Best of New Christmas Music from Richard Elliott

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 16, 2018December 15, 2018Tabernacle Choir 0 Comment

The annual Christmas concert by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square is one of the toughest tickets to get in Salt Lake City and the show always goes on to air nationally on PBS. One of the unheralded heroes of the annual event is organist Richard Elliott, whose solo performance always brings down the house. Here he is with a very active version of I Saw Three Ships: We have become huge fans of Richard Elliott. His work at Christmas is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creative organ work. We single him outRead more

Best New Christmas Music from Home Free

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 15, 2018Auld Lang Syne 0 Comment

There are many songs of Christmas that are not, well, Christmas. This is one of them. But it is a Christmas song. I know — but hang with me here a minute. Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland, Baby It’s Cold Outside — are all Christmas songs that do not even mention Christmas. Yet they have a place in Christmas. Home Free has just released a new single of Auld Lang Syne, the song of New Year that gets plenty of Christmas love, including from us, because these guys play it straight in their tight, distinctive style: Auld Lang Syne features prominentlyRead more

Baby, It’s Climbing the Charts

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 12, 2018baby it's cold outside 0 Comment

Only a week after Baby, It’s Cold Outside was banned on two major radio stations in Ohio and California the song is seeing resurgent popularity on Billboard’s charts. The song appeared three times on Billboard’s Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart, which is the most for any title. In fact, the song’s recent climb represents the survey’s largest jump. Dean Martin’s version jumped from No. 23 to No. 2 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales Chart, which is the song’s highest rank in seven years. Martin’s version of the song jumped from No. 33 to No. 25 on the streaming versionRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from BYU Vocal Point

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 0 Comment

The great thing about Christmas music is that it comes in all varieties. From the sacred to the secular, whatever your mood there is always something in Christmas to be found. An artist can either ride the wave of emotion — or blow it. I recently saw a video of an epic, dramatic rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen that really not only ruined the song it was completely out of step with both its message and its spirit. This is why we say some artists shouldn’t do Christmas music. One size does not fit all but many performRead more

Virtual Hallelujah Chorus

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas Video December 8, 2018December 8, 2018 0 Comment

Imagine combining the voices of thousands in a massive performance of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus. That was the vision in the creation of this video from just a few year ago: How many of us have imagined ourselves singing like this? How many of us have belted out our part of the Hallelujah Chorus while in the shower or in the car, hearing it on the radio? Handel’s Messiah was originally written for Easter but has over the centuries now become associated with Christmas. The Hallelujah Chorus is the climax of what Handel himself saw as a mircle. Of creating MessiahRead more

Best New Christmas Music from Mason Ramsey

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 6, 2018December 5, 2018mason ramsey 0 Comment

Have you seen this kid, Mason Ramsey? Chances are you have. A year ago he was just another 11 year old kid from the midwest, likely tracking Santa and dreaming of a white Christmas. This year he is practically as famous as Santa and singing White Christmas — for millions. Only the age of the Internet can create such a thing. But here’s the deal: this Walmart Yodel Boy can actually…well, wail: Seriously. He became a sensation when a video of him yodeling Hank Williams in a Walmart went viral. He practically became a Hall of Famer when he becameRead more

Best of New Christmas Music from the Tabernacle Choir

Jeff Westover Christmas Music, Christmas News December 5, 2018December 4, 2018Tabernacle Choir 0 Comment

Christmas and choir music just go together. The Tabernacle Choir is not afraid to tackle any song of Christmas but nowhere do they shine better than on the traditional, simple songs of Christmas such as O Little Town of Bethlehem. They are, quite literally, a choir of angels: The all-volunteer choir actually puts out new Christmas music each season based upon Christmas concerts held the previous year. This gives the Tabernacle Choir perhaps the most diverse and comprehensive Christmas music portfolio anywhere. O Little Town of Bethlehem is a classic, American Christmas song. Based on the Biblical text of LukeRead more