- Bryon Harris
The Chordaes Feat Leo Sawikin - “Its Getting Close To Christmas Feat. Leo Sawikin”
Review by Brandon Watts & Staff
The Chordaes’ “Its Getting Close To Christmas Feat. Leo Sawikin” is a swingin’ holiday jam with a dynamic arrangement and an immaculate vocal performance from Sawikin that could easily deem this to be one of your new favorite Christmas classics.
Starting off, an open arrangement of glistening melodic keys, bouncing upright bass, rhythmic guitar, and tight percussion set a relaxing groove as Sawikin croons through sweet motifs that will have you in love with the song right from the start. Sawikin is not afraid to show off his range with dynamic phrasing that is sure to keep listeners on the edge of their seat.
As the song progresses, the arrangement fills out with strings and horns building up to a grandiose bridge as Sawikin vocalizes over the lush soundscape. Keeping up the energy, this transitions seamlessly into the hook of the song as he sings,
“It’s getting close to Christmas Time again I’ve been waiting since I don’t know when”
The Chordaes Feat. Leo Sawikin's “Its Getting Close To Christmas" is definitely a must add to you Christmas playlist for this December. If you are looking to get a lot of creativity out of the next song you open for Christmas, this musical gift is for you. Make sure to give it a listen and keep an ear out for more by Leo Sawikin.
About Leo Sawikin
LeoSawikin is an old soul, one who would have thrived in the prime of the Tin Pan Alley days—furiously and tirelessly composing beautiful ballads in rooms with open windows on West 28th Street in New York City. Although the city still swells with the sounds of ghosts past, the music landscape has drastically changed. Now more than ever, Leo finds himself longing for the days that were.
For the past decade, Leo has steadily evolved his sound, spending hours both in the studio and in writing rooms, culminating in Row Me Away—his upcoming fourth album, and the first to be released under his own name —his first three were recorded under the name The Chordaes.
The record was produced by Grammy-winning producer Marc Swersky and largely mixed by Tony Black, himself a Grammy winner as the recording engineer for The Diary of Alicia Keys. Leo and Marc mixed “Wasting My Whole Life” themselves. Prior to the pandemic, Leo recorded a string of anthems that seem to foreshadow life as we now know it. Questioning whether we're headed for the dystopian future we've all been fearing, the songs chronicle the vastly changing world, a society teetering on the edge, and the transformative power of hindsight. “It's about letting go of the past to carve out a new future,” says Leo.
At age 9, Leo picked up a guitar and by 12 he was immersed in workshops and music camps, where he found that songcraft came naturally. It’s proven to be his greatest strength and has become the catalyst for living his life off medication. With the release of “Golden Days,” Leo hopes to bring comfort and consolation to listeners as we all witness the unfolding of a new world.
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