Legendary singer P.P. Arnold returns with the sensational festive tune ‘It Won’t Be Christmas Without You’, an instant classic for the holiday season produced by Mark Taylor & Patrick Mascall for Metrophonic Production Ltd.

Living legend and queen of soul Pat ‘P.P.’ Arnold needs no introduction, having accumulated a lifetime of show-stopping performances in the studio and on stage, whether through her successful solo work with ’60s hits like ‘The First Cut Is The Deepest’ & ‘Angel Of The Morning’ and her critically acclaimed 2019 solo album ‘The New Adventures Of…’ or as the go-to voice for rock and soul legends like Ike & Tina Turner, Small Faces, Stevie Wonder, Roger Waters and Nick Drake amongst others.

Following the release this year of her best-selling autobiography ‘Soul Survivor’, the next chapter in P.P. Arnold’s story is her glorious first-time Christmas single ‘It Won’t Be Christmas Without You’. Produced by Mark Taylor & Patrick Mascall from Metrophonic Productions Ltd. who also share writing credits alongside Paul Barry, the opportunity to record the track was a joy for Arnold after the isolation of lockdown. “I wasn’t thinking ‘Christmas’ originally I just wanted to be in the studio recording and being able to do that. I went to meet Mark and Patrick and they were so cool, and I hadn’t been in a studio since 2019 because of Covid. It was nice being in the studio with really good producers who know what they wanted.”

Once Arnold heard the track she knew she could bring her own distinctive vocal sound to the festive party, “I loved the track when they played it to me! I thought this is cool, it has that whole soulful sixties vibe and everything that a Christmas record should have!”

Taking its cue from the fabled sound of Phil Spector’s ‘A Christmas Gift For You…’ album, ‘It Won’t Be Christmas Without You’ is a stunning ‘wall of sound’ production that’s set to become an instant seasonal classic. Opening with a flourish of sleigh bells before giving way to a sky-scraping euphoric chorus, it’s shot through with a lyrical melancholy that immediately puts it amongst the pantheon of great Xmas songs. Throw in some saxophone that recalls E-Street band legend Clarence Clemons and you have a timeless classic to light up people’s hearts and minds during the holiday season.

It also proves that time hasn’t diminished the power and resonance of P.P. Arnold’s voice, which soars and touches the soul with the same power that it did years ago when she first burst onto the global music scene. “It stretched me because I’m singing like I’m seventeen again in that key, I gotta be working to sing in that key to keep all that stuff going, so I’m giving thanks and praise that I can still do that. When they played the track back in the studio I was like ‘oh yeah!’”

Arnold’s skill with her vocal delivery is something which many other vocalists would find hard to match, a talent fine-tuned over decades of professional singing work, but true to her loving spirit she understands the significance of connecting with the hearts and minds of people at one of the most important times of the year “I started stretching out but not too much, it’s Christmas, everybody wants to be able to sing it! It’s not just about me, I sang it for everybody.”

“Mariah please, give somebody else a break!” jokes Arnold, but this festive chapter in the continuing adventures of a soul survivor proves that P.P. Arnold continues to hold her own alongside her contemporaries, and reminds us all to cherish her beautiful talents as she forges her own unique path into a bright future.

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