Album Review: Blake – Christmas Classics
2 min readBritish vocal trio Blake are known for their award-winning harmonies and their ability to perform an array of musical genres; they’re definitely an act to remember. This year for the Christmas season Ollie, Humphrey and Stephen raised funds on PledgeMusic to put out their holiday album Christmas Classics; some of the proceeds raised will be donated to Variety. Get ready for a collection of classic Christmas renditions!
Dame Shirley Bassey was excited to be on board for the album’s lead single The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Rolling On An Open Fire): this is the legendary singer’s first crack at a festive tune and boy does she and Blake do wonders with it. The best Christmas albums are inarguably the releases where the artists sound as if they’re enjoying themselves.
The group tackle the more upbeat numbers like Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! and It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas; they also beautifully deliver slow favourites like Silent Night and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.The trio’s tender vocals really shine on this record and are as beautiful as the season they’re celebrating, particularly wonderful moments are shared on O Holy Night and Back In Your Arms (For Christmas).
While it seems inevitable for an artist or group to release a Christmas album in their career it can be hard to find one to treasure for all time. It does not sound for one minute that Blake recorded Christmas Classics for the sake of it, they have handled the delivery of this album with love and care; the same love and care we spread among friends and family at this time of year. The arrangements are wonderful and the vocals are sensual, this is a Christmas must-have!