Hot on the heels of the ground breaking album and documentary, Icons Of Soul, Luke McMaster brings you “My Favorite Time Of Year”, a brand new collection of all original Christmas songs. From the soulful ballad "Home For Christmas", the celebratory "My Favorite Time Of Year" to the deeply moving Jim Brickman collaboration "The Christmas Prayer”, he set out to craft an album that honours Christmas classics of old while moving boldly into the future.
It's no accident that McMaster's new holiday offering has a classic, soulful feel to it. The Brandon, Manitoba-born purveyor of contemporary blue-eyed soul has spent the past 2 years not only paying tribute to classic R&B songwriting legends: he’s recruiting them.
“By collaborating with legends like Lamont Dozier and Felix Cavaliere on my last project Icons Of Soul, I really transformed as a singer and a songwriter. I learned so much about singing and writing from the heart, and that really speaks to the approach I took with the new Christmas album” says McMaster, the Toronto-based singer, songwriter and producer best known for "Merry Christmas, Beautiful,” his 2013 Top 3 Billboard AC smash with new age pianist Jim Brickman.
In the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, when he relocated to Winnipeg, McMaster enjoyed an impressive Canadian gold album run as a duo with Rob James in McMaster & James, (“Thank You,” “Love Wins Everytime,”) with media often referring to them as the “Canadian Hall & Oates.” When he turned solo in 2002 and launched a more focused songwriting career and placing songs on multi-platinum and gold albums by Rihanna, Nick Lachey, Nick Carter and Kalan Porter (7 million sales and counting), he also recorded a succession of EPs and albums (2008’s Time EP, 2013’s All Roads, 2014’s Heart of Soul and 2016’s Trending) that contained both originals and sensual interpretations of such favourites as Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and the Bee Gees “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”
McMasters last Holiday single "Raise A Glass" has consistently been in the top 10 on the AC / Holiday charts since it's release 3 years ago both in Canada and the United States with Jim Brickman. "I'm so excited to have new music to share, especially at this time of year. People tend to be very nostalgic during the holidays and I love the thought of being part of their soundtrack at a time of year when we celebrate giving and being together. I truly hope that "My Favorite Time Of Year" will become the soundtrack to everyone's "Favorite Time Of Year" for years to come!