MySpaced Out: Keith Christmas

William Michael Smith July 1, 2009 12:15PM

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MySpaced Out's most recent out-of-the-ether find is British singer-songwriter Keith Christmas. Most ballads are a very hard sell for us, but I was immediately knocked out by Christmas's stunner, "Better Men."

Of course, MSO immediately got a second opinion from the Significant Other. She gave two thumbs up. I was so knocked out that I immediately emailed to see if he had a publisher and song pitcher. Guess we should've read his bio first.

Christmas played on David Bowie's first album, Space Oddity, in 1969. He also released his own first album, Stimulus, that year. He and Bowie were both part of the original Glastonbury Folk Festival.

Four more albums followed in the '70s, and numerous high-profile music notables played or sang on them, people like Rod Argent, Greg Lake and even Cat Stevens. Christmas' latest work certainly has a Cat Stevens vibe. Both "Better Men" and "All My Life" are filled with that underlying spiritual feeling that always permeates Stevens' best work.

Christmas later ventured off into blues, and it was certainly a genre well suited to his keening voice and subtle picking. He's working on a new album, which will hopefully be available sooner than later.