“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” by Jim Fusco – FREE mp3 Download! – Day 5 of 14

By Jim Fusco:

Day 5 of 14 already!  Tonight, I bring you my version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, loosely based in the style of the Beach Boys.  Mine has a bit more of a rock’n’roll style to it, but maintains the vocal style and instrumentation of the Beach Boys’ version.  This song has the most intricate instrument arrangement with the strings.  It was tough to get this one right, but I think the addition of the 12-string electric really put it over the top!

I hope you enjoy tonight’s selection and will come back for Day 6 tomorrow!  And, as always, these songs are completely FREE to download!  Just click on the down arrow icon to get your copy.

Guster’s “Easy Wonderful” (2010) – YES, NO, MAYBE SO?

Guster’s Easy Wonderful (2010) – MAYBE

Easy Wonderful (Guster, 2010)

Easy Wonderful (Guster, 2010)

(October 5, 2010)

Review:

The Easy Wonderful CD design is telling: the disc is a vibrant, organic hand-drawn color wheel (see the cover) with a massive “FBI Anti-Piracy Warning” stamped over it; this design — whether the band approved the warning or not — finds Guster, as always, an engaging band with a knack for beautiful songwriting but with too much feeling forced or underwhelming this time around to truly impress alongside their back catalog (i.e. Keep It Together, anyone?).

Top Two Tracks:

“Jesus & Mary” & “Architects & Engineers”

“Don’t Need A Reindeer” by Jim Fusco – FREE mp3 Download! – Day 4 of 14

By Jim Fusco:

Hello, you night owls, and welcome to a very late Day 4 of Jim Fusco’s 14 Days of Rock’n’Roll Christmas!

Today, I bring you a great tune: “Don’t Need A Reindeer” by the Moody Blues.  They came out with this song in the early 2000’s and I truly believe it’s the best Christmas song in the past 40 years!  It’s got a great beat and such a catchy tune.  I can’t believe it doesn’t get more airtime.

So, I decided to make my own version.  It took a while to get the synth sounds right, but I think I got it pretty close.  The harmonies were easy, but the times to sing them (they come in and out) was the really tricky part.

If you haven’t heard “Don’t Need A Reindeer” yet, I think you’ll really like it.  And if you have heard it before, I hope my version lives up to the original!  Have a good one and see you very soon for Day 5!  Remember, all of these Christmas songs are FREE to download- just click the down arrow icon.