The wrong place at the wrong time. Can’t catch a break. Oh, the holidays can throw you for a loop, and sometimes, they can land you in jail. Such is the case for the song’s narrator in See Your Shadow Songwriting’s “Christmas on Cellblock 9”. A somewhat far-fetched tale, this song will send you in a holidaze of country rock delight and laughter. And like all good Christmas tales, this one has a happy ending.
Decking the walls, behind concrete walls, jack frost is nipping but not at my nose, telling bubba no means no, under the mistletoe, the holiday spent doing time, Christmas on cell block 9, the male singer sings. The man behind the writing of the song, Michael Coleman, uses a variety of singers on his songs. Coleman is based in Phoenix, Arizona and has gravitated towards country music the past few years, after a long stint in dance music and music for the screen and television. He’s a fantastic songwriter and the quick-witted lyrics are a perfect fit for not only the holiday theme music, but for country music in general. Coleman has a knack for creating the scene, giving the listener enough leeway with their imagination to paint the picture for themselves.
I liked the way he makes fun of being in jail for this song. It’s pretty out-there, but anything can happen during the holidays. I think folks taking this way too literally need to have a bit more sense of humor, and perhaps that’s the message Coleman is conveying. I think he’s trying to entertain, yes, but I also think he’s showing that the holidays aren’t always going to be what you planned, and you have to make the best of the situation. You have to roll with the punches, and find positives in the negatives. That message is year round. Coleman has a great habit of doing his. His two previous songs “I Will Tell Jesus You Said Hello” and “My Worth”, both have endearing, heartfelt messages. He also earned top spots for both on the South African iTunes country charts.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/christmas-on-cellblock-9-single/1536294062?i=1536294063&ign-gact=3&ls=1
As a country track, this one has it all. A great storyline, a great guitar riff and a rhythm section that pitter-patters along like a trusty horse. I liked the emphasis, too, with the sleigh bells sounds at the beginning and then sprinkled again towards the end. There are a few moments when I thought the singer was going to sing in a ‘round’ and instead, he changes the pace and tempo of the delivery. It definitely cast a different kind of spell and I can just imagine people singing together, much like a traditional Christmas carol at that particular moment in the song. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to smile so much during a song about being in jail, but I was proven wrong. I can also easily imagine this song as an acoustic song or on a piano. Believe me, the way Coleman’s finished track is, it’s perfect. It’s still fun to think outside the (present) box.
Jodi Marxbury