SOUTHERN CHRISTMAS review

GEELONG ADVERTISER CHRISTMAS REVIEW


A FAMILY request for some ~ home-grown Christmas Music was the inspiration behind a CD launched last week by artist Simon Lewis and friends. Perhaps it was the need to lull the relatives into a sense of calm, free from the frenzied storm the festive season whips up, that brought about the request. Or the need to escape the coarse, lout jingles that routinely pervade the city toward the year's end. Whatever it was, Lewis and friends have produced a soothing mix of Christmas melodies, bound to appeal to a wide audience, and particularly the people of Geelong.
For intermingled among favorites like 'Silent Night' and 'O Come All Ye Faithful' are the refreshing, natural sounds of the Surf Coast environment. For Lewis,- the CD provides a medium to share with others the majestic sounds of the coast—a vivid reminder of a happy childhood spent in Ocean Grove.
  As a musician, who has been in and out of the recording studio since graduating from Melbourne University several years ago, Lewis has dabbled in various musical styles.
He performs regularly in Melbourne with the soul-funk outfit, Soul House, along with a variety of jazz ensembles and rock bands. However, innovation has always been his forte, as depicted in his albums, which are dominated by the gentle lull of Victoria's south coast.
Following in the steps of his previous titles, 'Southern Water', Southern Dreaming' and 'Southern Mystique', this new CD similarly inspires a magical feel. The melodies are so beautiful, but they've been done to death in the traditional way so the challenge was to do something unique with them," Lewis says.
He says 'Southern Christmas' was designed to combine the essence of Christmas—peace and joy — with the unique sounds of Victoria's southern coast. The result was a gloriously smooth mix of "reflective and inspirational" Christmas melodies. The music provides listeners with an escape from the frantic pace of commercialism to a place where one can dwell on the greater meaning of Christmas.
As Lewis says: "You're supposed to be able to relax with it and not feel like you should be dancing around with Santa.