Sylvia Bennett
It’s Christmas Time With Sylvia Bennett
Sylvia Bennett takes on the ambitious task of fashioning holiday tunes that eschew the past efforts of other recording artists, and shapes familiar favorites like “Silent Night” and “Silver Bells” to contemporary specifications. Fondly remembered as a vocalist for the internationally acclaimed vibraphonist/bandleader Lionel Hampton, Sylvia Bennett leads a diverse set of musicians through a repertoire of festive holiday standards on It’s Christmas Time With Sylvia Bennett from Out Of Sight Music label. Displaying influences from the vaults of gospel, techno-infused pop, contemporary chorals, and classic orchestral jazz, Bennett revitalizes perennial favorites symbolic of the Holiday Season, and merges classic tunage with a contemporary sheen. Produced by Hal S. Batt, It’s Christmas Time With Sylvia Bennett has the spirit of good cheer and communal love.
Employing the children’s choir at St. Rose of Lima School and assisted by choral director Tiffany Ezekowitz in “A Rainbow Christmas,” Bennett opens the album with an uplifting sing-along that inspires a caroling vibration in every corner of the room. Her treatment of “Winter Wonderland” is furnished with glorious orchestral tones reaming a nostalgic-tilt that dims in “Silent Night” to a soothing gospel-tinged lighting. Bennett’s vocal enunciation is clear and crisp as she nestles the tepid tides of the melodic versing. The waltzing tempo of “It’s Christmas Time” and “Silver Bells” are gracefully layered in swirling strings as Bennett sings them in a traditional fashion, while the hip hop/techno tweaking of “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” has a stylish-pop whipping and modern-urban grooves accentuated by the springy rapping of George Llizo. The upbeat vibe of “Wrap You Up For Christmas” and “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” have a sleigh ride coasting as the breezy spiritual gusts of “Christmas Lights” and “The Christmas Song” exude a calming setting as the lilting symphonies embroider a joyous mood.
Italian-born and American raised, Sylvia Bennett has enjoyed a vocal professional that has spanned over three decades. In that time, she has opened for some of the world’s most admired entertainers including the legendary Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller, Jackie Mason, Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Gibb, and David Brenner. As an aficionado of timeless love songs and classics from the American Songbook, Sylvia Bennett uses the power of her voice to spread good cheer, and touches souls in a warm way that induces positive thinking and love of community.
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