Review in the Chestnut Hill Local for That Christmas Feeling

By MICHAEL CARUSO
Chestnut Hill Local
December 13, 2017

KATIE EAGLESON

Local songstress Katie Eagleson has just released a holiday CD entitled “That Christmas Feeling.” Backed by a bevy of fabulous studio musicians playing arrangements by husband Len Pierro, the album features Eagleson’s lyrical interpretations of a breathtaking roster of classic Christmas songs.

Among the most stylishly performed is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from the 1944 MGM film, “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Although Judy Garland’s rendition is truly legendary, Eagleson wisely takes a different approach. Pierro’s arrangement evokes the colors and harmonies of Johnny Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile” (from the 1965 Elizabeth Taylor film, “The Sandpiper”), giving Eagleson the sonic room to spin the melody around the hopefully nostalgic lyrics with a touching frailty so perfect for a world like our own – so fraught with trepidation for the future.

The album’s most touching number is “Some Children See Him,” and Eagleson puts every ounce of her heart into every word and note of the song. It, too, stands as a musical mirror against which we must judge our actions against our fellow citizens of the world. It would seem to be a verdict that leaves us wanting in the charity celebrated by the Christmas season.