Happy holidays!
We hope everyone is having a joyful Christmas Eve. For those who celebrate, and no worries if you don’t—having the day off is a gift in itself!
Christmas Eve is usually filled with many traditional practices, and for most Black families, it’s all about setting the mood with a playlist of proper tunes. Luckily, many artists over the years have blessed us with their own editions of classic holiday songs with an added soulful twist.
Although the artist may change, and sometimes even the melody gets arranged a little differently, some holiday hits never go out of style and always sound a little better with the addition of some funk, smooth jazz tones and maybe even a quintet of talented brothas who can harmonize “Silent Night.”
Thankfully you’ve got a variety of holiday albums by Black musicians to choose from this year, whether it’s the everlasting appeal of Mariah Carey, an unforgettable group effort of “interpretations” by Boyz II Men or a selection of recently released duets featuring late soul icon Nat King Cole alongside contemporaries like Johnny Mathis and even successors like John Legend.
1. Mariah Carey – 'Merry Christmas' (1994)
Christmas Classic:
“All I Want for Christmas Is You”
2. Boyz II Men – 'Christmas Interpretations' (1993)
Christmas Classic:
“Let It Snow” (feat. Brian McKnight)
3. Destiny's Child – '8 Days Of Christmas' (2001)
Christmas Classic:
“8 Days of Christmas”
4. James Brown – 'James Brown's Funky Christmas' (1995)
Christmas Classic:
“Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto”
5. Various Artists – 'A LaFace Family Christmas' (1993)
Christmas Classic:
“Sleigh Ride” – TLC
6. Luther Vandross – 'This Is Christmas' (1995)
Christmas Classic:
“Every Year, Every Christmas”
7. Jackson 5 – 'Jackson 5 Christmas Album' (1970)
Christmas Classic:
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”
8. Toni Braxton – 'Snowflakes' (2001)
Christmas Classic:
“Snowflakes Of Love”
9. Mary J. Blige – 'A Mary Christmas' (2013)
Christmas Classic:
“The First Noel” (feat. The Clark Sisters)
10. Stevie Wonder – 'Someday at Christmas' (1967)
Christmas Classic:
“What Christmas Means To Me”
11. John Legend – 'A Legendary Christmas' (2018)
Christmas Classic:
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (feat. Esperanza Spalding)
