“Oh Holy Night” is one of the quintessential songs of Christmas. It’s not the type you do the twist to in front of the jukebox, but more the type of song for when the kids are all tucked in and Mom and Dad take in a deep breath and enjoy the tranquility of Christmas eve.
In order to do the song justice, you need to be able to sing with a calming tone, and have a voice that is angelic enough to relax the listener in keeping with the song’s docile sense of peace.
How about instead of one beautiful voice- five beautiful voices!
A cappella group “Home Free” are at it again with another fantastic Christmas song. No instruments, no backing track, just five heavenly voices that cover the entire range of a choir. They are of course, brothers Chris and Adam Rupp, the founders of the group, along with Austin Brown, Tim Foust, and Rob Lindquist. Each member of the group contributes their own unique sound and flair to each song they sing.
Notably, the group first found fame winning season four of NBC’s The Sing-Off. Since then the group has seen a few members change over, but the group from their rendition of “Oh Holy Night” and their appearance on The Sing-Off is the same.
No wonder why they won, they’re incredible!
Their Christmas song starts off in this beautiful big church. It’s lavishly decorated and wonderfully lit. The boys’ voices rise, a soft harmonious tone, when Tim Foust takes the lead…
…And wow, does he sound good!
Tim has this beautiful baritone and his lower voice resonates beautifully.
His low tone mixed with a country-music-like trill, could melt a snowman.
He takes the lead for the first half of the song, and he’s the perfect match for it. Soft and deliberate, he sounds perfect, especially when backed up by the other four perfectly harmonized voices of his group members.
The second half of the video is led by the higher, more dextrous voice of Austin Brown. He sounds incredible, and he dances with the melody as only an expert can. It’s clear this guy is bursting with talent, I’m just glad this is how he expresses it!
Austin is the perfect counter to Tim’s lower voice.
The change from Tim’s lower register to Austin’s higher one elevates the whole song and it grows in energy and power. It practically brings a tear to your eye to go from the sultry tone of the first half to the empowered, rising energy of the second half. There are many tired versions of this song out there…but this is not one of them.
Arguably one of the best things about this group is their solidarity. They all harmonize so seamlessly that they sound like a twenty-person choir compressed into five handsome mid-western men. They each have their own unique styles, and take their own turns in the limelight, but still work so wonderfully as a whole.
Seeing them all stand together really shows how much of a talented unit they really are. Even better when you hear them all together!
Watch the full video below to be mesmerized by these incredible voices!
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