Back in 1979, the now legendary vocal group The Whispers paid tribute to the late Donny Hathaway by reworking his signature holiday song, “This Christmas,” into a song of remembrance called “A Song for Donny.” They also recut the slowed down version of the classic with its original “This Christmas” lyrics on the group’s successful first holiday album.
Back in 1979, the now legendary vocal group The Whispers paid tribute to the late Donny Hathaway by reworking his signature holiday song, “This Christmas,” into a song of remembrance called “A Song for Donny.” They also recut the slowed down version of the classic with its original “This Christmas” lyrics on the group’s successful first holiday album.
We reported last year that, like superstar Taylor Swift a year earlier, The Whispers had taken a big step to control their musical catalog by re-recording some of their biggest hits, so that they would retain the rights to the recordings. And the trio has been rocking steady with the re-recordings since then, beginning with “And The Beat Goes On (Whispers Version)” last September and continuing with “Rock Steady,” "Keep On Loving Me," and “Olivia,” each time working with longtime collaborabor Magic Mendez.
Now Walter Scott, Wallace Scott and Leaveil Degree return with a new version of “This Christmas,” sounding great and reminding us of how well their unique grown-and-sexy-ing of this familiar classic into a nighttime ballad works now, just as it did over four decades ago. Check out the new “This Christmas,” and welcome The Whispers back to your holiday playlist.
By Chris Rizik