St. Pete songwriter Kristopher James is no stranger to Christmas music, and shared "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" last year, but today's he's got a new take on the Jay Livingston and Ray Evans classic "Silver Bells."
"[This version of] the song is more along the lines of a Lone Bellow vibe and is one of my favorite Bing Crosby Christmas songs," James, 33, told CL in a message. "I just remember being a kid and listening to Bing Crosby on my mom's CD player in our one-bedroom apartment…good times."
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The cut features guitar arrangements from Brett Thompson and is a welcome addition to another recently released Christmas cover by James, "Ave Maria," which was inspired by Pavarotti's take in a PBS special.
"I first heard Pavarotti do it when I was 12 and I fell in love with it," said James. "I am no opera singer. My operatic talents are about as good as my talents in the kitchen, so this is a non-traditional version."
Listen to "Silver Bells" below, and catch the rest of his holiday output via Bandcamp. James next show is at Local 662 in St. Petersburg, Florida on December 18 as part of the Rick Manners memorial show. More information is available via local.cltampa.com.
If you're more of a playlist person, then hear all of James's holiday output here. You can download the album via Bandcamp.
This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2016.