Katie Curley - Big Colored Lights (self-released)

It’s the second Christmas album to land on my desk so far, and the second time I have breathed a sigh of relief. Why? Because, yet again, it comes courtesy of someone who isn’t content just to rehash the usual holiday fare but would instead put their own stamp on what a Christmas tune can be.

Born from a challenge to write one Christmas tune each year, the seven songs found here are, therefore, not just new takes on seasonal songs but a diary marking the evolution of Katie Curley as an artist, not to mention a multi-faceted collection displaying the different emotions and experiences, outlooks and appreciations that come with this strange and wonderful time of year.

Any album that kicks off with a track entitled “Christmastime Therapy” signals a will to do something different. Although there is a clear country sound at the core of the songs, this is definitely an album where you have to pay close attention to the lyrics: “Thanks to you and Daddy, I’ve got a lifetime supply of heartbreaking stories.” Honesty, with bells on!

The title track poignantly reflects how landscapes and situations that we long took for granted can change, shifting a whole set of memories from the part of the brain responsible for yearly tradition to the one marked nostalgic memory.

My favorite track, and perhaps the least traditional, is “Shotgun Wedding in Bethlehem,” which drags the nativity story into the world of the country narrative. It is still filled with angelic choirs and the ebb and flow of Hammond organs as it weaves its darker take on Christianity’s origin story, but as the title suggests, this is what happens when the country lament is allowed near such a well-known tale.

If you ever thought that Christmas songs have to be just fanciful fantasies and tales of holiday perfection, Katie Curley is just what the doctor ordered.

Tra la la la laaaah, la la la laaaaaa!

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