Dan Blakeslee and the Calabash Club - Christmasland Jubilee
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 1:41AM 
Dan Blakeslee is a fan of holidays. Be it Halloween, when his masked moniker Doctor Gasp annually rides through concert venues; or now Christmas, as the New England native delivers on a long-time dream with Christmasland Jubilee (out December 1), a welcome gift for music lovers this holiday season.
Blakeslee’s love of the Christmas season dates back to when the singer-songwriter was just five years old in Maine, playing sleigh bells on “Christmas Don’t Be Late” alongside his father. From there, he began cutting Christmas tunes in 2006, when he would send songs as gifts for his family. Ever since, Blakelee’s been clamoring to cut a seasonal record and last December, he and his talented band brought that dream to life.
While you won’t hear any Chipmunks covers on Jubilee, you will hear seven excellent original songs, six 
standards, and plenty of Blakeslee’s incandescent holiday spirit. Recorded last winter at the Noise Floor Recording Studio in Dover, New Hampshire with snow on the ground, plenty of hot chocolate, and maybe a little magic in the air, Blakeslee and his band turned out an album that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Blakeslee sounds eggnog-smooth taking artful turns on familiar favorites (“We Three Kings”, “Silver Bells”) and original tunes like “The Somerville Lights” and “It’s Almost Christmas Morn” have a candy cane stickiness with potential to become mainstays on your holiday playlist. All the while, the record is warm, joyous, welcoming - and just the right amount of rollicking. All the things that the holidays should be.
After a year unlike any other, this holiday season promises to be anything but traditional. It may be the perfect time to reminisce about the good times, turn up the volume on Christmasland Jubilee, and find a new holiday favorite.
Words by Brian Hodge
