Song Of The Day: John Lefler & Camille Cortinas — “Winter Wonderland”

The Seasoned Dallas Duo Created A Fun And Modern Take On This Christmas Classic — And It Just Might Win The Hearts Of Even The Grumpiest Grinches.

Welcome to Song of the Day, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By highlighting one new North Texas-sprung tune every week day, our hope is that you’ll find something new to love about the rich and abundant DFW music scene five days a week.

John Lefler & Camille Cortinas – “Winter Wonderland”
RIYL: something slightly different than the standard holiday fare.
What else you should know: It’s the most wonderful time of the year for many of us, so it is bound to happen that at least one Christmas cover will be a Song of the Day. Tackling the often-covered holiday classic, the duo — who also do covers in the vein of yacht rock as the Captain & Camille — do an enjoyable version of “Winter Wonderland.”

Guided by an 8-bit-like keyboard line, Lefler and Cortinas effortlessly harmonize together here. Emphasizing the downward notes of the melody a little more than other versions, it’s an interesting take on something we’ve all heard hundreds of times. Nice reworkings of standards are always welcome. And even if you hate holiday music, this track is only two minutes long.

It’s quite clear how long Lefler and Cortinas have worked together. They have a fun spirit about them whenever they step in front of microphones. It’s been a great evolution of Lefler in particular, who toured and recorded for years as a guitarist for Dashboard Confessional before moving to Dallas and recording solo material and working with producer Salim Nourallah.

For those of us who find the holidays to be lonely, sad and fake around all this merriment, it’s understandable. It’s like a happy childhood gave way to a miserable adulthood. But sometimes, we need reminders of how good and grounded the holidays can be.