The Best You Never Heard: Christmas Edition – Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, & CeCe Winans

Like most of you, That Grape Juice are feeling super festive today. So what better way to toast to the season than to share some of our favourite little known Holiday gems in a Christmas edition of The Best You Never Heard!

Featuring picks from the TGJ editorial team, we want to know…who chose the best song! Let us know below…

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Mariah Carey & Patricia Carey – O Come All Ye Faithful

For almost 20 years, the Holidays have become synonymous with the voice of premium diva Mariah Carey. Indeed, 1994’s festive set ‘Merry Christmas’ went on to become a global blockbuster – selling millions annually to this day.

Keen to contribute a new collection of cuts to the ever-growing pool of Christmas classics, 2010 saw a then-pregnant Carey release her sophomore Holiday effort ‘Merry Christmas II You’. A stellar body of work, the opus arguably stands  shoulder to shoulder with its predecessor – serving up titillating takes on festive favourites, as well as an assortment of amazing original songs.

One of the project’s brightest moments is undoubtedly ‘O Come All Ye Faithful / Hallelujah Chorus’. A rousing duet between Ms. Cannon and her Opera singer mother Patricia Carey, the track is bubbling ball of brilliance. And though essentially a rendition of an established classic, their version earns classic status in its own right. Epic. {SAM}

LISTEN: [audiotube id=”j25wYtN1EIA”]

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Christina Aguilera – The Christmas Song

Christina Aguilera’s 2000 Holiday album ‘My Kind Of Christmas’ served up many a gem, yet few are more notable than melismatic ‘The Christmas Song’.

A wholly heartfelt rendition of the Mel Tormé penned classic – made famous by the mighty Nat King Cole – Ms. Aguilera delivers here a faultless performance, turning the usually laid back number into yet another vocal-acrobatics showcase.

Releasing the festive LP helped further distance the soon-to-be Xtina from her teen-Pop competitors by shifting the emphasis yet again on to her most prized asset: her Voice (yes, pun intended).

With the Pop belle naming Christmas Queen Mariah as an inspiration, we can only hope that she follows her lead and bless us with a sequel to that wonderful album.

“Although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you” {JOE}

LISTEN: [audiotube id=”WEUobjCuSNs”]

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Cee Lo Green – Mary Did You Know

2012 saw ‘Crazy’ crooner Cee Lo Green release his first collection of holiday tunes called ‘Cee Lo’s Magic Moment’. A fitting title, as the set is filled with a slew of magical music moments including duets with The Muppets and more. But, like so much of Green’s work in the past, his eccentricities can sometimes overshadow his art.

His performance of ‘Mary Did You Know’, however, is not one of those moments,  Reminding listeners of why he is revered for his vocal stylings, Cee Lo lays into the Christmas classic – lending soaring vocals like only he can.  Listen below {RASHAD}

LISTEN: [audiotube id=”D1ptNwE7K8o”]

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CeCe & BeBe Winans – Silver Bells

Unwind to the soothing sound that is CeCe and BeBe Winans‘ ‘Silver Bells’, pulled from their Gospel Holiday LP – ‘First  Christmas’.

CeCe’s solo effort on the project, the number sees the vocal wonder take on the Livingston/Evans classic with a quiet power that may remind listeners of the duo’s close friend, Whitney Houston– with whom Bebe worked in on ‘The Bodyguard’ soundtrack a year before.

Press play and fall in love {DAVID}

LISTEN:  [audiotube id=”HUg9UNv_jU8″]

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Whose Pick Was Best This Week?!

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