It’s a good thing I haven’t sent in my wish list to Santa yet this year because I would have had the audacity of forgetting to ask Santa to grant singer Jeffrey Li a No. 1 hit with the spectacular, Christian-contemporary song “Jesus Happy Birthday”. When the Christmas lights haven’t been lit, when the tree isn’t even cut down or the stores haven’t even stocked the season’s hottest gifts, it’s songs like “Jesus Happy Birthday” that strip down the chaos and bring back to center a simple joy. It’s an elegant song with Li’s profoundly moving voice.
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Calling this song a showstopper feels a bit disingenuous. This song is so much more spiritual, non-secular that I don’t want to come across hokey. Full discloser, I’m not religious myself but I’m open-minded enough to know that Christmas has different meaning for many different sects. This review is about music and it’s about the way a song made me feel emotionally. Li makes that possible, in a song about Jesus Chris, because he’s that talented of a singer. I can recognize when a song gives me that stop and listen feeling. I know a song’s great when the vocals can be singing just about anything and I want to hear that singer more. This is that song for me.
I’m not saying I’ve converted to be a follower of Christ because of this song (not that there’s anything wrong with that if you do). I want to give you as a reader the impression that this song is bigger than most Christian songs. Remember it’s about the music. Li, a 15-year-old that catapulted to the national scene after appearing on America’s Got Talent Season 13 at age 12, is bound for singing glory. He sings with such ease and love, that it’s hard not to think of him as a much older singer. Additionally, I think his voice could also be a force in the pop music world. I like that he chose a song with a serious subject and it has this dignified feeling in the air. His voice brings joy and he emits such decorum in “Jesus Happy Birthday”. You feel proper after listening to it. I became awestruck that it affected me in that way. I never thought of Christmas music in that arena until this moment.
The backing music in the song is genial. What struck me as unique is the guitar work. The song utilizes an electronic guitar. It’s very melodic rock. The electronic piano has a sentimental sound, which throws off even more of the holiday vibe. You begin to unravel the memories and the ‘remember when’s’ while hearing the piano in the song. It’s like the mini-soundtrack within a Hallmark movie. I envision Li singing this song is small-town USA or in Toronto home, and he’s in this snow-globe scene. Lots of smiling faces surround him, and like he sings, people are decorating trees and placing a heavenly angel on top. It’s just a lovely sight to imagine, and Li narrates its beautifully.
Jodi Marxbury