No one escapes the spirit of Christmas. Not even R&B prince Jay-R.
"I am a Christmas
person," confessed Jay-R to the entertainment press recently at a press
conference celebrating the release of his Yuletide album titled Holiday of Love. The talented
singer-performer usually celebrates the merry season in the United States
together with his family. And just like last year, Jay-R will heed straight out
of the country after fulfilling all his pending commitments, particularly the
Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) parade where he is part of the movie, Desperadas 2.
But other than the film
project, Jay-R is happy to present his fans a gift to accompany them throughout
the festive season. Holiday of Love—a
Christmas album composed of 14-tracks—will surely heighten the spirit of loving and
sharing through Jay-R's own rendition of classic Yuletide songs.
Jay-R, who is known for
his distinct R&B style, ventured away a bit from his comfort zone as he
bravely incorporated other elements in arranging the songs to make them sound
fresh and contemporary at the same time without losing the touch that made the
originals enduring.
"R&B pa rin pero
may mix siya ng jazz, parang may infusion ng jazz yong R&B. I found a
different style, e nung ginagawa ko ‘to, iba talaga. So, parang nagchi-change
na din ‘yong music ko," he explained.
TOUCHING
TRIBUTE. Classic songs included in the album are "Holy Night,"
"Do You See What I See?," "Give Love on Christmas Day," "Sleigh Ride," "The Most
Wonderful Time of the Year," "White Christmas," "Into (O Christmas Tree)," "Winter
Wonderland," "The Christmas Song," "This Christmas," "Santa Baby," and "The
Little Drummer Boy."
Wrapping up the entire
album are two original songs close to Jay-R's heart. There's "Spread the
Love" written by his sister, Jing. But the most special song found in the album
is track number 11 intriguingly titled, "Tito Remy"—the same person cited by
Jay-R as the man who inspired the entire project.
"He's a very close Tito
sa akin po, uncle ko po," Jay-R confessed, "he died before the holiday so I
wrote him a Christmas song."
It was a touching
tribute to a life unfortunately cut short by cancer. Yet, and despite the sad
incident, Jay-R quickly stressed that the song was not entirely written to
highlight the passing of a close relative.
He explained: "Actually
it's a celebration of his life po, so it's very personal but it's all about my
family. It's nothing sad naman po parang sinasabi na we should be here together
and we'll celebrate the life of Tito Remy, ‘yon ang parang meaning po ng song."
Proceeds of the album
sales will go directly to GMA-7's Kapuso Foundation. "It's Christmas after all.
With an album called Holiday of Love,
it's only fitting that I practice what I preach. It's all about giving."
Holiday of Love is
released under Jay-R's own Homeworkz Record label and is now available in all
record bars nationwide.
TRACK
LISTING.
- Holy Night
- Do You See What I See?
- Give Love on Christmas Day
- Sleigh Love
- The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
- White Christmas
- Intro (O Christmas Tree)
- Winter Wonderland
- The Christmas Song
- This Christmas
- Santa Baby
- The Little Drummer Baby
- Tito Reny
- Spread the Love
