Rob Alexander’s Seasonal Single “Merry Christmas in Heaven”

Mostly comprised of cut-and-dry melodies and a lyrical structure straight out of classic Christmas vinyl, there’s something rather retro about Rob Alexander’s seasonal tune “Merry Christmas in Heaven” 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 holiday music to ever land on record store shelves – at least on the American side of the Atlantic – some sixty years ago, the foundations of Alexander’s new single are undisputedly old fashioned in nature and presentation.

From the unrefined but wistful human vocal to the markedly firm percussion guiding the verses along like a crossing guard in the street, everything in “Merry Christmas in Heaven” 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 Christmas music I’ve heard in 2022, that’s something to be proud of. As both a songwriter and a recording artist, Rob Alexander 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 (which almost seems like too minimal a term to be using). 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 “Merry Christmas in Heaven” is the real article.  

You can tell that Rob Alexander 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 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 “Merry Christmas in Heaven” should leave listeners excited this season.  

Timothy Ball