Itās become a tradition over the past couple of years for the Glee cast to release a Christmas album. Usually it ties in with a festive episode of the show and this yearāsĀ Christmas Album Vol 3Ā is a companion to the recently airedĀ Glee, Actually. Unfortunately for UK fans of the show the fourth season hasnāt aired here yet so they can be forgiven for not understanding the context for this album or knowing half of the characters. Regardless though most people will be familiar with the 10 covers included here.
GleeĀ has really had a return to form during its fourth season as many of the original characters have left McKinley High and new blood has taken over. Rachel and Kurt are enjoying life in New York whilst Finn is now leading the Glee Club with new recruits Marley, Ryder, Jake and Kitty. Whilst the cast may have changed and expanded, thankfully the quality of the music remains the same.Ā The Christmas Album Vol 3Ā features performances from characters old and new, with several of the songs exclusively available on the CD as they didnāt feature inĀ Glee, Actually.
Opening the album is Chord Overstreetās Sam withĀ Jingle Bell RockĀ which he performed in the episode to impress new girlfriend Brittany when he thought the world would end as the Mayans predicted. How did these two not end up together earlier? Elsewhere on the album Lea Michele gets her chops around the fantasticĀ Iāll Be Home For Christmas, Kevin McHale jumps out of his chair in a dream sequence forĀ Feliz NavidadĀ and new recruit Marley aka Melissa Benoist puts in a fantastic performance ofĀ The First Noel.
The finest moment on the album comes from Alex Newell as cross-dressing Unique onĀ Joy To The World. Itās a real shame that this song wasnāt written into the episode as we would have loved to see him perform this on the show. Another great moment comes from Darren Criss and Chris Colfer (Blaine and Kurt) performing a duet ofĀ White Christmas.
The album comes to a close with Cory Monteithās (Finn) rendition of the classicĀ Happy Xmas (War Is Over)Ā and demands you stick your CD player or iPod on loop so you can work your way through the album once again.
You know what youāre getting withĀ GleeĀ and good solid performances of classic tracks is exactly what it servers up. Itās a shame that the UK isnāt watching the show at the same time as the US but Sky One are showing it early January to minimise the disruptive transmission the show had during its last season.Ā Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Vol 3Ā is another set of festive classics that will help you get in the holiday mood.