A new Christmas album from Pentatonix

Stranger things have happened and I must say that this one turned out for the good. Still, I remain baffled over how the song, Hallelujah, an ode to the sexual act by Canadian composer Leonard Cohen, sneakily morphed into an inspiring anthem of love and joy while we were listening and has even now joined the Christmas repertoire. 

It would take an entire column or certainly a lot more space to dissect the intricacies of odd masterpiece by the legendary Cohen, so I will just save that up for some other time. Let me just tell you that Pentatonix, that a cappella quintet from Texas, has recorded its own version and it is included in its new Christmas album.            

At a time when the arrival of new Christmas albums gets rarer and rarer by the year, I say bless Pentatonix for bringing new sounds to this year’s celebration. This one is actually the group’s third Yuletide collection in a scant five years. The group must love Christmas a lot. The first was the extended-play PTXmas with six cuts in 2012. This was followed by That’s Christmas To Me two years ago. And now, here is its latest, A Pentatonix Christmas, where everything from the ritzy cover down to its singing in Hallelujah radiates success.

A Pentatonix Christmas by Pentatonix is not much different from the regular PTX album. The members mix some oldies with new hits and then spice up the brew with one or two new originals. This time around, the role of newbies falls on The Christmas Sing-Along and Good To Be Bad, pop tunes composed by PTX members Scott Hoying and Kevin KO Olusola, which have the makings of future Christmas classics. 

The other cuts are the traditional songs O Come All Ye Faithful, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and the song for Holy Innocents Day, The Coventry Carol. There are some big favorites like White Christmas featuring the great vocal group the Manhattan Transfer, I’ll Be Home For Christmas and a cheery version of the kiddie tune Up On The Housetops. And the pop cuts are Coldest Winter by Kanye West, Merry Christmas Happy Holidays by N’Sync and then there is the fantastic take on Hallelujah.

For those of you who came late to the PTX fold, you might want to score a copy of the group’s career making Christmas album That’s Christmas To Me. This includes its rendition of the moving song to the Blessed Mother, Mary Did You Know. It is generally believed that the recording was what propelled Pentatonix to stardom. There is also the Grammy-winning arrangement of the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, from Tchaikovsky’s Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker.

The other cuts in That’s Christmas To Me ad per the PTX formula are: the traditional Hark The Herald Angels Sing and Silent Night. The newer carols Sleighride, Winter Wonderland in a medley with Don’t Worry Be Happy, It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. The pop entry is White Winter Hymnal originally by the Fleet Foxes while the original is, That’s Christmas To Me. And then as a bonus track, a version of that year’s monster hit, Let It Go. 

Aside from Hoying and Olusola, the other members of Pentatonix are Avi Kaplan Kirstin Maldonado and Mitch Grassi.  The group was discovered in 2011 in Sing Out! reality competition for a cappella singers on television. PTX was the grand prize winner that year. 

Still on the subject of heavenly singing for the Christmas season. The world famous Vienna Boys Choir will be in town for s special one-night concert. Titled The Vienna Boys Choir Live in Manila, it will be held at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Plenary Hall of the PICC. The event is a presentation of the Alumni Association of Xavier School for the benefit of the Fr. Tritz ERDA Tech School and the health fund for retired teachers of Xavier School.  Guesting in the concert will be The Hail Mary the Queen Children’s Choir from Pasig.

The Vienna Boys Choir with its exceedingly high vocal standard is one of Austria’s national treasures. Its founding dates back to over 500 years ago and choir members have over the years had the chance to work with great musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, Heinrich Isaac down to Christoph Willibald Gluck and Anton Bruckner. Their song arrangements are legendary and some of their best and most popular are those of Christmas carols. They will have a mixed pop and classical repertoire for the Manila show. Hopefully, a few of them will be Christmas songs.