Vocalist, cabaret artist, and storyteller Marleena Barber turns in a huge gift bag of compelling holiday music on her new Christmas album Once Upon a December set for release on December 1st 2025. She is a clean and elegant singer with a strong belt that serves her well and makes these familiar Christmas favorites fresh and vital again. Her sound is rooted in jazz and pop but also shows other cultural influences, including Marleena Barber’s own Cuban heritage.
Her song choices for Once Upon a December are both cool and classic. It is obvious she approaches them with both reverence and artistry. She opens the set with a heavily jazzed take on “White Christmas” that’s sophisticated and fun. Barber’s piano accompanist and arranger Edward Sywulka crafted the charts she sings over here and deserves much credit for the sound of the record. He clearly understands Marleena Barber deeply as both an artist and a singer. The different contexts he created for Barber’s voice allow her to rise to the top of her potential and quickly grab listeners by the ears.
Barber works more magic on her title track “Once Upon a December.” The song is, of course, from the hit animated film Anastasia. While not technically a Christmas song, it actually fits perfectly well alongside the more overtly holiday-oriented material. “Little Drummer Boy” gets treated to a gentle Latin groove based around fretless bass and subtle percussion.
Highlights on Once Upon a December are many and it’s easy to hear it lighting up a lot of holiday parties this year. Marleena Barber’s take on the traditional gem “O Holy Night” is stripped down and glorious. “Hanukkah’s Child” is haunting and emotive, featuring her understated vocals at its center, and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is nothing but good, clean, swinging fun. Marleena Barber is a major talent with the vibe and skill to take on the world and win. Once Upon a December will be the best holiday record you experience this season and is going to make a lot of people jolly and happy.
Learn more about Marleena Barber on her WEBSITE.
