Album Review – Marina Florance ‘Old Christmas Day’

MARINA FLORANCE  is a singer-songwriter, children’s book author, and poet. Originally from NW London, she is now based in Norwich and is well-known on the South of England club and festival circuit.

This release will be a useful addition to radio presenters’ archives as we’re always desperately looking around for something different to play during the Festive Season, and those looking for music to set the scene for Christmas dinner will also appreciate having this beautifully-sung selection to hand.

The self-released EP consists of three traditional Christmas songs plus one original bonus track.

My first general observation is that Ms Florance possesses a gentle but clear singing voice and perfect diction that really gets the message of the songs across. The carols concentrate on religiously-inspired Christmas stories from the popular tradition, while the original song sees the festival as a time to step back from a world which often fails to encourage positive virtues and to reflect on those we love and have loved. The arrangements are spare and let the lyrics stand out.

The recording opens with The Cherry Tree Carol in which Joseph’s anger at Mary’s pregnancy turns to wonder and fear when the child in the womb tells the cherry trees to bow their branches down so that his mother may enjoy their fruit. The trope of an elderly Joseph fearing cuckoldry is an old one, and the song itself dates back at least to the Feast of Corpus Christi in the early 15th century.

The melody is played as a slow waltz with sympathetic bass and mandolin provided by Mark Jolley behind Marina’s guitar and voice. The gentle rhythm and sweet singing put emphasis more on the celebratory aspects of the lyric than on Joseph’s emotional journey.

Another, possibly even more ancient theme is dealt with in On Christmas Day It Happened So in which Jesus causes the ground to open and swallow a farmer ploughing his field on Christmas Day. The earliest date for the song’s official collection is 1910, but it has long been a part of travellers’ oral tradition, and vengeful depictions of the Christian pantheon date back to early mediaeval times.

I remember during my university studies reading 13th century tales in which the Virgin Mary inflicted terrible punishments on those who were dismissive of her importance. This song is very much part of that older, less comforting tradition and might, perhaps, not quite fit into the ambience of Christmas Dinner. It is however, beautifully sung.

Sweet Chiming Bells is a variant on While Shepherds Watched their Flocks – a Nativity hymn written by Nahum Tate (librettist for Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas) in 1696. It’s the carol here which best displays the more modern themes of glory and celebration. The title gives the game away as regards the cheerful nature of the song, and it’s definitely the one you want playing as the family gets together for the feast. Mark Jolley again supplies the instrumental assist while Clare Pastorius provides sweet close harmonies.

The final track, Stop For A Moment, as previously indicated, is all about finding peace from the world’s travails in the reunion of family and friends and in memories of lost loved ones. It’s an admirable sentiment and a lilting melody carries its message well. T

This is a beautifully recorded and performed collection of songs on what appears at first to be a familiar theme but which takes a few unanticipated by-ways. Marina has a masterful touch with a melody and the minimalism of the arrangements lets the message of the songs stand clear and bright.

BOB LESLIE

https://www.marinaflorance.com/