Erika Davies Gets Into the Holiday Spirit

If there's one thing indie musicians love, it's Christmas.

Artists like Bright Eyes and Sufjan Stevens have released Christmas albums in the past, and M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel just got into the holiday spirit for their third record, A Very She & Him Christmas. Several other recent singles have kept the yule log burning, such as Slow Club's rollicking "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and Tristen's charming cover of "Frosty the Snowman."

With all those festive options to choose from, it would seem the holiday market has been properly saturated, but now the golden-voiced Miss Erika Davies has thrown her Santa hat into the ring with a cover of "Silent Night."


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Skeptics might assume there's no need for another version of the holiday staple, but they'd be wrong. Davies infuses "Silent Night" with her usual mix of playfulness and vocal beauty, adding some bright, jazzy harmonies that reinvent the well-worn classic. The track was recorded by Davies' guitarist Gary Hankins at their Golden Hill apartment, and the setting's intimacy pervades every moment of the brief but memorable recording.

Head over to Davies' Bandcamp page, where you can add the song to your collection for a dollar. Maybe if this song sells well it will persuade her to make an entire Christmas album next year, and who wouldn't want to hear Davies' take on "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"?

Chris Maroulakos is a writer and managing editor for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.

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