LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) December 16, 2022
Grammy Award-winning musician Stacey Lamont Sydnor and his band, The Unit, deliver seasonal sounds of original R&B, Rock, and Jazz for the holidays with their digital album, "New Christmas Standards." The 34-minute album contains six unique tracks featuring the vocals of worldwide Pop, R&B, and Spoken Word artists. Since its release, "New Christmas Standards" has gained increased downloads and streams, joining the list of holiday playlist favorites across music streaming platforms.
The lead single, "Crescent Moon Christmas," is the most streamed song on the album and has garnered the most radio airplay. Sydnor described the lead track as a cross between country, rock, and funk writing, "If you are a fan of Little Feat, Dr. John, Toby Keith and Stevie Ray Vaughan, you will love this new, soon to be, Christmas classic!"
Musician and vocalist, Mike Corrado, recalled the song process with Sydnor and coined a new genre for the tune.
"He sent me the track and I was blown away," wrote Corrado on his YouTube channel. "Living in the Greater New Orleans area of Louisiana, I classified the groove as “swamp rock. It just had that great bayou groove to it. I immediately thought of Santa navigating the creatures and critters of the bayou to deliver Christmas goodies. Within 3 hours, I had the song written, vocal tracks recorded and sent back."
A music video accompanies the 'swamp country/rock' song and features the individual band members playing against a brisk winter backdrop. The video is available on YouTube.
The second most-streamed song on the album is the soulful, jazz/R&B track, "Love You At Christmas Time," featuring singer-songwriter, Sy Smith.
Originally released in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, "New Christmas Standards" is the leading-edge result of the band's passion and determination to create a timeless, multi-genre, intergenerational holiday album. The restrictions of the subsequent quarantine weren't an obstacle for the seasoned musicians, as the band maximized technology to produce the album. With a combination of Zoom, texts, phone calls, Facetime calls, and dozens of uploads and downloads on Dropbox, "New Christmas Standards" progressed from concept to completion in just two weeks.
Los Angeles backing band, The Unit plans to release a second volume of Christmas holiday R&B in 2024.
“New Christmas Standards” track list and personnel includes:
1. Crescent Moon Christmas - The Unit, Mike Corrado
2. Love You At Christmas Time - The Unit, Sy Smith
3. Alright Christmas - The Unit, L. Young, Crystal Starr
4. Make My Christmas Green - The Unit, Myra Washington
5. Christmas Queen - The Unit, Martin Kember, Malcom-Jamal Warner
6. The Unit Christmas Medley - The Unit, Farah Mitha
7. Make My Christmas Green (Radio Edit) - The Unit, Myra Washington
Stacey L. Sydnor - Drums/Percussion/Producer/Writer
Kevin Teasley - Keyboards/Production
Carnell Harrell - Keyboards/Production
Kyle Bolden - Guitar/Production/Writer
Myron McKinley - Keyboards
Brandon Brown - Bass
Ian Martin - Bass
Jeremiah Napier – Bass
Chad Wright – Drums
C-Town Horns - Horn Section
Sharreace Baldwin - Writer
About The Unit:
“The Unit” is a beloved backing band from Los Angeles who is as iconic as the artists who’ve fronted them. Their resume boasts an array of genres and list of music industry giants such as The Jacksons, Stevie Wonder, Jennifer Lopez, Philip Bailey, Taylor Dayne, Jonathan Butler and more. “The Unit” was formed in 2007 by revered musicians and composers, Stacey Lamont Sydnor and Kevin Teasley. Combined, they are a leading source for live show and production needs and are well-known for providing music cues for various TV and film projects. The Unit’s mission is to provide excellence no matter how big or small the event. To book The Unit or to learn more, visit: http://www.lamontsydnor.net. Follow Stacey Lamont Sydnor on Instagram.
