Singer Sunni Rain. Credit: Courtesy of Sunni Rain.

A director, producer, actor, screenwriter, composer and nonprofit founder, locally based Javon Bates issues books, films and music through his Legacy Films, Tomahawk Entertainment Group, and the Reel Opportunity Bridge Foundation.

Now, he’s just issued his first album of holiday music, My Deepest Holiday, a collection of soulful tunes featuring singers Dri Lexington and Suni Rain. Written and produced entirely by Bates, the album “brings a fresh perspective to holiday music—one rooted in real emotion, real adulthood, and real-life reflections wrapped in warm, seductive seasonal energy,” as it’s put in a press release.

“My goal was simple,” Bates says in a statement. “Create a holiday album that feels real—grown, soulful, intimate… something you can play at night with the lights low, the Christmas tree glowing, and every emotion hitting exactly where it needs to.”

Bates, who’s been a presence on the local scene for 25 years now, continues to push Cleveland’s entertainment culture forward with projects that “inspire, challenge, and elevate.”

“As with everything he creates, My Deepest Holiday is rooted in authenticity, emotional depth, and a cinematic approach that turns every track into a scene,” reads the press release.

This project also serves as an extension of Bates’s expanding artistic universe through the Reel Opportunity Bridge Foundation (ROBF), which enables him to “build opportunities for indie film professionals, musicians and storytellers.”

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Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.