Pentatonix has delivered a fresh angle on classical Christmas tunes in their newest album “That’s Christmas to Me.”
This is their fifth album since they won the televised a capella competition “The Sing-Off” in 2011. But this is also the second Christmas album that Pentatonix has released.
The album starts off with the classic song “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” In the beginning, it sounds like a more intricate version of the regular song. But in the middle the energy of the song increases, and Pentatonix put their own spin on it. This new, creative version of the song was a nice break from the original Christmas songs that usually get played during this season.
“That’s Christmas to Me” is not centered around Christmas songs as the title would lead people to believe.
Junior Sierra Segal said, “The album is more about winter and and not just about Christmas.”
Some of the songs that feature winter as the main idea are “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” and “Let it Go” from the popular movie “Frozen.”
Another winter-themed song is “Winter Wonderland/Don’t Worry Be Happy,” which features singer and songwriter Tori Kelly. Kelly has released two extended players and owns her own label called Toraay Records.
One great song on the album is “Sleigh Ride.” Pentatonix’s arrangement of the song made it sound more like it was being sung by a barbershop quartet. Yet it also had the great back-beat which was created by the talented vocal percussionist of the group, Kevin Olusola.
They also had an arrangement of the song “White Winter Hymnal,” created by the group Fleet Foxes.
Overall, the album is extremely entertaining to listen to and a break from the regular Christmas songs that get replayed constantly on the radio. The differences to the classic songs make it seem new, yet it is still extremely easy for lovers of Christmas songs to relate to.
I am excited to see what changes Pentatonix will make to other covers of theirs in the future.
