For those still unfamiliar with Marc Martel (and there shouldn't be too many left), he's best known for having a singing voice that sounds very much like the late Freddie Mercury of Queen. Seriously, close your eyes and you'd swear it could be Freddie.
As a solo artist, Martel recorded a couple of Christmas songs (including a cover of "Last Christmas", recorded for a video game) before releasing the EP "The Silent Night" in 2016. He won me over on that one with his beautiful version of "O Holy Night". Marc then released another holiday EP in 2017, "The First Noel", which was a little more adventurous--featuring an epic Freddie Mercury worthy "Hallelujah Chorus", a beautiful rendition of "Mary Did You Know?", and a fun duet with Plumb on "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas".
Marc Martel has announced that he's working on his third straight Christmas EP and I'm sure we'll see it released this year. But I've listed him as "possible" because of this statement made to New Jersey Stage in July:
"I am doing a lot of recording this year, including a Queen EP and a Queen Christmas EP, which people will be able to hear in the near future."
I just can't figure out why he'd phrase it that way. Is it shorthand for anything not Downhere? He hasn't recorded with them in years. Why not just say he's recording a solo EP and a solo Christmas EP? (FWIW, he does refer to the coming Christmas EP as "my Christmas EP" on Facebook.) Aren't you intrigued by the possibilities? I am. I'd love to hear what Marc could do on a Christmas EP with Roger Taylor and Brian May. Heck, they must have run into each other while making the movie, right? Not sure how Adam Lambert would feel about that, of course. Or how 'bout, now that we've got two holiday EPs of largely reverent Christmas music, something that rocks like Queen, recorded with The Ultimate Queen Celebration band? I'd love to hear that.
In all probability, Martel's new Christmas EP is a solo project, like those from 2016 and 2017. He's hinted that he'll be covering "Christmas Time Is Here" (from "A Charlie Brown Christmas")--definitely not something I'd expect Freddie to do. And, in all likelihood, I'll get over my hangup and move Marc to the TBA section shortly. I'd anticipate the EP in early November.
As much as I'd like to hear one, we don't really need a Queen Christmas EP. Freddie Mercury and Queen did give us "Thank God It's Christmas" in 1984, which is plenty awesome. And then we have possibly the best Christmas song parody ever created....Pledge Drive's "Christmas Rhapsody" from 2003, still available as a free download and well worth dropping in anytime you get the chance.