1. Melanoid - I'll Be Home For Christmas

Track 1:
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Melanoid

In the coming days I will be featuring each song along with a brief statement from the song's artist. Melanoid's I'll be home for Christmas is the first track on the album and as such it is the first to be featured on the blog.

Melanoid is a project by John Hanson, an incredible local musician and songwriter. My band The Orange Effect recently had the honor of sharing a bill with him and I was blown away by his singing ability and creative songwriting. If you haven't yet, you owe it to yourself to obtain a copy of Melanoid's debut album Asleep In The Wake.

John's version of I'll Be Home For Christmas is a perfect opener to Winter Is On My Head Vol. 1... it's classic and familiar but the arrangement allows you to hear it in a completely new way. Read John's thoughts on the song and listen again to his vocals, the inspiration is almost tangible:

"This song was originally recorded by Bing Crosby in 1943 in the midst of World War II. I have always loved this Christmas song because it is not about snowmen, reindeer, or santa Clause; it is simply about a man longing to be with his family during Christmas time. Anyone who's been away from a loved one during christmas time can relate to this, but this song really pulls on the heart strings of soldiers who can't be with their families and also have the fear of possibly never returning."
- John Hanson, Melanoid

Credits:
Written by Buck Ram, Kim Gannon and Walter Kent
Vocals and Other Stuff: John Hanson
Recorded at The Office
Mixed by Chris Sorem at Dar Studio www.drumaddictrecordings.com