MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: WHITEHORSE - A WHITEHORSE WINTER CLASSIC

This is definitely one of the best new Christmas albums this year. Whitehorse shows how broad a range the duo has, tackling a bunch of different styles on this holiday offering. Over the nine songs and 30 minutes, there are seven new originals, covering pop, ballad, orchestral and choral, a little of their raw guitar sound, a potential catchy rock hit in Merry Christmas, Baby, and lead vocals from both Melissa McClelland and Luke Doucet. Throughout, lots of sharp, thoughtful lyrics cover universal themes of hope rather than cliched story lines or overblown sentiment.

I like how the duo has approached the season as they do with regular albums, by writing about topics and moods we all go through, rather than resorting to the usual  Christmas tropes. Ho Ho Ho is about getting ho-ho-home in all the usual seasonal chaos: "With all the cancelled flights, I hope you even make it here." Two Snowbirds, which features what might be McClelland's most gorgeous vocal ever in the band, is about getting the heck out of Dodge in the winter cold, and how the season's cheer can follow you somewhere warm too.

Breaking up the new stuff are two familiar numbers, but both very suited to their style. The first is a duet cover of The Pretenders' 2000 Miles, lovely vocals matching the wonderful melody of the original. Blue Christmas is even better-known, here offered as a nicely quirky version with a cheesy organ, drum machine and nasty guitar solo. Most Christmas albums are a quick run-through of the usual songs and styles, fun but of no great consequence. This one sees Whitehorse stretching out of their comfort zone, composing some fine new songs, and using the opportunity to build on their fine body of work.