Christmas in the Background, Saw Black & the Toys (Crystal Pistol/WarHen)

Saw Black is a Richmond, Va. singer-songwriter with a couple of albums under his belt, and for 2019 he decided to enter the Christmas music arena with this album of original tunes, created with the help of co-writers Andrew Murray and Pete Curry, that explore the contrast between holiday cheer and the isolation that many people experience at this time of year. The title song is an example of that feeling, "Christmas in San Francisco" laments a cold season without snow, "Once a Year" is rendered in the chorus as "I'm glad Christmas only comes once a year," bracketed by snarky anecdotes, and "Mini-Bike" is a steel guitar-led instrumental. "Ol' Saint Nick" is a ballad about being alone on Christmas Eve, "Christmas Dream" is about still believing in Santa Claus, "Ur Parents' Haus" is a humorous, countrified look at holiday sleeping arrangements, "I Know What I Want" is a rockabilly/doo-wop blend about Christmas gifts, and things wrap up with a rare look at "Boxing Day." There are short snippets of some popular carols like "Silent Night," "Joy To the World," and "Auld Lang Syne" mixed in as well. The approach is Americana, and nearly all the performances are gentle and mellow, which counts against it in the Mistletunes mission statement, but it's worth your while to seek this out for the strong original songs.