[Music Review] Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – Lady Redneck

Michael November 24, 2022 3 min read 0

25

Just in time to get us all excited about the upcoming holiday season, Dallas native Lady Redneck brings us her take on a timeless classic with Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.

This scaled-down, slow-tempo aria is a testament to the power and control Lady Redneck, aka Stephanie Lee has over her mezzo-soprano vocal range. Coupled with a simple arpeggiated acoustic guitar melody, Lady Redneck takes a more Acappella route in delivering this rendition of a holiday favorite.

The effective use of vibrato comes through as Stephanie slows down each passage and adds a slight trill to each passing phrase. This helps fill the listening field where instrumentation would normally sit. A traditionally Christian Country performer, Lady Redneck offers yet more diversity to her catalog with this single release. Previous tracks like I Dented Your Truck, and Livin’ In the USA feature emblematic and characteristic upbeat country jams, while tracks such as Come Thou Fount and You First Love Me offer a romantic and classic
approach to her art.

With Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas we have a well-known song that fans all around the world can sing along to, yet are going to be marveled at the sheer power this performance carries, especially at high volumes. One thing that really does stand out is Lady Redneck’s continued control over timing.

This track is meant to elicit an angelic response in its listener and the slow, methodical delivery of each phrase slightly behind the beat builds massive amounts of tension that Stephanie Lee is able to release with each cadence resolution.

It is this syncopation of the perceived tempo and familiar melody that Lady Redneck plays with that keeps the audience hanging off every phrase. Not unfamiliar with releasing holiday songs, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas joins Last Christmas in Lady Redneck’s growing catalog of hits. The production on this track is very well executed as each phrase and note is allowed to carry out over the listening spectrum with clarity. The guitar sits very neatly into the lower register allowing the vocals to travel up and down her performance range and complimenting each lyric being set up. Being shared with her over one million followers this holiday gem is sure to garner attention from commercial radio stations, and other serious industry investors. As we get ready to deck the halls and light our trees, Lady Redneck provides us with a reflective piece at this time of year. A soft, delicate, yet powerful track to remind us of the beauty to be found over the holidays and the importance of remembering that peace can be found with the right approach. A very enjoyable track, and one that should be heard promptly as we approach the hectic time of the season.

Reviewed by: Lee Callaghan
Evolution Music Press