Roxanne Potvin: Beyond The Tinsel

By Kerry Doole

Roxanne Potvin - "Beyond The Tinsel" (Indie): Juno-nominated roots singer/songwriter/guitarist Roxanne Potvin has just released an original holiday season song, "Beyond The Tinsel." 

In a press release, she explains that "I wrote the song last year thinking of a friend who was spending Christmas alone and I was reminded of all the people out there who were in the same situation. It's so sad to me because I see Christmas as such a joyful time. So I wanted to let them know that they weren't forgotten, that we were thinking of them. And if we're fortunate enough to have family and love in our lives, maybe we should try to reach out to those who don't."

This timely message, delivered with Potvin's warm vocals and a production that features a carillon of Christmas bells and female backing vocals, make it crystal clear it's the time of the season.

After setting the scene of an idyllic family Xmas with lines like "ginger cookies golden brown, fragrant pine upstairs and down," the singer urges us to "not forget the lonely ones."

The track is available now on Bandcamp with the first 200 downloads free.

Now based in Gatineau, Quebec, Potvin is also finishing up an EP that's scheduled for release in early 2018. It follows her self-produced 2016 album, For Dreaming, which was warmly received by the critics.

She kicks off the new year with a show at Ottawa's Bar Robo on Jan. 2.