Kellylee Evans kicks off a season of holiday cheer with her festive new single and video Winter Song — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Christmas is a time of warmth, friendship, good tidings, and love for most people. It’s also a time of hearing Christmas standards that are etched in people’s memories and passed down through generations. Putting one’s signature on such classics is an extremely tall order but Ottawa jazz and soul singer Evans has done just that with Winter Song, the title track from her new seasonal album.
The Juno-winning vocalist says the inspiration for Winter Song came from “reflecting on the sights and sounds” she associates with Canadian winter. From the crunching of snow or the cracking of ice during winter walks to the pangs of being apart from family and loved ones during the festive season.
“I think as an only child, growing up watching holiday movies and consuming so much media of warm, cozy homes filled with happy families gathered around, I had a sense of longing for that and wanting to create that when I grew up,” she says. “But as an adult, I now know how complicated those manufactured images of an ideal family life can be. Family is what we make all around us. I’ve learned that it’s OK to be alone as well.”
Evans grew up in Scarborough, where her single mother worked as a nurse — sometimes pulling shifts on Christmas Day. “Some of my earliest memories are of opening presents with her on the phone while she worked,” Evans recalls. “I didn’t complain. That’s just the way it was.” Listening to Christmas albums by Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley and — her favourite — Boney M., Evans and her mom made the most of the occasion. “My mom always found a way to make it feel magical,” Evans says. “And music was part of that magic.”
The album’s only original track, the lovely Winter Song is led by Evans’ velvety vocals and a supporting cast that makes the single smooth and soothing. Singing about wanting to “love a little longer today,” Evans’ softer delivery is incredibly alluring and compelling. Meanwhile, the closing moments feature a slow-building but brilliantly executed, inventive, and refreshing outro.
Evans and Steve Foley (J. Cole, Carly Rae Jepsen) co-produced Winter Song, which she arranged with keyboardist Steve Boudreau, bassist Chris Pond, drummer Stephen Adubofuor, guitarist Ben Di Millo and Clayton Connell. The song was recorded and mixed by Foley (with assistant engineer Gabriel Merino) at Audio Valley Recording Studio and mastered by Jason Fee at Conduction.
The eponymous album is a gorgeous 11-track affair featuring an eclectic array of standards and covers — from Joni Mitchell’s River and a toe-tapping cover of Irving Berlin’s I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm to a rather stripped-down approach for Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. Other highlights include a reworked and effective rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine, while Rocking Around The Christmas Tree, made famous by Brenda Lee, is another top-notch effort. Aside from the dynamic Evans and the aforementioned musicians, flugelhorn player Ed Lister appears on the album, while Foley and Merino provide percussion and backing vocals, respectively.
Winter Song is the latest from Evans in a career that has been rich and rewarding. She released her debut Fight Or Flight? in 2006, which put her on the musical map. Subsequent albums include 2010’s The Good Girl and Nina, 2013’s I Remember When, and 2015’s Come On. She has also released EPs including 2021’s Greenlight and 2024’s Show Love, and opened for Willie Nelson, John Legend and George Benson, among others.
Check out Winter Song and see Kellylee Evans’ tour dates below, and celebrate the season with her on her website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Kellylee Evans Tour Dates
Nov. 26 | Carleton Dominion Chalmers, Ottawa (Jazz Fest fundraiser)
Nov. 29 | Massey Hall, Toronto (Women’s Blues Revue)
Dec. 6 | Empire Theatre, Belleville (Sean Jones Holiday Soul)
Dec. 7 | National Arts Centre, Ottawa
Dec. 12 | Salle Bourgie, Montreal
Dec. 13 | Hugh’s Room Live, Toronto
Feb. 13 | Hermann’s Jazz Club, Victoria
Feb. 15 | Anvil Theatre, New Westminister
Feb. 22 | Aurora Cultural Centre, Aurora
