The holiday season and R&B are a natural pairing, since each focus a lot on love, joy and happiness. And when you're looking for R&B-style holiday songs, the problem is not trying to find them; no, the problem - if you want to call it that - is that there's so many out there, it's hard to sort through the literally tens of thousands of them to find the really good stuff. So to help you out a little, your Guide to R&B has compiled a list of great holiday songs by R&B artists.
1. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," Mary Mary
"Hark the Herald Angels Sing" is from A Mary Mary Christmas, an album of new and classic holiday music by the R&B/Gospel duo Mary Mary that was released by My Block Records back in October 2006.
2. "The Christmas Song," Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight's smooth, soulful, updated version of the holiday classic "The Christmas Song" is off his 2008 holiday album, I'll Be Home for Christmas, which came out in October 2008.
3. "The Last Month of the Year," The Staple Singers
"The Last Month of the Year" is a classic Staple Singers ode to the month of December, the time when the holidays are celebrated. The song, which is a lot different from your average Christmas tune, can be found on the Staples' 1960s Christmas album The 25th Day of December, which was re-released by Concord Records in 2007.
4. "Boot-off," Bootsy Collins
Boot-Off," is a very funky remake of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," and can be found on Bootsy's first-ever Christmas album, Christmas Is 4 Ever, which was released on the Shout! Factory label back in October 2006.
5. "Carol of the Bells," Mary Mary
"Carol of the Bells," originally had its beginnings as, believe it or not, a Ukrainian folk song in the early 1900s. This version can be found on A Mary Mary Christmas.
6. "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," The Jackson 5
A classic from back when Michael was still young and untroubled. This song perfectly captures the joy and excitement that children feel during the holiday season.
