What better way to celebrate this festive and cosy time of year then by pitting Diva against Diva in a deadly O Holy Night Sing off! Okay, so this isn't a new thing, having done the same thing last year with Silent Night, and it isn't that deadly really, but its still fun for me to do! Besides this year's post features the added bonuses of my comments about the versions, as well as- more importantly- the chance for you to express your opinion via the poll at the bottom!
Some fun facts about the Christmas carol, courtesy of Wikipedia of course, before we begin. O Holy Night was written by French Poet Placide Cappeau and was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847! The words to the carol have been changed somewhat since then, and for anyone wanting to sing along as they listen, they are as follows;
O! Holy night! The stars, their gleams prolonging,
Watch o'er the eve of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error, longing
For His appearance, then the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope; the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was Born;
O night, O holy night, O night divine!
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts we stand by the Babe adored.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
And come now, Shepherds, from your flocks unboard.
The Son of God lay thus within lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our Lord.
He knows our need, our weakness never lasting,
Behold your King! By Him, let Earth accord!
Behold your King! By Him, let Earth accord!
Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Long live His truth, and may it last forever,
For in His name all discordant noise shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
His power and glory evermore proclaim!
(The second and third choruses are,
often replaced with a refrain of the first).,
(The second verse is often omitted in most public,
renderings.),
(Also the final chorus, His power and glory ,
evermore proclaim!, is often switched to French-,
English mix: Noël, Noël, O Night, O Night Divine.),
Now, LET THE -Holy- BATTLE COMMENCE! Oh, and please remember to vote on which rendition you liked best at the bottom!
SEASONS GREETINGS Y'ALL!
Yolanda Adams:
Yolanda's version attempts to inject an Rnb feeling with electronic high hats, electric piano and the background vocal arrangement, but her voice is firmly rooted in the Gospel Church. The Key change at 1.35 is horrid and unnecessary, and overall, though Yolanda is certainly putting a lot of herself into her version, it felt flat by the end.
Christina Aguilera:
Christina Aguilera starts her rendition with a pleasant soft timbre but quickly ramps it up as the string instrumentation begins to challenge her. The arrangement feels like that of a Disney film, even more so when the choir kicks in, but it takes a jazzier turn - at 3.15 - as Christina and piano begin riffing, eventually giving away to a stylistically different arrangment that compliments her penchant for melisma.
Susan Boyle:
Susan Boyle's rendition is certainly a delicate and affecting one, but something about her phrasing and intonation gets on my nerves. Even still, this version is warm, traditional and the arrangement is gorgeously sombre and Christmasy.
Mariah Carey:
This is Mariah Carey so you know what you are going to get. Low notes (0.39), belted notes (2.48), whistle notes (3.26), sustained notes (3.42) and crazy melisma (throughout). You either love or hate her style, and those feelings will probably dictate how you take to this version. I love it!
Kelly Clarkson:
A vocal piece that leaves Kelly Clarkson's voice centre stage. I actually found that the backing singers and their harmonies detracted from this rendition. Kelly's voice would have been strong enough to carry the whole piece alone in my opinion.
Destiny's Child:
This version, which features Michelle Williams as the solo singer(in fact I don't hear any of the other members of Destiny's child), takes the most liberties with the melody. It successfully demonstrates that Michelle Williams is a capable singer, though her tone can sometimes be a little off putting, but it's a pretty awful rendition. The synthesised arrangement is the worst of any of the versions posted here. I'm guessing Beyonce and Kelly smelt a turkey and sharply pushed this on to the newest member.
Celine Dion:
Powerful vocal over a traditional, grandiose arrangement. The song switches to French half way through, but it doesn't detract from the emotion that this version musters brilliantly. Celine Dion keeps her vocal in check for most of the song , but really lets loose towards the end. The powerful held D5 at 4.24 is gorgeous.
Aretha Franklin:
It's always great to see Aretha Franklin playing the piano. Her version is elegant and stripped back, showing an unusual amount of vocal restraint. I really admire the simplicity of this performance.
Jennifer Hudson:
Jennifer Hudson delivers this rendition initially with restraint, gradually building on the harmonics as the carol progresses . By the closing half, unsurprisingly, Jennifer is hitting those high octave chest notes that she has become revered for- with frightening ease I might add. The organic and changeable arrangement suits the vocal delivery perfectly.
Whitney Huston:
Unfortunately the warmth and velvety texture of Whitney Houston's voice doesn't appear to be here on this rendition. It would have benefited immensely from it in the frail opening. However, the voice begins to warm up by about the two minute mark and it's quickly bolstered by a fuller backing. The emotive and heartfelt quality of her voice can not be denied.
Mahalia Jackson:
A stoic rendition by Mahalia Jackson. I loved how she stayed so close to the original melody, refraining from crazy vocal runs. The character in her delivery was also endearing to hear- listen out for the way she says "Christ was born" (2.52). Her delivery was almost operatic in its controlled and measured sound. One of my favourites- and this was my first time hearing it!
Alicia Keys
Brave choice by Alicia Keys to do her rendition with just the piano for company. There were some mistakes (eg 1.07), and some tuning issues (eg 0.49) but it was strong rendition none the less. There was an innocence to the performance that I really liked.
Patti Labelle:
A capella start, Go Patti! Switching between a softer timbre, her head voice and generally playing with dynamics, Patti showed here that though her voice is often thought of for it's power alone, it is actually a truly multi-faceted instrument. The inclusion of the backing vocals and the piano made me feel The Spirit!
Avril Lavigne:
Avril's monotone voice is too much for me to bear-sorry Avril Lavigne fans- and I gave up at thirty-eight seconds. Someone please tell me if I missed out on anything special after this point in the comments.
Donnah Summer:
I was starting to get bored with Donnah Summer's version. I could recognise that the vocals were strong, and the arrangement was nice enough but it was missing something. Cue 1.39 and the appearance of a Gospel choir and peppy backing. It certainly lifted the rendition, but after hearing so many great versions it still felt just above average by the end.
Carrie Underwood:
Carrie Underwood brought a feel that none of the others had managed. There's a purity and directness to the delivery that makes this rendition feel like it's not about the singer but the words being sung. This is how a carol should be sung.
Regine Velasquez:
A confident and measured vocal by Regine Velasquez. The arrangement almost makes it feel like a show tune more so than a carol song, but this changes midway. The simple arrangement of piano and cello is really nice and I liked how they got their time to shine half way through. Many a singer would hum, or try and decorate the instrumentation with coos and "ahhhs" but Regine let them have their moment. The belting at the end is pretty impressive, though a little pushed. Still, a good rendition.
