It’s truly hard to believe that R&B legend Luther Vandross, the master purveyor of exuberant, joyful love songs and searing heartbreakers alike, has been gone for nearly 20 years, but his glorious, passionate spirit lives on in so many ways, musical and otherwise.
The latest glorious celebration of Luther’s enduring magic is saxophonist Gary Palmer’s intimate, sensual and slow burning (think, by the glowing fire) new interpretation of “Every Year, Every Christmas,” an original gem (composed by Vandross and pop superstar Richard Marx) from the singer’s excellent platinum selling 1995 album This Is Christmas.
Palmer, who launched his career as a smooth jazz artist in the mid-2010s after several successful in law enforcement, has dropped a few holiday singles before, most recently the original “Glad To Be With Ya (On Christmas)” featuring co-writer/vocalist Kevin Foster in 2022. While that track had a playful whimsy about it, the saxophonist’s heartfelt rendition of “Every Year, Every Christmas” allows him to explore the unique emotional minefields of feeling alone and abandoned by a once true love during the holiday season.
No artist could obviously convey the sorrow quite as well as Luther did, but Palmer’s soulful tone, dynamic horn texturing, ultimately soaring energy and earnestness of intent draw us in and let us know it’s okay to feel sad amidst the festivities around us if we have pain in our hearts. Though “Every Year, Every Christmas” is definitely on the melancholy side, Palmer’ s release also serves as a form of celebration, capping a year in which he released Grateful, his first full length album since his breakthrough genre hit Coast to Coast in 2018. Though Palmer has worked with some of smooth urban jazz’s top producers, including Paul Brown and Nils, the album is a collaboration with Foster, who sings on several tracks; Grateful also features fresh interpretations of classics by Janet Jackson and Stevie Wonder. So after you have your cozy moments listening to “Every Year, Every Christmas,” be sure to check it out.
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