Svetlana: “New York Holidays” (2024) Vinyl Single Review

All right, friends, Thanksgiving is safely in the past, which means it’s now okay to pull out those holiday albums and start listening to your favorite Christmas music. Before Thanksgiving, it’s just wrong, and you know it. But now is the perfect time to pick up a few new holiday records and CDs, and the first one you should grab is Svetlana’s new 7”, which is titled New York Holidays. It contains one original song and one classic number, though to my ears the original will one day be deemed a classic. Yes, it’s that good. And neither song on this record is strictly a Christmas song, but rather a winter song, so this is the perfect choice to kick off the season, no matter your beliefs or lack thereof. The record, by the way, is on clear purple vinyl, which just makes it all the more delightful.

The A side contains the original song, “All I Want,” which was written by Svetlana Shmulyian. Svetlana has a beautiful voice, one that feels like it would be completely at home in any decade, one of the reasons I think this song will become a classic. There is something timeless about it. It somehow transcends such ordinary concerns as time and place. “All I want is a kiss that’s soft and tender,” she sings, and the horn responds in a wonderfully playful way. This song was included on the 2016 Svetlana And The Delancy Five album Night At The Speakeasy. It was arranged by Wycliffe Gordon, who also plays trombone on it. The other musicians on this recording include Adrian Cunningham on woodwinds, Charlie Caranicas on trumpet, George Delancy on bass, Rob Garcia on drums, Vinny Raniolo on guitar, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano. All of them shine on this track. “In this winter city of my dreams/All I want is to find a summer solstice/In your arms that melt that winter freeze.”

The B side is the classic number “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” And while, as I mentioned, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is not really a Christmas song, it often shows up on holiday albums, always a welcome addition. It’s a great song, and I think all the absurd controversy over certain lyrics has now been ridiculed into remission, and all copies of the terrible John Legend/Kelly Clarkson travesty have been destroyed out of embarrassment and shame. Those idiots just didn’t understand the song. This rendition by Svetlana is wonderful, with a totally delicious vibe. It’s everything we want from this song. Adrian Cunningham does the male vocal part, and also plays clarinet. This song was included on the 2012 Svetlana And The Delancy Five EP titled Baby It’s Cold Outside, which was made available on CD and digitally, but not on vinyl. The other musicians on this track included Brandi Disterheft on bass, Jim Fryer on trombone, Ted Gottsegen on guitar, Steve Little on drums, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano (that piano work is one of my favorite elements of this rendition). Get your holiday season off to a great start with this record.

Track List

Side A

1. All I Want

Side B

1. Baby, It’s Cold Outside

New York Holidays is scheduled to begin shipping on December 1, 2024. It is a limited edition release, available on Svetlana’s website.