Following in the footsteps of the very real Carter and the cinematically created Von Trapp families comes The Marsh Family. And, the first thing that you notice about their sound is that ability to harmonize in that way that only families can.
Here, they have taken Münchener Freiheit’s New German Wave orchestral/pop classic and turned it into the perfect Christmas song. After all, it ticks all the right boxes – a sweet and optimistic sentiment but with the requisite dash of nostalgia, chiming sonics, sing-along-ability (that is a word, I checked) and those brilliant harmonies.
And as it rises from its shimmering, understated, choral starting point to hit anthemic crescendoes, as it builds elegant and eloquent layers of sonics, as the beat kicks in, as strings swoop and brass soars, you realise it might be the perfect, mainstream seasonal song.
But there is also altruism in the artistry. More than merely a seasonal singalong, it is part of the Clark Family Christmas Light Display campaign, which in turn is raising money for Tiny Toes – an East Kent Hospitals Charity supporting Neonatal and Special Care Baby Units.
I must confess that I, as a music reviewer, get a bit numb to Christmas music, but even I, with my Grinch-like demeanour, can’t ignore this. So if you want to do something good this season, want to help raise money and awareness for the most appropriate cause, after all, isn’t the whole thing based on the birth of a certain baby, then this song is your starting point.
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