25 beloved holiday albums to rediscover this winter
We Wish You a Merry Christmas – Ray Conniff
This list had a lot of modern Christmas classics from artists like Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sia, Kelly Clarkson, and Justin Bieber, so why not end off on an oldie? Back in 1962, bandleader Ray Conniff and The Ray Conniff Singers — a group of over a dozen men and women — released the holiday album We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
This wasn’t Ray’s first time at the Christmas rodeo! Along with his group of singers, Ray also released Christmas with Conniff in 1959, Here We Come A-Caroling in 1965, and Ray Conniff’s Christmas in 1999. We Wish You a Merry Christmas featured six holiday standards, including “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, “Let it Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” and “Ring Christmas Bells.” The album also has a few medleys of Christmas songs that were just too short on their own.
The Ray Conniff Singers are the perfect addition to these arrangements. The big band is enough to make the songs come to life, but having a huge chorus of both men and women make it so much better. They capture something that no modern pop album will ever manage to do, even if we love them all!
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This holiday season, whether you’re listening to something new from Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, or Justin Bieber, or a classic from Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, or Ella Fitzgerald, remember to cherish all the gifts you have been given and the people around you that love you most. Most importantly, have a fun and safe holiday season and a happy New Year!
What’s your favorite festive album to play during the holiday season? Let us know in the comments!