With Christmas upon us, we have picked out some festive hits to play over the holiday period, in no particular order, keep reading for more.
1. The Marsh Family – Bring Us A Candle
The Marsh Family have officially unleashed their debut single in time for Christmas on 26th November – a double A-side release. The first is a self-penned track ‘Bring Us A Candle’ and the second a cover of ‘Mack The Knife’, a hit by Bobby Darin, is in conjunction with the Prostate Cancer UK charity as an official single to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men.
The group consist of parents Ben (a history lecturer) and Danielle Marsh (a university administrator) and their children Alfie (15), Thomas (13), Ella (12) and Tess (9). Also appearing on some tracks and videos with the occasional howl is Monty their dog and their new puppy Boo may appear in the future! They have been likened to The Von Trapps and The Partridge Family.
The Kent based family shot to fame after they uploaded their parody of ‘One Day More’, performed in their front room, to Facebook in March 2020. The track satirized life during lockdown and was recorded on a basic device, the video went viral reaching over 7 million views in three days. The family now have nearly 100,000 YouTube subscribers since channel started last April and over 13 million views of their videos.
2. Max Restiano – Here For Christmas
Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Max Restaino joins forces with acclaimed songwriter to the stars and of the festive favourite ‘Santa Baby’ Phil Springer to release the brand new original Christmas song, ‘Here For Christmas’, out now on all streaming platforms.
Distinctively festive and feel-good, the song features Max’s beautifully smooth voice and clever song-writing which captures the notion of longing for love on Christmas. The result is a classic swing/big band track with a Buble-esque twist!
Speaking of the track, Max says,
“Radio One DJ Mike Read put me in touch with Phil, and after finding out that he wrote the iconic ‘Santa Baby’, I thought it would be great to write a Christmas song together! Phil, who is now 95 years of age, got back to me with a melody he had shelved in the 1940s, and not done anything with for over 70 years. I loved the melody so Mike and I finished the song off with lyrics, and I added a chorus and a few melody ideas. I am so honoured to be able to work with such a music legend, and I hope the new song will fill people with as much joy as it has bought me this holiday season!”
3. Paul O’Brien – Hey Ho Ho (It’s Christmas)
British singer-songwriter Paul O’Brien releases his new original Christmas song, ‘Hey Ho Ho (It’s Christmas)’, out on all streaming platforms on 20 November. The track is accompanied by a music video featuring Paul playing live paired with animation.
Recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studio, the track celebrates being thankful for the year that has passed and for the friends and family that have loved and supported you, but also remembering those who can’t be with you at Christmas, which is particularly poignant following a truly turbulent year.
‘Hey Ho Ho (It’s Christmas)’ has everything you could possibly want in a Christmas song: thoughtful lyrics, bright instrumentals and a ruthlessly catchy chorus – so be prepared to be constantly humming the melody throughout this holiday season.
4. Sarah Reeves – Winter Wonderland ft Clark Beckham
Pop artist and songwriter Sarah Reeves signed her first record deal at age 18. For more than a decade, in addition to pursuing her own artistry, she has dedicated a vast portion of her career to writing songs for other artists and TV and film. Her music has appeared in Disney Plus and National Geographics six-part original series “Welcome To Earth,” starring Will Smith; Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon international trailer, promos for “American Idol” and UFC, and on television series across major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and Netflix, among others. Reeves has also been featured on tracks by high-profile DJs, including Gattüso, Laidback Luke, and Justice Skolnik. Having amassed more than 45.6 million career on-demand streams, the Curb | Word Entertainment artist has garnered 22.5 million Pandora lifetime streams and over 35.4 million YouTube views to date. Sarah’s latest album release, Life Love & Madness, which debuted Top 5 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Album chart, is available now.
5. Frank Myers – If Everyday Could Be Christmas
This last track is from award-winning songwriter, artist, and producer, Frank Myers. Frank wrote this song with his longtime writing partner, Gary Baker and Anthony Little. They were trying to write a Christmas song that would remind people of the classics and I think they accomplished their mission. Frank share this about the track, “To me, there is not a more magical time of the year than at Christmas! People are more loving, caring and giving than any other time. If we could just carry that feeling “all through the year” I think the world would be a much better place,” expressed Frank Myers.
6. Ed SHeeran and Elton John – Merry Christmas
Two of the world’s biggest recording artists, Ed Sheeran and Elton John, ring in the festive season with their all-new charity single ‘Merry Christmas’, available now across all platforms (listen here).
‘Merry Christmas’ provides us with the perfect dose of Christmas cheer – packed with sleigh bells, uplifting arrangements and joyous harmonies, the song is topped by Ed and Elton’s heart-warming lyrics that only add to its festive sparkle: “So kiss me under the mistletoe / Pour out the wine let’s toast and pray for December snow / I know there’s been pain this year but it’s time to let it go / Next year you never know, but for now, Merry Christmas.”
7. Andrea Corr and Ronnie Wood –
Andrea Corr of Irish band The Corrs and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones teamed up to release a delightful seasonal duet of Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Christmas’ out now on eastwest.
The pair have been ‘soul mates’ since The Corrs toured with the Stones in the late 1990’s. So, it was no surprise that Ronnie said yes when Andrea asked him to play guitar and duet with her on this Elvis classic.
Their playful version of Blue Christmas is rooted in the Elvis Presley recording, with the voices of The Corr’s lead singer and the Rolling Stone guitarist offering a fresh, new take on this much loved song.
“The bluesy guitar on the Elvis original immediately brought Ronnie to mind” says Andrea Corr. “I thought, maybe he’ll sing with me too. I gave him all the outs: I’ll understand, not to worry, we can still be friends and he just said, ‘yeah’ with so much enthusiasm. Now it’s not just him and his guitar that I love, his singing is so good on this record.”
8. Lucy Spraggan – All I Want For Christmas
Lucy Spraggan has released a stunning take on Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You. The treat for fans can be streamed/downloaded on all digital service providers here now – and is released through Lucy’s own label Little Pig Music via The Orchard.
A unique new take on a Christmas classic, Lucy’s version feels heartfelt and timeless as she makes the song her own. Lucy says: “I’d been thinking about doing a Christmas cover but couldn’t think of the right song. A friend suggested I do a song that is as far away from my normal sound as I could get – All I Want For Christmas Is You. I read the lyrics and realised that it is actually a really wonderful love song and so I thought: ‘I know what to do with this!’ I’m not sure I can match the red mini Xmas ski suit Mariah wore in the video for the original…but never say never!”
9. Gary Barlow – Wonderful Christmastime
Having released his first ever Christmas album, here is Gary Balow’s version of ‘Wonderful Christmastime. ‘The Dream of Christmas’ is a mix of brand new original songs and beautifully orchestrated Christmas classics. Featuring an array of collaboration including Sheridan Smith, Aled Jones, The Puppini Sisters and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the album is brimming with festive cheer and Christmas spirit. Gary’s contemporary compositions, in which he sings of warm Christmas memories, sit perfectly alongside timeless classics well-known and loved by many.
‘The Dream of Christmas’ follows his acclaimed Number 1 album, ‘Music Played By Humans’, which rocketed to the top of the album charts upon its release in November last year, becoming his third Number 1 solo album and the fastest-selling album from a British artist in 2020.
10. Michael Bublé – It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Having amassed a phenomenal 16 million sales and 4 billion streams, Michael Bublé’s evergreen ‘Christmas’ album is already the biggest selling festive album of the 21st century and an essential part of the celebrations. Michael now marks its 10th anniversary by releasing the album’s lavish new Super 10th Anniversary Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set. A dream gift for fans, the box set includes a wealth of extra items as well as a 7-track bonus CD which features songs personally selected by Michael. The box set is available HERE.
