Collette Cooper shines a light on The Darkside Of Christmas once again with her latest seasonal EP — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
For the followup to her impactful 2022 EP Darkside Of Christmas Chapter 1, the U.K. singer-songwriter continues to take a novel approach to Noel, offering a trio of riveting, timely tracks that eschew the traditional holiday bells and whistles for a deeper, richer, and yes, darker take on the festive season. “A lot of love, blood, sweat, tears and snow has gone into this album,” says Cooper.
Reflecting the current political and social environment caused by the impact of national and global events, Darkside Of Christmas Chapter 2 presents a more poignant approach, aiming to recognize recent difficulties felt by many around the world, touching on themes of love, loss and empathy, tied together with wry wit, edgy humour and outstanding musicianship. While the theme may at first appear saturnine, both EPs’ ultimate sentiment is an uplifting feeling of spirituality and hope, laced with a devil-may-care party spirit designed to unify those who feel that the hour of ‘forced fun’ is upon them.
Chapter 2 opens with a Cooper-penned poem, recited by award-winning British actor Maxine Peake to start the haunting original composition When The Snow Falls. It also sees Cooper reinventing her single from 2020, Lost Soul, with a gospel-inflected a cappella opening followed by a full-on funk-blues experience entitled Lost Soul (Peace of Mind). The final track brings Cooper’s unique take on the classic Coventry Carol, whose theme of war and strife is a chilling echo of today’s headlines and given that it was recorded in September it is an eerie example of art predicting life.
Recorded at Abbey Road and Dean Street Studios, with original artwork by the acclaimed photographer Rankin, Darkside Of Christmas is a distinctive and stylish work, destined to indulge all of the year’s Scrooges, and maybe a few Tiny Tims for good measure.
Check out both chapters below, and wish Collette Cooper the best of the season on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
