Marc Martel continues to carve out for himself a place amid the Christmas-artist Pantheon with his latest offering of holiday music, The Christmas Collection, Vol. II. In 2019, the golden-voiced singer-songwriter and Freddie Mercury vocal twin, released what was obviously the first of at least two compilations of his holiday works: The Christmas

Marc Martel continues to carve out for himself a place amid the Christmas-artist Pantheon with his latest offering of holiday music, The Christmas Collection, Vol. II. In 2019, the golden-voiced singer-songwriter and Freddie Mercury vocal twin, released what was obviously the first of at least two compilations of his holiday works: The Christmas Collection. Just 3 years later, he satisfies our yuletide musical cravings with a highly foreshadowed 18-track follow-up, containing all of his Christmas recordings since 2020, plus 5 brand new ones including Stevie Wonder’s “What Christmas Means To Me,” Chuck Berry’s classic “Run Run Rudolph,” a searingly groovy rendition of “The Grinch,” the cheerful “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year,” and Andrew Peterson’s haunting “Labor Of Love,” which depicts the bittersweet agony Mary underwent in the birth of Jesus.

The new album is chock-full of amazing duets with artists like Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Arnel Pineda (Journey), blues guitar legend Joe Bonamassa, Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer), Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble), and rock guitar powerhouse Jared James Nichols. While Martel has always taken a don’t-fix-what-ain’t-broke approach to his arrangements — keeping as a prime directive the listener’s ability to sing along — each recording brings a thoughtfully surprising twist to classics, whether teamed up with producers like Ben Shive (Andrew Peterson, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith), Warren Huart (Aeorsmith, The Fray, Ace Frehley), Greg Collins (U2, Gwen Stefani, Kiss) or self-producing. Despite having recorded many of the world’s most popular Christmas songs early on in his now over 40-song journey, Martel has managed to make each new release more interesting than the last, while throwing in some lesser-known gems into his repertoire. If you’re already a fan of Martel, this one is a no-brainer. If you’re new to this music and just appreciate great singing, ditto.