A careful ode to the most magical time of the year, Sarantos pours his heart out on “Same Old Christmas”. Everything about this is a true celebration of that Christmas spirit. His vocals rise above the rest of the sound. Fully rooted in a classical meet pop bent, he brings a rather active interplay amongst the whole group. The instrumental variety incorporated within the sound adds to its sense of community. Right in the background are those wordless choirs and it has a delicacy to it.
Upon the open the song comes into full bloom. He lets the piece itself ebb and flow. Knowing when to pull back adds to the intrepid beauty of the track. Lyrics guide the listener through an entire lifetime, one that feels so vivid and so real. Melodies waft on up into the seemingly infinite as there is a larger-than-life element about the arrangement. Seemingly classic yet highly contemporary, he brings those two worlds together in a way that is distinctly his own. The buildup occurs in this rather gradual and undoubtedly lovely way. How everything seemingly lifts the listener up, introducing them to his own experience, adds to the power that Sarantos possesses. For the final stretch he lets loose just a little bit, before he gradually takes each small element away until it simply evaporates.
Sarantos brings in an epically, sweeping, symphonic sound on “Same Old Christmas” with a style that soars up to the heavens.
