Song of the Day: Kelly Finnigan “Heartbreak for Christmas”

“Heartbreak for Christmas” is a brand-new holiday treat from neo-soul singer and keyboardist Kelly Finnigan. The tune is out now in digital and green wax single formats on Ohio-based funk and soul label Colemine Records. “Heartbreak for Christmas” is three minutes of holiday soul, featuring Finnigan’s Smokey Robinson or Stylistics-inspired melody and sparkling instrumentation, driven by an industrial-strength Stax drum-break. This is the kind of original material Motown and Stax (and the countless soul labels they inspired) cranked out every holiday season throughout the 1960s. Whether or not Finnigan has a new holiday classic on his hands remains to be seen, but it is a decidedly welcome addition to any holiday soul collection.

Kelly Finnigan portrait by Whitney Pelfrey