Merry Christmas, folks!

As the Christmas holidays come, so does that one lady who can’t stop singing about how she wants you for Christmas (PS that song was released in 1994!). Enjoy the mulled wine (British), the carols that you’ve heard for the last 20 years, and probably thinking….

What’s even the point of singing Christmas carols?

Whether you’re religious or not, you can’t deny the fact that these songs have made a mark even before you were born. Many of these songs were inspired by scripture. For example, “Joy To The World” was written by Isaac Watts in 1719 who read Psalm 98: 4-9. The passage says:

So when you hear “Joy To The World” and analyse the lyrics, it’s a fascinating depiction on who Jesus is, and the manner which the song is delivered.

As a christian myself, re-exploring these hymns have given me a new appreciation for my faith and my journey, reminding me that the events before Jesus was born, who was told the good news about him being born (bear in mind, not everybody was invited at the time because a certain king wanted to kill him), and how it marked a new age for the world. Don’t believe he existed? Look at the history books. And if you have any disagreements, feel free to reply to this newsletter and engage in a friendly discussion!

My issues with readapting carols in the modern day

After a while, it becomes really difficult to listen to the exact same rendition for many years (Most Brits love to stick to the same rendition year after year). In Malaysia, from what I remember, we go the opposite route and try to listen to the more “newer” versions of the songs written by Americans. I will admit…. some renditions are better than others. One common trait they love to do is sing the normal verse, and then they add a chorus that…. in all honesty, doesn’t always fit the vibe of the original hymn.

For example, “Joy To The World”. Chris Tomlin’s version adds this particular Chorus:

Or, Maverick’s City’s chorus (Thanks Faith!) giving me massive whiplash:

Or, a secular artist like [ahem], Mariah Carey when she covered the same song:

It just doesn’t fit the theme and how it was written. But…. I don’t mind people trying it, because some choruses do enhance the song better because it really sticks to the theme of the song. For example,

How would this playlist help me?

You can play this in people’s Spotify or YouTube playlists, driving playlist. If you’re looking for a more exciting rendition of the Christmas carols with more musical enrichment, this is what this list is for! If you’re a dancing type person, this is something for you to vibe to really hard. It covers, rock, metal, gospel, funk, RnB, and so much more.

For gigging musicians, this could give you an edge in renditions for Christmas songs to be sung in the public.

Planetshakers- Hark

Bass goes hard. The basslines are rhythmic, funky, groovy, and the rest of the synths, drums, and the keys just work so well together. They even have a metal-esque breakdown halfway throughout, because in most of their songs, they tend to go for this vibe. Planetshakers was pretty popular among the youth groups in Malaysia when it came to Christian music. This is one you can dance to.

Hark- Art Of Worship, Nikko lelasi

I didn’t discover this groovy and gospel-esque rendition until last year thanks to Arthur Kam, a drummer I really look to (Also we’re related). The chords are so rich, and everything works so well like a well-oiled machine. The main vocals and background vocals, the tightness…. but most importantly it knows when to shift its overall tone from loud to soft, knowing how to be big but also have the humility to hold back and really let the lyrics shine through.

Other than that…. I don’t have much to write on this song.

Joy To The World - Whitney Houston w Georgia Mass Choir

Hoo boy…. where do I go here? I’m a Whitney fan (thanks mom)! The song starts out slow but it really gets better the more you listen to it. I’ve listened to plenty of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s music, but Whitney takes the cake for me because of the way she ad libs. It’s not just throwing musical scales and runs, it’s more methodical, rich in tone, the innate understanding when or when not to use it.

The plot of the movie - the Preacher’s Wife - is kinda weird. I’m not going to get into it too much, but essentially an “angel” is sent by God to help this pastor and his failing church and this “angel” accidentally falls in love with the pastor’s wife…? I’m glad that the “angel” actually stops and focuses on the mission to help the church (thank you writers) but canonically, angels do not have those types of needs.

Anyway, back to the music. The choir is absolutely incredible. I’ve shared this song with multiple friends and they said this was really good. The arrangement really takes you on a journey where it transitions to a different song briefly but able to return back to the original seamlessly. The dynamic changes, the brass arrangement…. everything about this screams gold.

Is this easy to cover? No. But if you’re doing this song, especially looking for some creative ideas

Angels We Have Heard On High - Aubrey Suwito

Can you believe this banger was made by a Malaysian?

It was thanks to my dad for helping me discover this album and introducing the world of Malaysian vocalists. I even got to meet them later in life as I continued to progress in my musical career-

• Elvira Arul coached me when I first started singing during VoxFest 2019

• I’ve played once with Juwita Suwito for a worship conference

• Joy Victor was very supportive and encouraging during my time in Penang in The Canteen by Chinahouse. Got to see her perform several times and she’s incredible!

• Patrick Leong was my worship mentor in secondary school! Made me start singing and playing piano at the same time for Youth Church. Gave me the opportunity to worship lead as well.

I still have yet to meet the man Aubrey Suwito himself, but I would like to work with him one day.

This song is rich in percussion (this is a percussion song after all), and the layering and the emphasis it is given is incredible. I actually asked my kids to perform this song last year, but given how unprepared they were in terms of listening and taking cues, it was not executed as well as I wanted to. I would actually like to revisit this piece someday!

What would you recommend?

So there you have it! My personal list on music you could enjoy.

What would you recommend for me listen to this Christmas? Is it a Christmas song you wrote? Is it an insanely good rendition of a Christmas song? Or the opposite? Reply to the newsletter!

Whether you celebrate it or not, I hope you enjoy and appreciate the time you have with your family this season- whether biological or found.

Sincerely,

Daniel Bryan