REVIEW: Max Hawthorne — A Tyrannosaurus For Christmas (SINGLE)
Comprised of cut and dry melodies and a lyrical structure straight out of classic children’s vinyl, there’s something rather retro about Max Hawthorne’s seasonal tune “A Tyrannosaurus For Christmas” that gets me every time I listen to it. While I’d stop short of calling it a throwback to the vintage pop craftsmanship that produced some of the best children’s music to ever land on record store shelves — at least on the American side of the Atlantic — some sixty years ago, the foundations of Hawthorne’s new single are undisputedly old fashioned in nature and presentation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ARTIST: https://www.kronosrising.com/
From the pitched, childish vocal to the markedly firm percussion guiding the verses along like a crossing guard in the street, everything in “A Tyrannosaurus For Christmas” sounds regimented and simple, but never robotic in tone. There’s never any question whether we’re listening to real musicians over a synthesized intelligence on the other side of a mixing board, and in comparison to most of the children’s music I’ve heard in 2021, that’s something to be proud of. As both a writer and a recording artist, Max Hawthorne outdoes himself once more in this terrific new outing.
The best element of this track’s fluid construction is the easy-going rhythm, which is fostered by the swinging lyrical delivery more than it is any bassline in the backdrop. There’s no deeming any component of the mix pretentious; from where I’m sitting, it would appear that this guy is going out of his way to make every part of the song as relaxed and smooth as possible.
The lyrics aren’t elaborate and, quite frankly, they don’t need to be — the execution is what’s setting up the narrative here, not the substance of the storytelling (if you can call it that). Overall, I think the mastering of this single is top-notch and worthy of some accolades, but the slick instrumental integration has more to do with the strength of the performers than it does anything happening on the producer’s side of the glass. You can’t introduce passion that was never there to begin with, which is how we can tell right off the top that “A Tyrannosaurus For Christmas” is the real article.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-tyrannosaurus-for-christmas-full-version/1540813469?i=1540813470
You can tell that Max Hawthorne isn’t out to make a quick buck with the musical side of his multitalented career; this modern-day renaissance man is soulful when he wants to be, and the charming fun he presents us with in this track really speaks to his versatility more than anything else. He knows how to get serious, as he’s demonstrated in his written work, but he’s also an artist who knows how to have a good time and experiment with the limits of his style. I’m intrigued by what he’s going to do next, and if I had any influence over his future projects I would tell him to consider collaborating with players of a like mind. There’s more to unlock within his aesthetics, and that’s partly why “A Tyrannosaurus For Christmas” should leave listeners excited this season.
Colin Jordan
