Championed and supported by renowned indie label Bongo Boy Records, songwriter Lisa Benedetto’s Willow Layne ensemble returns with a nostalgic, mournful-but-hopeful holiday track, “Saint Nick to Aisle Six.” Ready to revisit those hopeful teen years, and the enchanting memory of a boy who passed, but endures as a holiday symbol of hope and innocence? Then let’s dive into Willow Layne’s latest, “Saint Nick to Aisle Six.”
The meaning behind the music.
Per Lisa, “Saint Nick to Aisle Six” draws from [my] high school experience as a supermarket cashier, infusing the lyrics with warmth and nostalgia. [I] also reveal the enduring presence of a young, dynamic boy [I] once knew—whose spirit, though he has passed, feels close and reflects Saint Nick, adding a moving layer of divinity. The call of “Saint Nick to Aisle Six” invites listeners into a festive scene where Santa embodies more than a holiday icon; he becomes a symbol of joy and connection, much like the boy [I] remember. Santa’s interaction with the young boy in the song echoes the innocent delight and cherished moments that make Christmas special.”
Wait. Who does what?
Enlisting vocalists and musicians from Countryside Studios, Lisa writes and composes these moving melodies with the natural, pristine production magic of Bongo Boy Records’ in-house producer Monique Grimme.
Now, about that music…
“Saint Nick to Aisle Six” is a relaxed, country-varnished affair based on strumming, crystalline acoustic guitar, in-the-pocket shakers, and expressive, gleaming-from-the-canyons pedal steel guitar. The lead vocal reminds me a bit of Steve Nicks; the vibrato, especially when reveling in a lower range, is sturdier, more emotionally developed. But in the mid-to-high-range, the vocal is cleaner, clearer, and less enveloped by Nick’s patented rusted, rocky timbre.
The harmonies really kick here (for lack of a better descriptor). They uplift alternate phrases in the verse, and hold back when the song makes a more intimate, person-to-person proclamation.
The story is relatable. Magical. It’s all of us – you and I – when subjected to the mundane (cashier), but finding the magic, the mind-exalting nostalgia in it. It’s a warm revelation – occurring only through time and perspective – revealing the wonder in glossed over moments initially deemed unimportant, unnecessary, and presumably forgettable. It’s the magic that was there, filed away, but recovered and inconceivably reconfigured as something truly invaluable.
And the story’s music, when breathing out its final lyric, ends as gently, as elegantly and thankfully, as it began.
But is it good?
This one plucks every hopeful, mournful string. It’s strength, sadness, reassessment, and a reinvigoration of youthful wonder. “Saint Nick to Aisle Six,” specifically crafted and released for the holidays, is, in fact, a gift. How so….?
Because it reminds us of an initially unrealized but unfaltering fact: every memory and experience, even those dipped in mundanity, are utter and absolute magic. Because they’re ours. Because we were alive, and in some form or fashion, always in love. HIGHLY recommended.
—-
BELOW: Listen to Willow Layne and check them out on Soundcloud, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, and the Bongo Boy Records website. Please support Willow Layne by visiting them online and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music
Follow, stream, download & connect with WILLOW LAYNE online:
