Consuming with a blend of original songs and familiar Christmas classics, The Bergamot deliver one of the year’s best live performances on A South Shore Christmas. The live Christmas album was recorded at the noted Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana, featuring the husband-wife duo of The Bergamot in addition to the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, whose beautiful voices bolster the act’s knack for magnetic songwriting, standout musicianship, and heartfelt performance.
Based in South Bend though acclaimed for performances worldwide, in addition to standout albums like this year’s Give Love Away, The Bergamot show throughout the show why they have drawn such recent acclaim — including recent spots in Rolling Stone UK and People Magazine. Our review of that fantastic full-length, here, noted how the album was further uplifted by the presence of the Notre Dame Children’s Choir, so it’s great to hear them utilized so well in a live setting as well with A South Shore Christmas (Live at The Morris).
The applause rings out and the band enters in haunting form as the show gets underway, weaving in twinkling keys and orchestral grandeur as their take on “Carol of the Bells” emerges. The sound of church bells and a wintry ambience produce a spellbinding appeal, as their production of the track — described as “Mannheim Steamroller–inspired” — takes hold. Twanging guitars and buzzy synth incorporate into the track’s classically foreboding yet festive melodic direction, moving with ardor and momentum as the thrilling brass tones converge with electric guitar for a fervently compelling success. The Bergamot show an artful tendency for turning Christmas classics into their own throughout the performance, and the opening “Carol of the Bells” is wonderfully exemplary of such.
The duo consistently excel with their share of holiday classics. While that opener delights in its briskness, The Bergamot’s tender side shows with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Lovely piano work, with a touch of Lynchian mystique, traverses into an affecting vocal duet — where the loving team of Jillian Speece and Nathaniel Paul Hoff converge their vocals into the “trouble will be miles away” passion. Other standout covers include the mesmerizing vocal performance of “Ave Maria,” a vibrantly jazzy showing of Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy,” a spirited lounge-friendly version of “Let It Snow.”
The Bergamot has wowed us over the years with their own original songwriting, as well, and this performance isn’t absent of that. In addition to great performances of originals like “Medusa” and “Mayflies” is their original Christmas song. “Remember This December” concludes the live album, weaving harmonica and warming brass amidst smitten lyrical sentiments; the recollections of time’s passages with “another year” introspection proves stirring. “There’s something sacred about sharing Christmas music live,” says The Bergamot. “‘Remember This December’ felt like the heart of the night—and collaborating with the Notre Dame Children’s Choir elevated everything. Their voices reminded us of the purity and hope this season is all about.” The entirety of A South Shore Christmas (Live at The Morris) is a thorough success from The Bergamot.
