Juno and Polaris-nominated singer-songwriter Jenn Grant and her husband Dan Ledwell (of In-Flight Safety) are self-confessed Christmas music fans. So much so that they've mentioned it in interviews, but within seconds of the start of new festive album Forever on Christmas Eve, recorded in their home studio in Nova Scotia, it is perfectly obvious.
When you throw in the fact that the album comes as a candle, a card set, a onesie, and a “Jenn Grant Loves You” beard oil, you can tell Grant and Ledwell have tackled the whole idea with glee. Be it the swinging "Blue Christmas" trombones or the gentle sounds of the mellotron that envelop the record like a joyful, contented hug, there's a deep-held sincerity at play here.
While Grant has fun with the classics, the real standout here is the album’s only original song “Downtown Christmas Eve”, which nails the old-time feel of the holiday classics but with her own distinctively playful approach. It deserves to be played on the radio among the other classics, and with any justice, it will be.
