Starting off from a Frank Sinatra cover to now, there’s more to Jschlatt than what everybody thinks. With ‘A Very 1999 Christmas’, Jschlatt’s recognizable voice translates well in a musical context, carrying enough soulful touches to fit nicely within these well-arranged christmas covers.
The term ‘youtuber music’ has been a bit of a dicey word to throw around, especially given to steamers and youtubers who may have an interest in pursuing music but can land outputs that can go into two territories: those who managed to succeed and went their way on fully focusing on making more music as a result, and those who may have fumbled and left some heaps of middling material along the way. And while that labeling can create some understandable skepticism to a youtuber/streamer’s musical project – especially if said musical project doesn’t show much flavor or interest, and the quality just doesn’t do much in the long run – at the same time, there have been cases where certain youtubers have broke through that term and proceeded to go big as a result of just making music with enough striking quality. Think Joji, Troye Sivan, and Emma Blackery as some of those examples.
Jschlatt's nestling within the music part of the conversation did come through with an interesting story. It started off last year with an AI cover of My Way using his voice, sparking some discussion on how much Jschlatt’s manner of speaking worked on that cover, as his delivery was reminiscent of old-time crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Bing Crosby. So now with that AI cover blowing up on the internet, Jschlatt soon took notice and eventually upped that cover by singing it himself. Given how much that official cover has received some praise, Jschlatt did something even bigger. Hiring vocal coaches, composers, backing vocalists, and a recording studio, Jschlatt went all the way to prepare and deliver ‘A Very 1999 Christmas’, a christmas covers album sung by none other than himself.
Within this covers album, there is at least a sense of lilting delight amidst these familiar christmas songs that have been tinkling in everyone’s ear. The arrangements are generally pretty, the production does give air to every instrument and vocalist involved, and to his credit, Jschlatt does manage to deliver that old-school crooning quite well. Having just enough soulful edge to his singing that carves out an inviting tone in the restrained christmas songs and enough perky charm when it comes to the more jubilant christmas cuts. It shows how Jschlatt’s preparation to do these covers justice has delivered for the most part. While the backing vocals could’ve sounded richer, and Jschlatt’s crooning could still have sounded just a bit more striking, the overall result of this endeavor rings pretty well. Managing to nail the solemn characteristics of ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’, the glimmering charm of ‘The Christmas Song’, and even the bountiful joy of ‘Happy Holidays’ and ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’.
While it’s very much impossible to replace the original songs themselves - especially from those old-crooner legends - Jschlatt manages to nail what made those crooners encapture the attention of so many in these christmas songs. Piling upon enough well-arranged, well-produced, and well-sung aspects to show that this musical endeavor lands enough quality for this time of year. A curiosity that evolves into something quite potent, it’s the christmas miracle that’s worth checking out.
Favorite Tracks: ‘White Christmas’, ‘The Christmas Song’, ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’, ‘It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year’
Least Favorite Track: ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’