Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Christmastime! That magical time of year when choral music and a cappella singing suddenly become beloved by all. That brief period in which the rest of the world remembers what you and I have known all along: that using your voices to make music is aca-awesome. And quite aca-beautiful. I don’t know what it is about December that causes everyone to love a cappella music, but the vocal-only singing sensations are aware of this phenomenon and the top groups will generally put out some excellent music around this time. Here are a few of the best tracks from this year, so far.
Mary Did You Know – Pentatonix
Look, let’s be honest here. Pentatonix is currently unrivaled in aca-awesomesauce, and every track on their new Christmas album is great. I am personally loving “Mary Did You Know,” but their “Silent Night” is pretty good, and “That’s Christmas To Me” is another favorite. Do yourself a favor and get this new holiday treat from the undisputed masters of vocal amaze-balls.
Angels We Have Heard on High – Home Free
Remember Home Free? The most recent Sing-Off winners? No? Is that because they are overshadowed by the aca-behemoth that is Pentatonix? Probably. But their version of “Angels We Have Heard on High” is simply beautiful. They know what they’re doing. Give it a listen and tell me I’m wrong.
O Holy Night – Duwende
Did you ever want to jam out to “O Holy Night,” but you couldn’t because it just didn’t have that beat? Problem solved! This is a smooth groove of an arrangement, done in a way that doesn’t lose the beauty of the original song. I love it! But if you like your music less jammin’ and more stately, this might not be the track for you…
White Christmas – VoicePlay
Oh man, that bass solo. That sound always gets me. This is a fun, do-woppy version of this classic song, with a video of the singers each dreaming of something they would like, for instance the ability to shove large amounts of food into one’s mouth. Check it out.
Text Me Merry Christmas – Straight No Chaser ft. Kristen Bell
Ok, this is just silly. But I love silly. And I love Kristen Bell. And Straight No Chaser I am okay with. I am actually mad at them for living the dream that I have always dreamed, which is that some random executive would call me out of the blue and say, “Hey, you were good at singing a cappella music in college. Would you like a record deal?” Sadly, that has not happened. So I will begrudgingly listen to these guys steal my happiness. And speaking of stealing, this song is exactly the sort of nonsense that I wish I had thought to write.
These are my top picks, but maybe you have others. If you do, please let me know! I am always looking for excellent a cappella music to listen to, and I know there is a ton out there. And in case you are wondering why your favorite track didn’t make the list, I must clarify that I am only counting newly released stuff. Believe me, there are plenty of great a cappella holiday tunes from last year, and the year before, and the year before… But what is new and great this year?! Did I get them all? Comment away!
Oh, and, randomly, just in case you hadn’t seen it, here’s the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2.