Holiday Music Countdown: Number 7, O Canada!

Only six shopping days ’til Christmas — but seven songs to enjoy. Here’s the next tune in my highly-subjective holiday music countdown. (Find previous holiday countdown posts here.)

7. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Barenaked Ladies & Sarah McLachlan)

There’s not a lot complicated about my affection for this version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." It’s traditional yet unconventional; spunky and a little offbeat as Barenaked Ladies songs always are; and musically pretty as Sarah MacLaughlin songs are. It doesn’t sound particularly Canadian, but maybe my ears aren’t tuned to detect that frequency. I found this on a compilation (Maybe This Christmas), but it’s also available on Barenaked for the Holidays. I’d not heard of this album before tonight — the things one learns when writing blog posts! When I discover a new holiday album, I look to see if it includes songs that I don’t recognize — often a good sign. In this case, there are several Hanukkah songs and several original songs, all of which I’m unfamiliar with. Joy! I bought it and am currently listening. I’ll provide a full report soon, but early indications are that I’ve found some new favorites here. (The opening song, a manic version of "Jingle Bells," has already won my heart.)