The Ultimate Gift

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RAHSAAN PATTERSON The Ultimate Gift

Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Rahsaan Patterson hails the holiday season with his first-ever Christmas CD, titled The Ultimate Gift. Putting aside notions of snowfalls and sleigh bells, Santa Claus and solemn carols, Patterson offers a modern version of Christmas spirit that focuses on the twin virtues of gratitude and grace on this Artistry Music release. This celebration of the yuletide season is as unique and surprising as the singer himself—at turns reverent, jubilant, humorous, thoughtful, and completely original. As such, The Ultimate Gift is destined to become a holiday classic in its own right.

“I’m really excited about this record in ways that I haven’t been about my other ones because it is geared toward such a special time,” explains Patterson, who re-teamed with previous album collaborators Jamey Jaz and Keith Crouch to produce the album. “I believe Christmas is a time that actually brings out the child in all of us, the one holiday that makes us tap into our childhood and reflect back on what it was about that time that we loved so much.

“For me, Christmas was always about family, eating, laughing and listening to music and just being with your loved ones,” continues Patterson. “So I wanted that to be what was captured on The Ultimate Gift —the true spirit of Christmas.”

The songs of The Ultimate Gift tell Patterson's personal story of Christmases past, present and future—all with the mix of soul, jazz, dance, and pop that has become the singer’s trademarks. The album kicks off with the hand-clapping fun of “Holiday,” where Southern California-based singer reminds us: “Snow don't fall down in L.A./ so there ain't no place for Santa Claus to land his sleigh/ though in the sun the children play/ it's not a New York winter's day.”

“This Is The Season” is a new-era Christmas carol of simple sweetness that Patterson says he envisioned children singing together to understand the beauty of the holiday. “That First Christmas,” inspired by the loss of the singer’s father, is about moving past the sadness that can sometimes accompany the season we usually think of as joyful but can be the hardest for those missing someone.

The CD also includes Patterson’s thoughtful interpretations of more recent holiday classics: Stevie Wonder’s 1967 original "What Christmas Means To Me" and Paul McCartney’s 1979 ditty “Wonderful Christmastime.” Patterson says he chose those songs because they were more contemporary holiday classics. “I wanted to choose songs that paid homage to Stevie Wonder, definitely, and Paul McCartney as well, because they are both amazing songwriters and amazing singers. They have contributed profoundly to the landscape of music and they’ve definitely influenced me.”

The focus is on Patterson’s soaring vocals and spiritual intensity on “Angels,” a creative meditation on the hymn “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” that transports the listener toward a state of celestial wellbeing, while the chestnut “Little Drummer Boy” becomes an almost second- line shuffle that contains the album’s only reference to the birth of Christ. A Christian “preacher’s kid” himself, Patterson notes that “Drummer Boy” was his way of “letting folks know that I come from that, I understand that, and I believe in it. But I didn’t want to generalize it for everyone. I wanted to keep it open to get to the true essence of the holiday spirit.”

The party aspect of the holidays is again featured on the tune “Christmas At My House,” which was co-written with fellow new-soul troubadour Van Hunt and was originally featured on the 1999 MCA holiday compilation My Christmas Album. Patterson re-arranged and re-recorded the track for The Ultimate Gift.

Through it all, Patterson reminds us that the most important commodity that can be offered during this special time is love. The message is clear on “Peace And Joy,” where Patterson’s voice carries the lyrics: “I'm dreaming of joy in the world, peace on earth and love for all men this Christmas.” The message is re-emphasized on the title track, “The Ultimate Gift.”

“I love music and I love the holidays,” explains the Bronx-born artist, who co-wrote seven tunes on the 11-track album. “There are certain holiday songs that I love. But as we’ve evolved as a culture and the generations have evolved and grown up in this time, we need new, realistic Christmas songs. We need songs that we relate to, that make us want to party, that make us want to reflect, that make us want to be grateful for what we have, that make us want to look forward to the future and the possibility of the lesson that Christ really brought, which was just love.”

The Ultimate Gift follows closely on the heels of Patterson’s September 2007 release Wines & Spirits, which features the hit singles "Feels Good" and "Stop Breaking My Heart."

Named after the legendary jazz sax player Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Patterson was raised in New York City. After his family relocated to California, where he appeared on the children's show Kids Incorporated, Patterson soon began to expand his gifts as a singer, songwriter and performer. After penning songs for the likes of Tevin Campbell, Chico DeBarge, Christopher Williams, Jody Watley, as well as co-writing Brandy’s triple-platinum selling "Baby," in 1994, Patterson was signed to MCA Records. He released his self-titled debut in 1997. The singer followed up with 1999's Love In Stereo, then moved to Artistry Music for 2004’s After Hours and his current album, Wines & Spirits.

Rahsaan Patterson • The Ultimate Gift • Street Date: August 26, 2008

PUBLICITY: Sheila Eldridge Miles Ahead Entertainment Tel: (201) 722-1500 Fax: (201) 722-1119 [email protected]