First Listen: Dominick Shelton gives lush soul for the holidays

(December 10, 2023) Dominick Shelton’s “On Christmas Day” is a swinging reminder that the best gifts aren’t the ones wrapped in boxes or fancy bags and placed under the tree. What we will all remember from Christmas Day are the people will share that day with – whether they be parents, children, siblings, relatives or that one special someone.

Shelton paints word pictures with this song. “On Christmas Day” is filled with the sounds, smells and sights that conjure up the memories of opening gifts, singing carols and sharing space with the most important people in our lives. Stylistically, “On Christmas Day” draws its spirit from the jazz infused Holiday songs made famous by singers like Nat King Cole.

The tune possesses a lushness that come through in the form of the swelling strings that accompany Shelton’s warm and intimate vocals on the songs opening, and the swinging melody that has touches of improvisational creativity on the piano.

Christmas season can be a stressful time, and much of that stress comes from all the time and money we spend trying to achieve whatever version of the perfect holiday we have crafted in our minds. Shelton’s jazzy holiday tune stands as a reminder that we’ll be talking about the time we shared with those we love long after the gifts we received have found their final resting place in the back of the closet or in the attic. Check out Dominick Shelton’s “On Christmas Day” here.

By Howard Dukes

Dominick Shelton - “On Christmas Day”