On November 24 the Austin, Texas, based Grammy-nominated a cappella group King's Return released a stunning rendition of "O Holy Night" in order to give fans a preview of their latest Christmas Album, now streaming on a variety of platforms. Very quickly, the vocal ensemble, which is known for singing in stairwells and has been featured several times on Aleteia, received over 6,000 views and many positive comments from some of their 32.5K subscribers.
"Absolutely stunning!" one fan wrote. "[I have] goosebumps from head to toe. I can hear the angels' voices when you all sing. Beautiful!"
Aleteia reached out to the band to ask why they chose to feature this particular Christmas carol in such a special way, especially when their new album A Merry Little Christmas offers so many lovely selections. Gabe Kunda, the group's bass, explained the choice had to do with his late mother, who was from the Democratic Republic of Congo:
"She used to sing this song in French and it stuck with me every time Christmas came around -- to the point where I couldn't even sing it without getting choked up. The message of the song coupled with those sentiments are what make 'O Holy Night' so near and dear to my heart."
In addition to Kunda, the band is made up of Vaughn Faison, JE McKissic, and Jamall Williams. Their website describes themselves as a “a vocal band of brothers formed in 2016 from pre-existing friendships.” They further explain that their band’s name “reminds us to be our brother’s keeper and to pay homage to our King, Jesus, who has Himself promised to return.”
Be sure to keep an eye on their website for band updates and Christmas concert events in your area.
