It’s not often that we feature music posts on here, but after speaking to US-based rapper Jack Dawkins, I realised that we had to make an exception.
Like most fathers, Jack loves seeing how excited his young daughter, Saxon gets in the lead-up to Christmas. Unlike most fathers though, Jack is an amazingly talented rapper who’s released a Christmas song dedicated to her. That song, You Can Always Come Home, is the aural Christmas hug you didn’t know you needed. It’s sentimental without being mushy, traditional whilst keeping contemporary, and Christmassy without needing to throw any overused sleigh bells into the mix.
The inspiration of the song comes from Jack being asked what he wants most for his little girl. His wish is simply that she always feels that she has a safe place to come home to.
Dawkins seems to have a flair for conveying his emotions and thoughts in a succinct manner, and the lyrics to You Can Always Come Home are no different. Framed as a stream-of-consciousness whilst watching his daughter play, several vignettes play out across the track. When Dawkins says it’s “hard to see you growing up with every single lap”, he distills the essence of parenthood in one sentence. We all want our children to grow, but simultaneously wish these moments could last forever.
Elsewhere, Dawkins describes “a tree too tall for your short-ass dad, who insists he can carry it…He can’t”, demonstrating his self-deprecating personality. His own press release describes him as “old as shit for hip hop”, which raised a smile as a father of a similar age. The backing track itself has an old-school hip hop charm, which when paired with Dawkins’ relaxed cadence really hits the spot.
You Can Always Come Home cleverly echoes the tradition of Christmas without being mired in it. When Dawkins cosily references a “stack of Rat Pack vinyls on the record player”, he soon admits, “alright, it’s Spotify. I was just playing”. Anthony Galatis’ background instrumental, meanwhile, replaces the overlaid crackling effect of a vinyl record, with an actual recording of a warm log fire.
Can you imagine the warmth and pride that Dawkins’ daughter, Saxon will feel when she grows up listening to this love letter from father to daughter? It’s a beautiful gesture, and more importantly, an absolutely solid tune that deserves a place amongst the current canon of Christmas songs.
Jack Dawkins isn’t some B-level rapper ranting about ‘bitches’ and bling. His sheer positivity is only matched by his wordsmithery. Hell, any songwriter who rhymes ‘obrigado’ with ‘Frida Kahlo’ (on his previous single Pretty Damn Close), is worth a listen in my book. Whilst this “short-ass dad” might struggle tackling Christmas trees, he has no such problem crafting intelligent and poignant lyrics.
You Can Always Come Home is released on November 26th on all major streaming services. Add it to your Christmas playlist NOW!