. The singular voice heard on ’80s favorites by Fine Young Cannibals, including “She Drives Me Crazy,” “Good Thing,” and “Johnny Come Home,” remains unmistakably recognizable in this cheerful seasonal offering.
The song’s soulful pop is delivered with a playful glam-rock swing, jingling tambourine, tower bells, and Phil Spector-styled wall-of-sound production in the vein of perennial favorite A Christmas Gift for You. Gift delivers a lyric that brims with goodwill and nostalgia while reflecting on the year gone by and celebrating the season in the present. Everyone is welcome. “We’re having a party, we want you all here,” sings Gift. The setting packs all of the familiar trappings, including the tree, the lights, and the mistletoe. The only thing absent is the sleigh bells, which is not a bad thing. Park this song on your classic pop playlists alongside Christmas fare by the Ronettes, Beach Boys, Brenda Lee, Bobby Helms, and Chuck Berry.
The B-side includes an instrumental mix by Gift’s longtime musical partner and co-producer, Ben Barson, that draws attention to the arrangement. Play this side while doing your best Gift impersonation and start a new family tradition at holiday gatherings. Limited quantities of the single arrive with a Christmas card hand-signed by Gift.
Gift’s new recording arrives alongside the Fine Young Cannibals retrospective FYC40. In addition to the band’s original hits, the collection includes standout covers of Elvis Presley’s final (during his lifetime) chart-topper “Suspicious Minds” and the bummed-out punk of the Buzzcocks’ “Ever Fallen in Love.” (rolandgift.com) – Jeff Elbel.
