Skip to main content

Christmas Favorites: Patreon edition - Part 2

You can find Part 1 directly under this post or right here if you're feeling lazy. No judgement here. I'm going to keep up the pattern I started in part 1 meaning that we're kicking things off with...

VoicePlay and what has become my favorite version of "The First Noel". I'm serious. I love this arrangment - great job by Geoff Castellucci. It's breathed a lot of life into this song and it's wonderful. All while finding ways to highlight each member at times. The beat is just sick. Love it.



And now for a song that completely creeps me out. No really. The lyrics are pretty disturbing and I'm not a fan. I'm talking, of course, about "Baby, It's Cold Outside". So why include it? Because somehow the Hound + the Fox took this unsettling lyric and made it...charming. I'm not entirely sure how they did it, but they it. The video is pretty adorable. Check it out,

                                      


So I really like it when people take two songs that don't seem like they should go together and make it work. That's exactly what Pentatonix, along with guest vocalist Tory Kelly, have accomplished with their "Winter Wonderland/Don't Worry Be Happy" mashup. 

                                   


Back to Peter Hollens and his take on another of my favorite Christmas songs, "O Holy Night". Such a strong vocal by Peter! He really puts his all into it and I love that. Dude's got some pipes. Not to mention that his dog is really cute. Which has nothing to do with the song itself, but dogs just make everything better. 



And now for something different. From the loveable gents of Home Free. We have a song about loss and how, well, good it can be. You'll see what I mean. These guys are too much. This is one that requires multiple viewings to see everything. There's a lot going on and it's glorious. Here's a Home Free (specifically Tim Foust) original, "Full of Cheer". 



So I decided that I really need to include one of the fabulous collaborations between Evynne and Peter Hollens. Their voices sound so fantastic together. This was the obvious choice. Even if it didn't originally start off as a Christmas song. I'm not so sure it's considered one now, but the message is still quite appropriate for this time of year. This is a gorgeous rendition of a beautiful song. Here's "The Prayer". Enjoy.



Another Christmas classic for you all. "White Christmas", as performed by VoicePlay. I find this video weirdly endearing. It kind of sums up why I love these guys. Great vocals and they don't take themselves too seriously. This video always makes me laugh. It's so ridiculous in the best way possible. And they back it up with talent. Nice bass bomb by Geoff and it must be said: Tony's dog? Adorable. 





Lastly, I want to conclude with a video that reminds us that not everyone gets to go home for Christmas. Whether they are the brave men and women of our military or a first responder or what have you. There are people who don't get to spend the holidays with the people that they love because they're busy keeping us safe and helping us out in our time of need. To any of them who might come across this, and also to their families, there's really only one thing to say. Thank you.

Please take a moment to remember all of them as you watch Home Free's video for "I'll Be Home for Christmas". I've watched this a few times since they released it and it never fails to make me cry. It's a beautiful tribute. Well done, boys.



As always thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this. Merry Christmas!




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Song review: Water Tower Town by Scotty McCreery

I have an odd relationship, or whatever you want to call it, with American Idol. I was interested when I heard about it and watched the first three seasons, got annoyed with the third season and didn't watch the next only to start watching again during the fifth season. I loved the show during its sixth and seventh season, but started getting annoyed with it in the eighth. Sometime between then and now I've gone from being annoyed with it to now hating it as I see it for what it really is. I could go into more detail about that, but I won't. At least not here; maybe at another time. I'm sure many of you are wondering why I'm bothering to bring it up in the first place. Well, it's because I decided to do a review of "Water Tower Town" by the current American Idol for my next song review. Now, if you're a fan of American Idol, you might not like what I'm going to say next, but I ask that you stay with me because it'll end up being importa...
22 comments
Read more

Album Review: Let It Go by Eileen Carey

Country. Pop. Rock. Eileen Carey's music blends all three styles together in a way that feels uniquely hers. I've just been trying to think if there's any other artists out there like her right now and I can't think of any. Eileen grew up in Ohio and relocated to California over 20 years ago. An independent artist, she has made quite a name for herself in California. That said, she spends a fair amount of time in Nashville and come to find out, she used Nashville musicians to track the songs of  Let It Go with all of the vocals recorded in Los Angeles. Oh, what a world we live in. I feel like you can hear influences of both places throughout the album. Let It Go is Eileen's fourth album and features three covers and eight originals. Five of which Eileen co-wrote and I was pleasantly surprised to see that another artist I like, Amy Dalley, co-wrote the other three. She (Amy) wrote "Anything That Reminds Me Of You" with her husband, Jack Sizemore, who i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Song Review: Tip it On Back by Dierks Bentley

Before I get to my review, I want to give a shout-out to the Dierks Bentley Congress aka the @dbcongress. They are members of the Dierks Bentley fan club dedicated to supporting and promoting Dierks any and every way possible. They have a blog page,  found here , which includes links to their Facebook page and twitter account that you'll find to the right when you click on the link. If you're a Dierks Bentley fan and aren't following them, you really should be. They're pretty much my go for anything Dierks related - articles, interviews and so on. They also keep everyone updated on where his songs are on the charts and post all sorts of links to places to request or vote for his songs. Well worth the follow, I assure you. Last month they had the opportunity to interview the three gentlemen who wrote "Tip It On Back" - Ross Copperman, Tully Kennedy and Jon Nite. I strongly recommend that you go and read it as it's a very enjoyable read. You can find it  h...
8 comments
Read more