Like all true rockers, we tend to react pretty badly to Christmas music – we were particularly devastated by Bob Dylan’s obscene Christmas album released a few years ago. But there are always exceptions, and the song streaming below, by Brooklyn chanteuse Maya Solovey, is one of them. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is a late 19th century poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti, which was then made into a Christmas carol in the early 20th century. What we like about Maya’s version is that it takes it back to what it was originally: a poem about Christmas, rather than a carol – we actually wonder if the author ever meant for it to become a carol! The song is the opening track of the songwriter’s latest release, entitled "Midwinter: On Christmas Eve," which features many of the classic Christmas tunes in a super stripped down, sleigh bell-free version. This bare bone treatment highlights Maya’s beautifully expressive soprano, and allows for a new appreciation of melodies and lirycs almost all of us know by heart.
