Celebrating the most wonderful time of the year, “A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” is
Lattimore’s first foray into the holiday genre. Beautifully crafted in his signature style of thoughtful vocals and original lyrics, “A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” is a delightful blend of Christmas classics and creative originals.
The multi-talented crooner has been beloved by audiences since his debut Grammynominated hit “For You” and has remained a mainstay in R&B music. “A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” offers timeless music for the holidays and beyond.
Working with multiple Grammy Award winner Aaron Lindsey on production, the partnership delivers brilliant creativity in making well-known standards Lattimore’s own.“We were able to talk conceptually about lyrics and the purpose of the songs,” said Lattimore. “He is the kind of producer that allows an artist to fly… be in their most comfortable place of creativity and expression.”
“A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” offers renditions of beloved classics “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” a modern R&B interpretation of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” a jazz-leaning “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and an ethereal version of “O Holy Night.” Lattimore’s offering is a perfect complement to any holiday collection.
Showing range, Lattimore explains, “‘O Holy Night’ is my favorite Christmas song of all time, and I wanted it to sound like an aria … while Aaron helped me bring R&B / soul to ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,’ I feel like this album gave me the ability to cross genresfrom Jazz, R&B, Classical and Gospel to show my versatility as a vocalist.” What truly stands out on “A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” are the contemporary originals.
Lattimore co-wrote the six original songs. Not just offerings to celebrate the holidays, these fresh pop, R&B and worship-filled tunes give the project depth and weight. His gospel roots are palpable on “We Want To See You,” a soaring and powerful song about seeking Jesus, who is the ultimate reason for the season, as well as “I Cry Holy,” which Lattimore sings with genuine emotion. With “I Cry Holy,” Lattimore explained he “wanted to tell the Christmas story in a way that would evoke seeing Christ after His birth and understanding the significance of that moment.”
Playing to his loyal fans, Lattimore’s vocal skills shine on the stylistic “Home for the Holidays,” and the timely and much-needed “Everybody Love Somebody,” a song that encourages love during and after the holiday season. “‘Everybody Love Somebody’ started with a musical idea Aaron Lindsey originated … the music had a bounce that dictated that the lyrics be positive and happy and we collaborated from there,” Kenny said.
Another “classic” Kenny Lattimore song is “Real Love This Christmas,” which he cowrote with Malik Yousef and Nate Jolley. “The song is right in the vein of where my fans know me, but also has lyrics that have a spiritual meaning.” Rounding out the sounds on the album is the energetic, Afro-Caribbean flavored “Reason To Celebrate.”
“I co-wrote ‘Reason to Celebrate’ to celebrate my fans in Africa because I wanted to include all nations and all people in this Christmas musical experience,“ Lattimore said. Lattimore continues to carry the mantle of traditional R&B music as he continues to tour nationally and internationally. With 9 albums and a career that spans two decades, “A Kenny Lattimore Christmas” is another defining moment in his remarkable career.
