All Aboard
2012
That’s an X on the train in the cover image as in the Roman numeral. It signifies that this was my 10th annual holiday album. It was not the 10th anniversary per se because I skipped 2002 and 2003 in the beginning, but it is the 10th album. These albums are not an easy task, so you’ll have to bear with me if I feel it’s an accomplishment to have made it to ten.
My first holiday album was called “Scott’s Eclectic Christmas.” I tried to honor the original in eclecticism. This has got just about every different genre and culture of music on it- pop, rock, folk, country, rap, gospel, Christian, Jewish, secular, non-secular, etc. I started sifting through songs for selections almost immediately after the November 2012 elections. I had become very disillusioned about the incredible rift that had developed between different groups, cultures, and ideologies. While I did not set out with a message in mind, I think the result of so many different styles of music is my way of crying out “enough!” Let’s stop the petty fighting and come together as one people again.
No excuses. Everyone’s invited. All aboard!
At final draft there were far fewer “traditional” Christmas songs in this album than in years past. I worried about this, so I went back in at the last minute and added a couple of more recognized songs. This made this year’s album balloon to twenty-songs versus about seventeen or so most previous years. One of the songs on this album is entirely a capella. I challenge you to find it.
