Singer Jacob Collier is no stranger to success. He got his start In 2012, when his split-screen video covers of popular songs, such as Stevie Wonder’s ‘Don’t You Worry ’bout a Thing,’ began to go viral on YouTube. This time he performs ‘In The Bleak Midwinter,’ by Harold Darke.
In 2014, Collier signed with Quincy Jones’s management company and began working on his one-person, audio-visual live performance vehicle, designed and built at the MIT Media Lab by Ben Bloomberg. He puts the technology to great use to bring this winter song to the masses.
One man singing 10 vocal parts in beautiful acapella is marked by 10 separate video boxes, all appearing on screen at the same time. Jacob wears different clothes in each block while sporting different hairstyles too.
His rendition of this old Christmas Carol from a poem by Christina Rossetti is pitch-perfect as Jacob hits booming low notes and delicate high notes throughout the performance.
Jacob Collier released his debut album ‘In My Room’ in 2016. He recorded, arranged, performed, and produced the album in his small room in North London. He’s been awarded by the Grammys for his arrangement of ‘Flintstones’ and ‘You and I.’
This beautiful carol was written in 1872 as a poem and later converted to a song by Harold Drake in 1909. Various choirs have performed it worldwide, and it is considered one of the greatest carols ever written by music historians.
The combination of traditional and jazz harmonies makes this rendition sparkle. Jacob’s voice is soothing, and his delivery is emotionally-charged. It is lovely acapella music for the holiday season.
