The
King's Singers have recorded several holiday albums, with Christmas with the King's Singers from 2017 being the most recent. This group has maintained remarkable consistency since its formation in the late 1960s, and one can't really go wrong with any of their holiday releases. They do, however, have somewhat different emphases; Christmas with the King's Singers, for instance, featured harpsichord from
Richard Hickox and a guest appearance from
Kiri Te Kanawa.
Christmas Carols with The King's Singers is all a cappella, with the focus squarely on the Christmas carols that exclusively make up the program. It might be considered a
King's Singers album for the hard core, for there is nothing to distract the listener from the pristine harmonies of this six-voice vocal group. All the
King's Singers' holiday releases tend to be varied in their programming, with classic English carols like Ding! Dong! Merrily on High resting comfortably next to medieval melodies and German, French, Norwegian, and Catalonian pieces; the program is generous at nearly 70 minutes but never bogs down. Perhaps best of all is the sound, recorded during the coronavirus pandemic at the small Cedars Hall at Wells Cathedral School over four days. It fits the closely focused, intimate atmosphere of the album beautifully, and as ever, the
King's Singers deliver a satisfying holiday experience. ~ James Manheim