13 Merry Christmas 🎄 Gems (Newer & Older) | Playlist 🎧

7. Whitney Houston & The Georgia Mass Choir, “Joy to the World”

💿 The Preacher’s Wife (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1996

“Joy to the world / The lord is come / Let Earth receive her king.” There are many awesome, spiritually savvy renditions of the Christmas carol, 🎵 “Joy to the World.”  When performed as it should be, it really touches the heart and soul.  The words do so naturally, proclaiming the birth of a Savior, who’d ultimately die for our sins.  One of the best renditions comes courtesy of 🎙 Whitney Houston alongside 🎙 The Georgia Mass Choir.  Famously, the ‘Whitney’ version appears on 💿 The Preacher’s Wife Soundtrack, one of my personal favorite albums of the 90s.

“Joy to the World” doesn’t need to be tweaked musically, but tweak it right, and you have a surefire masterpiece!  That’s what happens in the hands of Houston and The Georgia Mass Choir.  They spice things up, giving the traditional carol more of a contemporary gospel spin, following a smooth, playful intro by Houston.  The sound is bright and energetically, masterfully celebrating J-E-S-U-S.  Houston’s vocals are at their peak.  She exhibits composure and poise, yet knows when to ‘let ‘em rip,’ taking the spirit next level.  The Georgia Mass Choir is there to provide a lift, and this ‘gospelized’ version plays directly to their strengths. Add in a vamp/breakdown section, and we get a hint of contemporary R&B ala the 90s which is sweet.  Ultimately, this spirited take is one you’ll not only want to refresh you during Christmas, but into New Years’ and beyond.

Also Appears On 🔽:
🔗 🙏 Whitney Houston, “Joy to the World”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 No. 30 (2021)
🔗 🗣️ Mariah Carey vs. Whitney Houston: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 40

8. The Drifters, “White Christmas”

🎵 “White Christmas” • 🏷 Atlantic • 📅 1954

Many, many musicians have covered the 🎙 Irving Berlin Christmas classic, 🎵 “White Christmas.”  It ranks among the most beloved of the beloved Christmas carols.  That said, one of the very best versions comes for the early R&B group, 🎙 The Drifters. The Drifters recorded “White Christmas” back in 1954 (the year my parents were born, BTW).

There is so much to love about this groovy rendition of “White Christmas” by The Drifters.  It can be described as doo-wop, which is quite characteristic and idiomatic of the R&B at the time.  Even so, hearing the vintage sound in the 2020s, it’s quite refreshing in addition to being timeless.  With the sound being the crowning achievement, it’s specifically the vocals that certify it as a classic; they are nothing short of exceptional.  Two members stand out in particular:  🎙 Clyde McPhatter as the lead tenor, and 🎙 Bill Pinkney as the bass, filling out the sound. The harmonies truly pop, exhibiting superb chemistry between the members.  Check out the history of this legendary group, and you’ll see there have been numerous lineup changes over the years.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 15 Absolutely Terrific, Merry Christmas Songs

9. All Time Low, “Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass”

💿 Dirty Work • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2011

“So, I wrote a song / Hope that you sing along / Here it goes / Merry Christmas, bitch – kiss my ass!” Christmas actually isn’t the main focus on the 🎙 All Time Low song, 🎵 “Merry Christmas, Kiss My Ass”, which appears from their 2011 studio album, 💿 Dirty Work. Frontman 🎙 Alex Gaskarth has experienced heartbreak – a bad break-up – so, essentially, his ex has totally ‘pooed’ on any holiday spirit he might have experienced. “Don’t you think it’s kind of crappy / What you did this holiday? / When I gave you my heart, you ripped it apart / Like wrapping paper trash.” Oh ‘sugar foot’!

Alex spends the entirety of the song angry AF to say the least – there’s no other way to put it.  In the second verse, he’s so pissed that he asserts, “I tear down decorations / They remind me of your smile / I hate that mistletoe / It makes me think of our first kiss.” Yup, angry and totally emo to the nth degree.  Essentially, ‘merry’ isn’t very ‘merry’ in the least here.  More interesting is the colorful phrase, ‘kiss my ass’, which typically isn’t associated with Christmas in the least.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 11 Totally Merry, Mary, Marry Songs
🔗 🎧 More Christmas: 5ive Songs No. 73
🔗 🎧 15 Absolutely Terrific, Merry Christmas Songs
🔗 🎧 Kisses: An Intriguing Compendium of Kiss Songs 💋

10. The Jackson 5, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”

💿 Christmas Album • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1970

In 1970, iconic Motown collective 🎙 The Jackson 5 released their Christmas album, simply titled, 💿 Christmas Album.  While 🎙 Michael Jackson, 🎙 Jackie Jackson, 🎙 Jermaine Jackson, 🎙 Tito Jackson, and 🎙 Marlon Jackson famously originally recorded the holiday gem, 🎵 “Give Love on Christmas Day”,  it is another record from 💿 Christmas Album, that stands out the most – their soulful rendition of 🎵 “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”! “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” is clearly their ‘ace-in-the-hole.’

So, would it be far-fetched to characterize “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in the Jackson’s hands as the black version? No, of course not! This is the funkiest version of this beloved children’s Christmas classic, PERIOD! Michael Jackson shines on lead vocals, infusing ample personality, making this infectious to the nth degree.  After hearing the Jackson 5 version, is there any way – ANY WAY – that you could go back to the original.  Okay, sure, you can, but you’ll still be thinking about that iconic, black, Motown version!

“Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!
Santa Claus is coming to town!”

11. Tori Kelly, “Joy to the World / Joyful, Joyful”

💿 A Tori Kelly Christmas (Deluxe) • 🏷 Capitol / Schoolboy • 📅 2021 

One of the more gifted singers to emerge in the 2010s was none other than 🏆 Grammy-winner 🎙 Tori Kelly.  Despite her critical success, I’d argue Kelly deserves much more buzz than she receives. Have I mentioned how gifted she is in the vocal department? I must make that point crystal clear.  If you need proof – need the receipts – then look no further than 🎵 “Joy to the World / Joyful, Joyful” that appears as the fourth track on 💿 A Tori Kelly Christmas.

Naturally, the two core songs Kelly fuses here – 🎵 “Joy to the World and 🎵 Joyful, Joyful” – lend themselves to numerous interpretations.  Where “Joy to the World” is concerned, Kelly gives us a slower, soulful rendition with soaring, cutting vocals and impressive runs, before the pace picks up.  She gets additional support from a backing choir, as well as adds a cool modulation which ups the ante in the spirit department. From here, Kelly makes a fine transition into “Joyful, Joyful,” patterned once again in the style of 📽 Sister Act 2 with some modifications.  Basically, if you need any further evidence that TK provides a TKO in the vocal department, your ears must be totally stopped up!

12. Mariah Carey, “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child”

 💿 Merry Christmas • 🏷 Sony • 📅 1994

When it comes to 💿 Merry Christmas, the famous, 1994 🎙 Mariah Carey, the biggest song is undoubtedly the original, 🎵 “All I Want for Christmas is You”.   That said, there are some great religious songs associated with Christmas that rouse the spirit and touch the soul. One such song is the closing cut, 🎵 “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child”. Of course, the 🏆 Grammy-winning R&B musician is far from the first singer to perform this traditional classic, but she does a marvelous job, backed by gospel choir.

“Jesus, Jesus
Oh, what a wonderful child
Jesus, Jesus
So lowly, meek, and mild
New life, new hope, new joy He brings
Won’t you listen to the angels sing
Glory, glory, glory
To the newborn King
Jesus, Jesus.”

“Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child” celebrates the birth of Jesus.  Also, by hailing “the newborn King,” the record alludes to the marvelous and miraculous things he’d come to do.  Mariah Carey sings the lead commandingly, making you feel how awesome the birth of Christ, and Son of God is.  She exhibits her usual finesse, but she also gets ‘rough’ with it! One of the biggest surprises of the Carey performance is the double-time breakdown section, which transforms the song to the feel of Pentecostal service.  The riffs by Carey are on-point, and listening, it’s hard NOT to catch the spirit (or some semblance of it)!  Again, I love 🎵 “All I Want for Christmas is You” – it’s a surefire classic! That said, I truly heart a dynamic moment like “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child” even more, considering it really speaks to the ‘reason for the season.’

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🙏 Mariah Carey, “Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 No. 29 (2021)

13. The Temptations, “Silent Night”

💿 Give Love at Christmas • 🏷 Motown • 📅 1980

“In my mind,” the DEFINITIVE rendition of 🎵 “Silent Night” belongs to one iconic group and one group only: 🎙 The Temptations.  Sure, I debated two versions of 🎵 “Give Love at Christmas” (The Jackson 5 vs. The Temptations: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 41) and awarded the soul collective champ honors.  That said, give The Jackson 5 credit – a lot of credit actually – as the original music artists.  That said, when it comes to “Silent Night,” as many stellar versions that have been performed and recorded, the version by The Temps from 💿 Give Love at Christmas (1980) is the ‘IT’ version.

So, what makes “Silent Night” so awesome in the hands of The Temptations?  The soulful production, the arrangement, and most of all, it is the voices! The key voices here are 🎙 Eddie Kendricks, who blesses us with his masterful, ripe, falsetto, and 🎙 Melvin “Blue” Franklin, the utterly sublime bass.  As far as the rest of the group, the vocal chemistry is fantastic – perfect, perfect, perfect.  As great as the singing is, arguably, the most memorable part of “Silent Night” arrives at the end, in the form of spoken word by “Blue”: “Merry Christmas from The Temptations.” “Silent Night,” fittingly concludes Give Love at Christmas.