Songs Of Joy: Audiophile Music for the Holidays

The holiday season is a welcome repast for any music lover, myself included. I’m so glad we’re finally here, and I can once again devour some of my favorite albums and play them loudly throughout the house, with unabashed glee.

However, as an audiophile with a killer system, like you, I can get a tad bummed out when an album I love turns out to be optimized more for a car stereo than my HiFi rig. Maybe it’s just me, but it’s not always been easy to find holiday music whose recording quality matches the music quality.

So this year, I set out to make a proper list of seriously excellent recordings made in the spirit of the season. The following have been specifically selected because they really light up a pair of Wilsons or Harbeths, and they also get an A+ grade for the musical brilliance. Some are new, some are old, but all will make your audiophile senses tingle along with raising your jolly cheer.

Every single or album listed can be found on Qobuz and Tidal, and some are available in high resolution format and streaming MQA. 

Jacob Collier - The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)

This single from the young British sensation has earned him a Grammy nomination. (Fingers crossed!) Just recently, Jacob presided over a live YouTube breakdown of his entire Logic session (Logic is the audio workstation he uses to produce music), featuring what looks to be hundreds and hundreds of virtual tracks layered upon one another. The finished product, which sounds phase-correct and more like a minimalist-style recording using mostly voice, is a testament to the sheer brilliance of this modern musical wonder and earns the first position in this list. The world is a better place, now that Jacob is singing to us all. 

Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas

Ever the prolific creator, Sufjan tends to release two albums a year, and not of the EP variety -- they're usually satisfyingly large. Fans of his already know the recording quality is a hallmark of his music, and on both accounts, this album fully delivers. It’s a 42-track monster, and most of these tracks convey a vividness in recording of acoustic instruments that is rarely heard.

Oscar Peterson - An Oscar Peterson Christmas

The late jazz piano great Oscar Peterson recorded this album about two years removed from a major stroke. Yes, you read that correctly. Upon listening to the opening track, his dizzying arrangements and soul-touching takes make this fact simply jaw-dropping to me. I think it’s a wonderful example of the resilient human spirit, besides being a cozy, well-recorded sendup of timeless classics.

O Come All Ye Faithful - Hiss Golden Messenger

This is a new release from an artist that is relatively new to me, and I love it. Expansive soundscapes featuring plenty of room-filling slide guitar and a distinct center-image vocal make it a new favorite, bordering on an instant classic in my library. Amen!

Elvis - Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic

This isn’t the only holiday album available from The King, but to my ears, it’s the best-sounding one by far. Don’t miss my favorite track, the classic “Blue Christmas.” In my humble opinion, I think only Elvis and Michael Bublé truly sing this song the right way. This one you'll want to play from beginning to end.

Various - A GRP Christmas

Kevin Eubanks, Dave Grusin, Gary Burton, Lee Ritenour… do I need to go on? Produced in 1988, it’s got that era’s classic kind of sound and simply dazzles musically and sonically. “O Tannenbaum” serves up the vibes I need (quite literally!) this time of year and is an instant go-to on this musically fascinating collection of artists on the GRP label.

Manchester Orchestra - Christmas Songs Vol. 1

The Georgia-based group’s first album for the holiday season lets you know that you’re in for a treat from the very first track. It’s a stripped-down but immensely full-figured production, and singer Andy Hull’s husky tenor captures your attention, floating in open space like a great vocal should. A lovely, contemplative mood carries throughout, and you can now count me a fan of this extremely talented bunch.

Till Bröner - Christmas

I’m not ashamed to say that Qobuz served me up this brand new gem after it started to notice a particular fascination I was having with holiday music. The more I listen to this absolute monster of a recording, the more I want to listen. Bröner’s trumpet at times distinctly reminds me of the delivery from another of my favorites, jazz legend Chet Baker. Sink into this one and let your heart be glad for state-of-the-art, modern digital recordings.

Mountain Man - White Christmas

Mountain Man is a musical group from North Carolina and involves no men, which makes their image-rich band name winsome and clever to me. The trio of singing ladies offer harmonies galore and do the timeless classic justice with a minimalist recording style. Enjoy plenty of depth and detail to the vocals in this one, and pour yourself a mug of eggnog and get cozy.