Interview with Max Restaino: ‘I’ve come back round to myself because I started out doing jazzier stuff and that’s where I want to stay’

Sheffield-based singer-songwriter Max Restaino has released his ‘Here For Christmas’ EP today, a gorgeously old school, two track album that is evocative of times past.

The melody for the title track ‘Here For Christmas’ was written by American songwriting legend, Phil Springer – of iconic ‘Santa Baby’ fame – to which Restaino has written the lyrics with former Radio 1 DJ and songwriter, Mike Read. ‘Lovers in London’ is the second song on the EP.

Read discovered Restaino in 2016 on the Sky songwriting contest, Tin Pan Alley, which he hosted, and in which Restaino came second. As part of the show, Restaino recorded a version of ‘Lovers in London’, a song that Read also co-wrote with Springer and which led to Springer offering the melody to ‘Here for Christmas’ to them. ‘Max and I have just written a song that we’re sure Sinatra would have recorded had he still been around,’ Read said.

‘Phil wrote Santa Baby, he’s so iconic, and I thought it would be amazing to do a Christmas song with him,’ Restaino said. I tell him that it’s a proper old school track that makes you tap your feet, much like Jamie Cullum or Frank Sinatra: ‘I love Frank and that type of stuff,’ he said. ‘I play several instruments, the sax is jazzy, the piano is more poppy. I’ve come back round to myself because I started out doing jazzier stuff and that’s where I want to stay.’

The song also evolved as it was written. ‘I sent Phil a song about someone waiting for their girlfriend at a station but it became about falling in love with a stranger,’ he laughed.

That comes through in the lyrics: ‘I saw an angel by my side, you turned to me and smiled and I fell for you. I fell in love with a girl that I never knew, you took the last train home late one Christmas Eve.’

Springer’s career spans 70 years and he is credited on 540 tracks, including compositions for singers such as Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. He originally wrote the music to ‘Here for Christmas’ in 1948 but it didn’t have any lyrics. Feeling attached to the melody, he stored it away and then 72 years later sent it to Restaino, who says he fell in love with it straight away and instantly wrote the chorus and then worked with Read on the rest of the lyrics. The result is a jazz/pop infused Christmas cracker of a song combining the sound of a classic golden era with Restaino’s modern-day interpretation which showcases his soothing, soulful vocals. ‘It’s been great fun working with Max and Mike in this overseas collaboration,’ Springer said. 

‘I wanted to write the big gospelesque songs like ‘Before I Lose Faith In You’ for ages’

Next year, Restaino will release an 11 track album called ‘Another Rainy Night in Paris’, which will include the single of the same name that came out earlier this year as well as another single from 2020, ‘Before I Lose Faith In You’. ‘I wanted to write the big gospelesque songs like ‘Before I Lose Faith In You’ for ages, so I eventually did,’ he laughed. ‘Do you know what, I wrote it quite ambiguously. I wrote one of the verses last year and there’s the line “Did you ever lose faith in the meaning of life’ and with everything that has happened this year, it really resonates.’

Elsewhere on the album, he says we can expect a few big band numbers and ballads where he plays the sax. ‘There are even some almost progressive rockesque ones!’

One of his most memorable releases this year was the single ‘Greasy Chip Butty’, his love song to his home town (the proceeds were given to charity), which is a mash up of his own lyrics and melody and the Sheffield United football chant ‘Greasy Chip Butty’, which was written by Terry Moran in the 70’s and which is sung to the tune of ‘Annie’s Song’:

‘You fill up my senses,
Like a gallon of Magnet,
Like a packet of Woodbines,
Like a good pinch of snuff, 
Like a night out in Sheffield, 
Like a greasy chip butty,
Like Sheffield United, 
Come fill me again.’ 

In addition to the saxophone and piano, Restaino also plays the guitar, harmonica, accordion and ukulele. He has worked with Gregory Porter (for whom he played sax) Peter Kay, Donny Osmond, Olly Murs and, more recently, Gary Barlow and he appears on Barlow’s new album, Music Played by Humans.

Restaino’s favourite song is ‘The Next Time’ by Cliff Richard, which Springer happened to write, and which cemented Restaino’s awe of him. In addition to Sinatra, he is a big fan of ELO and Supertramp as well as The Beatles, Bob Marley and Chris de Burgh. ‘I also grew up with Italian accordion music, my dad’s Italian.’

If he could tour with anyone, he’d pick Paul McCartney. ‘That’d be amazing. Or maybe Sinatra, they’re the two music icons, those two.’