Gretta Ray releases new single 'It's Almost Christmas In Philly' alongside reimagined version of Joni Mitchell's 'River'
Image: Jo Duck
2021 has been a monumental year for Gretta Ray. After switching her sound to pop late last year, she released her debut album Begin To Look Around this Auguist which peaked in the top 20 and was voted Album of the Year at The J Awards, also earning an ARIA Award nomination.
To cap off the year, today she has released her new single, ‘It’s Almost Christmas In Philly’. A highlight on the album, it is a warm, soulful track with a beat and soundscape that gradually expands and grows but never takes focus from Ray’s gentle, understated vocals. Lyrically, the song tells the story of a road trip across America with a melancholic undertone of a relationship that has fallen apart.
The single is teamed with an acoustic version of ‘It’s Almost Christmas In Philly’ alongside Ray’s stunning version of the Joni Mitchell Christmas classic ‘River’ which combines subtle elements of electronica with stripped back piano.
"Christmas is right around the corner, so I wanted to give a nod to the Christmas-themed song on my album, ‘It’s Almost Christmas In Philly’ by recording a stripped back rendition,” Ray says. “It’s a song about driving through North America with my dear friend Sam while I was opening for Gang of Youths in 2018. It’s the most folky sounding song on Begin To Look Around, and with this version I wanted to hone in on that even more. Joni Mitchell has always been one of my biggest inspirations. With this cover of her song ‘River’, I wanted to acknowledge how much her song writing means to me. It was such a joy to put my own twist on this song."
Although she first broke through in 2016 when she won the Triple J Unearthed competition, 2021 has been Gretta Ray’s most successful and acclaimed year yet. She is an artist at her most confident and assured best and all the signs indicate we should expect even more outstanding music and performances from her into 2022 and beyond.
‘It’s Almost Christmas In Philly’ and ‘River’ are out now via EMI. You can buy and stream here.
To keep up with all things Gretta Ray you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
