Robert Glasper - In December

Robert Glasper — In December

Limited edition gold vinyl 12" EP

Holiday song collection from the Grammy-winning pianist, composer and producer

Is there anything to be done with carols such as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Joy to the World" that hasn't been done in the past 300 years? If there is, Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and producer Robert Glasper is the kind of artist to do it.

"I like covering songs that people know well," Glasper says. "That's what I've done throughout my whole career."

It's true: As a jazz pianist, he's obviously learned his way around making classics his own, whether they were written by Mongo Santamaria or Kurt Cobain. But, he says, "The biggest challenge in making a holiday album was trying to do it in a way that feels festive but at the same time feels real and not corny."

He succeeds on both fronts on In December, his collection that mixes classic carols with a set of originals, and which was recorded in Spatial Audio. Part of what keeps it credible is the fact that Glasper's hip-hop/R&B/jazz fusion is done on a compositional level instead of just a cosmetic one (no collages of sampled sax solos and drum loops here).

The covers reveal a lot about his musical worldview: Sung by Tony winner Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is turned into dark, airy neo-soul, while "Joy to the World" — sung by Alex Isley — feels like a Stevie Wonder ballad. But the originals reveal even more. "The intention for this album was less about Christmas songs and more about songs that feel good during the holidays," Glasper says. "I stayed away from thinking too much about Christmas and its traditional lingo, and concentrated on real things people go through during the holiday season."

1. Fireside (Intro)

2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/Carol of Bells (feat. Cynthia Erivo)

3. Make It Home (feat. PJ Morton and Sevyn Streeter)

4. Memories With Mama (feat. Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball)

5. Joy to the World (feat. Alex Isley)

6. December (feat. Andra Day)

7. Little Drummer Boy (feat. The Baylor Project)

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