A Melancholy Christmas with Dustin Kensrue

Dustin Kensrue
“This Good Night Is Still Everywhere”
Vagrant Records
2008

There’s nothing quite like the sparkle and shine of an all-is-bright Christmas album when everything is going well in one's life. However, there are times when the real-life struggles we face during the season of peace and joy can dampen our spirits altogether.  Full disclosure: I love the sights, sounds, and smells of the holiday season, but I do remember a yuletide not so long ago when my life had taken a hard reset, and I found myself alone and feeling hopeless. The overwhelming sweetness of most holiday music was too much for my broken spirit to handle at that time. During that thankfully brief period, Dustin Kensrue's "This Good Night Is Still Everywhere" became my soundtrack for the season.

After several years as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist in the rock band Thrice, Dustin Kensrue launched a solo career and released his debut, “Please Come Home,” in 2007. The following year, he released “This Good Night Is Still Everywhere,” a unique and moody Christmas album.

The album opens with the wholly believable “Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home”), a familiar lament for love lost and the angst of being alone during yuletide, delivered in an upbeat acoustic tone that belies the weight of memories of times past. We then move into “Christmas Blues,” an intimate recording that sounds like it was recorded in the early hours in a home studio. The slow harmonica accompaniment only enhances the song's solemn mood.

After a heartfelt rendition of “Blue Christmas,” the album offers one of its most captivating moments with a reimagining of the Pogues’ beloved “Fairytale of New York.” For me, this evokes an image of a character like Jerry Jeff Walker’s Mr. Bojangles—someone down on their luck, burdened by deep remorse. Following this, the title track seeks to find hope and meaning beyond oneself.

The following four songs are Kensrue’s interpretations of holiday standards, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen,” and “O Holy Night.” Once again, these are performed in an intimate, stripped-down style that is relaxed and inviting.

The collection ends with Kensrue’s dark hymn “This Is War,” which, despite offering hope through Christ’s birth, leaves the listener uneasy due to its heavy, dark arrangement. While declaring God’s victory over sin and death, it hints that mankind’s spiritual battle has just begun. Although unconventional for a holiday album, it fits within the shadows and light that preceded it.

By no means do I intend to suggest that one needs to be in a difficult place to appreciate this album. Quite the contrary, I play and enjoy this album every year and continue to appreciate its unique, thought-provoking songs. The classic holiday songs are all well performed, and I personally love the artist's relaxed approach.  Kensrue's original contributions, the title track and "This Is War," along with his take on “Fairytale of New York,” are always worthy of at least one seasonal listen for me. 

Gloria Gaynor's Testimony Feels Like Coming Home

Gloria Gaynor
"Testimony"
Gaither Music Group
2019

Gloria Gaynor is immediately associated with her million-selling disco hit “I Will Survive.” Almost fifty years later, she has not only survived but also emerged strong and full of vitality on her 2019 gospel album, “Testimony,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album. The project is beautifully performed and provides a powerful, uplifting experience.

The album opens with "Amazing Grace," blending Gaynor's testimony with a distinctive choir arrangement of the hymn. "Back On Top” acts as a follow-up to “I Will Survive," highlighting resilience and determination. Gaynor, who has faced loss, grief, and chronic pain from a back injury sustained during a 1978 performance, sings joyfully about the faith that has carried her through life's challenges. Credited as co-writer on all but two tracks—the hymn “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Man of Peace"—the collection maintains an intimate, personal tone throughout. 

Gaynor enlisted an outstanding group of accompanying musicians for her gospel debut. For vocal support, she's joined by MercyMe’s Bart Millard on “He Won’t Let Go,” Jason Crabb on "Singin' Over Me," Yolanda Adams on “Talkin' 'Bout Jesus,” and fellow Grammy winner Mike Farris on “Man of Peace.” The band features Jimmy Bowland on saxophone, Mike Haynes on trumpet, Andrew Ramsey and Paul Allen on guitars, Chris Stevens and Jason Webb on keyboards, and other players who create a rich, full sound.

Gaynor's "Testimony" album feels like coming home. As gospel music's influence was always present in the work of Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Ray Charles, there is a natural kinship with sweet, soulful, heartfelt rhythms that bear the soul and reach for love, whether from earthly companions or the Almighty. If this idea is unfamiliar to you, I encourage you to listen to "Singin' Over Me" and "Talkin' 'Bout Jesus" and turn the volume up. It's a good time to wade in the water.