| Jazz |
The Fading Magic of Christmas Albums, and the Quiet Grace of Emmaline’s Seasonal Offering
There was a time when Christmas albums were a cherished ritual, an annual moment when artists, from pop icons to jazz singers, offered their own shimmering take on holiday warmth. But those days, it seems, are behind us. The modern Christmas season, with its flashing LED garlands, endless retail playlists, and carefully staged nostalgia, has long lost the authenticity that once gave the holiday its emotional resonance.
The irony, of course, is that Christmas was never meant to be what it has become. Before the avalanche of advertising and the choreography of consumerism, the season marked something far simpler: the quiet transition between autumn’s last breath and winter’s first whisper. It was a moment to pause, to notice how the light faded earlier each day, to hear the crunch of frost underfoot. If you lived in a place blessed with snow, you might watch children building snowmen beneath the streetlamps, tiny monuments to joy and impermanence.
That sense of intimacy, of communal stillness, has been all but replaced by spectacle. Even Santa Claus, the supposed patron saint of generosity, is a corporate creation, Coca-Cola’s masterstroke of marketing from the 1930s, dressed in red, round-bellied, and eternally smiling. The figure we now accept as “Father Christmas” owes more to product placement than to piety. There is nothing sacred in his story, nothing of ritual or reverence.
And the language itself tells the tale. In Europe, “Christmas” as such does not exist; we say Noël—a word that once symbolized not a holiday, but a beginning, an act of birth. The term carried a universal weight, celebrating the cycle of renewal shared by all humanity. It was only later, as Christianity wove itself through the cultural fabric, that Noël was co-opted into theology. But the root meaning remains: it is, before anything else, a name, a word of Latin origin that speaks to life itself.
Against this complicated backdrop arrives Emmaline’s Christmas album, a record that manages, in its own modest way, to capture a hint of the lost sincerity of the season. It does not seek to revolutionize the genre, nor does it try to outshine the ghosts of Nat King Cole or Ella Fitzgerald. Rather, it rests comfortably within the traditions it inherits: lush orchestration, elegant phrasing, and a restraint that feels refreshingly human in an age of excess.
The album’s craftsmanship is undeniable. Every track is finely arranged and performed with care. Yet it also suffers, as many contemporary Christmas records do, from a certain lack of daring. Its beauty lies in polish rather than surprise. Still, for those who find solace in the sound of continuity, for whom Christmas is less about innovation and more about return, it will feel like home.
Among the collection, one piece stands out: Cozy November. Here, Emmaline allows herself a softer, more introspective register. Her voice, warm and unhurried, fills the space without ever overwhelming it. You can hear in her phrasing the subtle intelligence of a jazz singer who understands silence as deeply as melody. It’s a glimpse of what she might achieve if she ventured beyond the snow globe of holiday music, perhaps into the territory of jazz-funk or soul, where her instincts could truly thrive.
Emmaline’s journey has already been impressive. From opening for ten-time GRAMMY Award winner Chaka Khan to collaborating with Gary Clark Jr., to being named Spotify’s Best Jazz Vocalist of 2023, the young artist (her name, she reminds us, is pronounced like Clementine) embodies a new generation of independent musicians carving out their own space without the machinery of major labels.
Her approach to this album, she explains, was born of affection, not obligation. “The Christmas album was inspired by my love for the great classics of the ’50s and ’60s, but with a modern touch,” Emmaline says. “From the Andrews Sisters-style harmonies on my version of Dean Martin’s The Christmas Blues to the blues violin solo and soulful edge I added to You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, it’s really a blend of old and new.”
That blend, half nostalgia, half renewal, captures the paradox of Christmas itself. We long for the past, for the comfort of ritual, yet we are constantly seeking to make it feel new again. Emmaline’s record doesn’t pretend to solve that tension; instead, it lingers in it. And perhaps that’s what makes it quietly compelling.
In a world where even the holidays have been commodified, sincerity has become a rare commodity. Emmaline’s album doesn’t shout or sparkle; it hums. It invites the listener to slow down, to rediscover the understated pleasures of warmth, voice, and presence. It may not reinvent Christmas music, but it reminds us that even in a season of glitter and artifice, authenticity still has a place. And maybe that’s enough.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, November 7th 2025
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Personnel and Composer Credits / Emmaline, The Christmas Album
1. ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?
Written by Jack Fox
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Horn arrangement by Russell “Trey” Kent Campbell III and Emmaline
Mixed by Ryan Mondak
Mastered by Mat Leffler-Schulman
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals, Violin
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Justin Vorp – Drums
Zach Douglas – Trumpet
Josh Scalf – Trombone, Bass Trombone
2. The Christmas Blues
Written by Sammy Cahn and David Holt
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Vocal arrangement by Russell “Trey” Kent Campbell III and Emma Campbell
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Justin Vorp – Drums
Zach Douglas – Trumpet
3. Christmas Time Is Here
Written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Justin Vorp – Drums
Chelsea Baratz – Flute
4. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
Written by Irving Berlin
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals, Violin
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
5. Cozy November
Written by Emmaline
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Isaiah Cook – Drums
Zach Douglas – Trumpet
6. The Christmas Song
Written by Mel Torme and Robert Wells
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals, Violin
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Isaiah Cook – Drums
7. Every Time December Rolls Around
Written by Emmaline
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Isaiah Cook – Drums
Zach Douglas – Trumpet
8. You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Written by Albert Hague and Theodore S. Geisel
Produced by Emmaline and Ryan Mondak
Musicians
Emmaline (Rhymes with CLEMENTINE) – Vocals, Violin
Ryan Mondak – Guitar
Russell “Trey” Campbell III – Upright Bass
Isaiah Cook – Drums