Here at That Grape Juice, we love the holidays. So, in order to spread the spirit and get you in festive mood, this week’s From The Vault pick is Whitney Houston’s reworking of the Christmas classic, ‘Joy To The World’.
This recording of “Joy” is lifted from the ‘Preacher’s Wife’ soundtrack, which happens to be the biggest selling gospel album of all time. The hit LP, released in 1996, spawned many Whitney classics such as ‘Step By Step’ and ‘I Believe In You And Me’ and was hailed by critics for Ms. Houston’s crystalline voice.
A remake of 40’s film ‘The Bishop’s Wife’, the movie saw Houston star opposite Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, all the while cementing her status as an artist of many talents.
As we have witnessed in the past as well as in recent times, it’s a hard task making a Christmas song sound exciting and authentic again. Well, that’s exactly what Team Whitney managed to do here with one of the most performed Christmas carol ever.
From the angelic intro to the high-octane ending, the Heartbreak Hotel singer’s delivery is simply flawless and the participation of the legendary Georgia Mass Choir elevates the song to a whole new height of ‘inspirational’.
Although many a purist would beg to differ and say that this interpretation is a butchering of a classic tune, we strongly feel that this version of the carol is amongst the very best there is. For, along side the obvious reasons – such as the diva’s unstoppable voice and technique, it too reminds us about why we’re celebrating Christmas to begin with.
So if you’re in need of some festive cheer, this live showing of the tune in 1996, will have you soul-clapping and stepping like it’s a Sunday all around your Christmas tree.
Happy Holidays!
Your thoughts?