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silverscreenmusicals · 3 years

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Every ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ Performance Ranked

In late 2019, Disney+ premiered the first season of the highly anticipated spin-off series ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, based on the Disney Channel franchise ‘High School Musical’.

A year later, the series released its very first holiday special, in which the cast member detailed their favourite holiday memories whilst performing covers of some Christmas classics (including two originals).

Below is a ranking of every performance from the least good to the best of them all! These rankings are based on both the performance and the quality of each song. So let’s begin!

13. ‘Last Christmas’ - performed by Matt Cornett

Much like any Christmas musical special, a cover of the Wham classic was featured, and this time it was Matt Cornett (E.J. Caswell).

Whilst the vocals were fairly decent on this one, Cornett’s cover lacked the emotion, fun and vibrance that one would expect from a ‘Last Christmas’ performance. The song is known for either its high-tempo and exciting nature or its ability to captivate an audience with its emotional lyrics and somehow this version attempts neither of those.

The visuals appear to be based around Matt Cornett’s car, forcing us out of the Christmassy feel the song is used to giving off.

So with the fact that the visuals are pretty plain and how the performance lacks much feeling, ‘Last Christmas’ is unfortunately the worst performance from the special.

12. ‘Hanukkah Medley’ - performed by Julia Lester

Julia Lester is an incredibly talented cast member, but this performance doesn’t leave much to remember her by.

Although the medley of Hanukkah songs is decent, it is (at times) pitchy and awkward, with the performance being particularly plain.

Lester isn’t the show’s best dancer, but she is definitely a powerhouse vocalist, so perhaps she should have gone for something that could have showcased that instead of attempting a dance-pop number like this.

Saying that, the song on its own isn’t bad and is a fun pop song, but combined with the clunky visuals and uncomfortable-looking outfit, it doesn’t leave a great taste in your mouth after watching it.

11. ‘What Are You Doing New Years Eve?’ - performed by Kate Reinders and Mark St. Cyr

What is dubbed as Mark St. Cyr’s (Mr Mazarra) first televised musical performance, the Margaret Whiting cover is a fun and decent addition to the Holiday special.

We witness a cute few minutes of Kate Reinders (Miss Jenn) and Mark St. Cyr calling each other on the phone and singing to one another.

Whilst there’s nothing that is vocally spectaculor, Cyr and Reinders put on a corny cute performance together with their quirk and great chemistry.

10. ‘White Christmas’ - performed by Larry Saperstein

With his background in theatre, there’s no surprise that Larry Saperstein (Big Red) is able to pull of a great performance. Throughout the number we see Saperstein setting up the stage and then donning a suit and tie as he takes on the Christmas classic.

The performance is sweet, and the vocals are nice, but it appears to lack much beyond that. Saying that, it’s not a bad performance overall, it just isn’t quite as good as the rest of the special, so for that reason, it’s our 10th best of the group.

9. ‘Little Saint Nick’ - performed by Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett

The second Matt Cornett song of the special delivers a lot more than his solo. This duet with Joshua Bassett (Ricky Bowen) is a fresh and vibrant take on the Beach Boys classic, whilst not straying away from the boisterous vibes from the original.

The visuals also follow suit with the song, and whilst they’re not the most re-playable of clips, it’s still a fun and sweet performance attached to a vibrant song.

8. ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’ - performed by Sofia Wylie

Kicking off the show we see Sofia Wylie take on Donny Hathaway’s song ‘This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe)’. Wylie is known as the show’s best dancer - by a mile - whilst also being a pretty decent singer, and this number is a great example of both of those.

The performance has its slight downfall with the vocals being slightly off at points, but when that happens, she makes up for it with her great dancing and camera presence.

A Sofia Wylie number would be expected to rank a little higher than her performance did here, but nonetheless her cover was still enjoyable. A more dance-focused visual may have been more beneficial for the young starlet, but this cover still does its job, and starts the special off to a wonderful beginning.

7. ‘Feliz Navidad’ - performed by Joe Serafini and Frankie Rodriguez

Out of the three duets of the special, this ranks highest as the chemistry, visuals and vocals carry this performance to better heights.

Joe Serafini (Seb Matthew-Smith) and Frankie Rodriguez (Carlos Rodriguez) are the show’s most underrated couple, as their characters lack the screen time of many others but still manage to make the most of it regardless. The same can be said here in this exciting cover of José Feliciano’s Christmas hit.

Much like Julia Lester, the two probably would have found a better result with a ballad, but unfortunately not everybody could be given that opportunity. Still, Serafini and Rodriguez knock it out the park with this amusing and cutesy cover, which is combined with adorable visuals of the two decorating a Christmas tree.

6. ‘That’s Christmas To Me’ - performed by Kate Reinders, Julia Lester, Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini

In this thrilling Pentatonix cover we see four of the show’s best vocalists prove their place in this programme here. This cover features no instruments other than the vocals of the four performers, and it’s clear that they don’t need anything else.

Serafini is the standout of the group, but that isn’t to take away from the talent of the rest of them. The four vocalists create a perfectly spine-tingling cover that is both sweet and enticing.

5. ‘The Perfect Gift’ - performed by Joshua Bassett

Another original song that also features on the show’s second season is Joshua Bassett’s ‘The Perfect Gift’, which he also wrote. This song is one of the standouts from the soundtrack, giving the romantic, coddling vibe that we’re so used to Ricky and Nini offering.

The lyrics of the song are sweet and warm, proving that ‘The Perfect Gift’ is a song that can easily become its own Christmas classic - and Bassett’s charming vocals make sure of it. This is a phenomenal song that one can imagine being serenaded with by the fireplace on a cold, Winter evening.

Its one letdown are the visuals, which could do with more ambitious B-roll, but other than that, ‘The Perfect Gift’ makes us even more exciting for the sophomore season.

4. ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ - performed by Dara Reneé

Vocally, this is the greatest song on the soundtrack. Dara Reneé (Kourtney Greene) hits every note and makes sure that the “replay” button is hit repeatedly.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that the visuals only feature two different shots and are combined with the closing credits, this performance isn’t placed as high as the song deserved.

'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’ has been covered by some of the greatest musical icons of all time, including Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and Michael Bublé and - it appears that Reneé can find her place on that top 3 podium (sorry, Bublé).

3. ‘Something In The Air’ - performed by the cast of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’

One of the two original songs from the special, ‘Something In The Air’ is actually a part of the second season; the Drama Club creates an Instagram page and uses this to attract more viewers to the page.

The song itself is very Disney Channel-esque (in a good way), giving very similar vibes to ‘Set It Off’ from ‘Descendants’. But what really brings the tune together are the ambitious “one-take” visuals. It definitely took more than one take, and each scene is also most definitely not filmed consecutively, but that doesn’t retract from how seamless each transition is and how much hard work went into perfecting each shot.

Sofia Wylie is the clear star of the performance with her breathtaking dancing, whilst everyone else delivers with their impeccable timing and impeccable energy.

The song is fun, but the visuals are even greater, making ‘Something In The Air’ one of the special’s best numbers.

2. ‘River’ - performed by Olivia Rodrigo

This Joni Mitchell song has been covered by Ellie Goulding, Lea Michele, and many more, and much like Reneé’s take on ‘Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)’, this deserves the same recognition as its predecessors.

Olivia Rodrigo (Nini Salazar-Roberts) can be given a piano and a microphone and create some of the greatest Disney musical magic we’ve seen, and her cover of ‘River’ is the epitome of that.

Her chilling vocals and solemn emotion gives this sad festive classic the mood it deserves, and makes us almost wish it were a part of the show’s canon with how sentimental Rodrigo makes it feel. This is a standout on the soundtrack, and definitely worth revisiting again and again.

1. ‘Believe’ performed by Dara Reneé

If it were possible, we’d rename this show ‘The Dara Reneé Show’ as both of her performances take our breath away. Reneé’s cover of Josh Groban’s ‘The Polar Express’ song is the best song of the special. It is thrilling, emotive, and proves just how talented the young star is.

Reneé proved in the freshman season of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ that she is one of (if not, the) best performer out of the cast, and if anyone were to ask you why you think that, ‘Believe’ would be your proof.

This stunning cover comes with so much charm and a fabulous set that it leaves no room for questioning why it is the best performance of the night.

What did you think of the special? Do you agree with these rankings? What performance was your favourite? Let us know!

‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special’ is available to stream right now on Disney+!

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fandomgalore-blog · 4 years

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Little Saint Nick was so cute! I want more Josh and Matt duets. Can’t wait to see that performed!

#little Saint Nick #joshua bassett #matt cornett #high school musical the musical series #high school musical the musical the holiday special #holiday special #disney plus #hsmtmts cast #hsmtmts #ricky bowen #ej caswell #duets #soundtrack #review

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nini-ricky · 4 years

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HSMTM: The Holiday Special Soundtrack

i spent my morning listening to the soundtrack, and like i really really enjoyed it! so, i figured i’d come on here and do like a little review and my thoughts on it, not like anyone really cares but oh well. i haven’t done this in a LONG time, so please bear with me lol.

This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe): I think this was an amazing choice to put as their very first track. Sofia fucking killed it, and the song truly complimented her voice and it was just pure perfection to me.

Perfect Gift: My little rini heart didn’t know how to handle this song. jbassett truly captured ricky’s feelings throughout the first season. the lyrics were so pure and fluffy in a sense. even after so many months, this ship still hits so very much. i am still so in love with them, it’s starting to get ridiculous lmaooo

Feliz Navidad: okay, so i don’t know what happened here. they honestly did frankie and joe real dirty. there was too much autotune for my liking, and it didn’t truly capture their talent and beautiful voices. frankie and joe deserved SO MUCH more my god.

Hanukkah Medley: julia’s voice at the very beginning truly had me. but, this song was not her best performance in my opinion. however, i still quite enjoyed it.

Last Christmas: i’m just going to say, matt truly had me. like, i absolutely love this song. i think if they had done a more acoustic version it would’ve complimented his voice even more and brought it over the top. i think this would be one of my top 3 off of the soundtrack.

White Christmas: larry fucking killed it, are you kidding me????? his voice, his tapping, it was literally just everything for me. like, this was an amazing piece, and they honestly don’t showcase larry’s talent enough in the show. Another song to go into my top 3.

Little Saint Nick: this one was fun to bop to, i think when the special drops it’s really going to be a fun little number. Admittedly, not one of my favourites.

Believe: dara was AMAZING i absolutely love her voice. and she just took this song and made it hers. the showrunners were really like we didn’t give her enough justice during the show, so here you go.

What Are You Doing This New Years Eve?: i’m not going to lie, but i fucking got scared when kate started singing ksjkskj i kind of forgot that i was listening to the soundtrack which is the only reason why!!! i enjoyed this one! and mark has a very soothing and pleasing voice to listen to.

River: the first few notes that were just the piano really hit me and made me emotional, and then olivia started singing and i can’t lie but literal tears sprung to my eyes. her voice is so amazing and i absolutely love her and this song. and i just loved every single thing about this! definitely one of my favourites for sure - top 3!

Something in the Air: this one so absolutely fun!! i’m looking forward to this one in the special. honestly liv and josh’s little harmony hit me, the lyrics they had sung was just a reminder of how far they’ve come. but this is going to be a fantastic number i can already feel it! this truly captured the cast i think, and showcased each of their amazing talents!

That’s Christmas to Me: this one was very nice and soft and just so christmasy to me. this number made up for the injustice of frankie and joe’s feliz navidad lmao but their harmonies were everything and i loved this!

Christmas (Baby Please Come Here): i think this was a great way to close the soundtrack. dara was amazing, and i truly felt the christmas spirit in this one!

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts the holiday special #kelsey reviews ig lol

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professionalfixator · 4 years

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Holiday Special Album Review

Not like anyone wants my opinion, but I'm giving it any way. I took singing lessons for a couple years so...idk if that factored into my reviews... Anyway, ratings are 1-10, based on personal enjoyment and vocal technique!

1. That's Christmas to Me (Frankie, Kate, Joe, Julia) - 10/10

Tbh, I wasn't expecting this song to start playing because I put the album on shuffle, so I was full on ATTACKED when Frankie started singing. That guy. His voice is just 😍 he has an angelic voice, and really needs to sing an Ariana Grande song at some point. Anyway, everyone else did a great job as well.

2. Something In the Air (Cast) - 9/10

This one was so funky and fun!! I loved it. Also that trap beat at the end and Josh & Olivia's duet.👌🏻 It just loses a point for autotune but it was still a really amazing song.

3. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Dara, Josh, Matt) - 8/10

Yes. This one was great. I love Dara's singing voice and I'm glad they actually let her shine in this one! That high note at the end, just wow. WOW. Although I can barely hear Josh and Matt.

4. This Christmas (Hang All the Mistletoe) (Sofia) - 8/10

This song is a lot better on a second listen than the first. First time around I found it kind of boring, but now I like the melodies a lot more. It's a creative song and a fun way to start the album!

5. Feliz Nevidad (Joe, Frankie) - 7.75/10

They did them so dirty, because of how overly EDITED their voices were. Stop autotuning these perfectly capable singers, Disney!! But other than that, solid bop, I look forward to seeing their performance in the episode. But I'm still so angry about the autotune...this should have been my favourite...>:(

6. Believe (Dara) - 7.5/10

Not gonna lie, I was so excited to hear this one. "Believe" by Josh Groban is one of my most favorite Christmas songs of all time, however, while I think Dara did a great job, I kind of wish they let her sing a more stripped down version, maybe just piano and strings. I found the instrumentals overpowered her voice at points, and took away from the emotions of the song.

7. White Christmas (Larry) - 7.25/10

I personally really loved Larry's voice in this one. I thought it was perfect for him! Also he hit that note at the end which is a tough one to do, so props to him! The TAPPING, though!! I can't wait to see that.

8. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? (Kate, Mark) - 7/10

Cute song, I like Mark's voice! He did a good job, although for the life of me I could never imagine Mr. Mazzara singing 😂 Kate also did a good job.

9. The Perfect Gift (Josh) - 6.5/10

Don't come at me, but this one wasn't my favourite. It was cute and CATCHY. But I'm not a big fan of acoustic songs (I'm just not engaged with them), but this one was nice. Just not one of my favourites.

10. River (Olivia) - 6/10

*nervous laughter* See, I like Olivia's voice, a lot, I think she's really talented and this song showed it off well. But I just found it boring. Which is weird because I don't usually find piano ballads to be boring, like I loved "All I Want"?? So I don't know what happened.

11. Last Christmas (Matt) - 5.75/10

I really, really wanted to like this one. "Last Christmas" is another one of my favourite Christmas songs, but this one...autotune, man. That fricking autotune. They messed around with Matt's voice so much it didn't even sound like a person singing! Which is such a shame because this could have been an awesome bop.

12. Hanukkah Medley (Julia) - 5/10

This was not the right song for Julia. She has a voice that's made for ballads, or slower songs. This one was just too autotune, the raw power of her voice was not on display. They did her kind of dirty with this album, honestly.

13. Little Saint Nick (Josh, Matt) - 4.75/10

I liked the way their voices blended together, but I was never a fan of the song, and this one didn't really change that. But I want to see this in the episode!!!

Final Score: 7.11/10, B-

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts the holiday special #the holiday special #music #review #album review

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deaddovecoterie · 4 years

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HSMTMTS Holiday Special Soundtrack Review

1. This Christmas by Sofia Wylie

SHE REALLY POPPED OFF WITH THIS!!!!!! i’m so glad they gave her a song with lots of spicy jazzy stuff which totally reflects both her and gina, and i love that. her vocals were amazing and even all the extra stuff in the background was so good. like a 9/10 for this one

2. The Perfect Gift by Joshua Bassett

SO !!!!! SOFT !!!!!! MAJFGNGIFNFJSJSJ I LOST MY MIND WHEN I HEARD THIS ONE😭 everything about this song just screams domestic rini and the lyrics are so perfect and fitting for their dynamic. he communicated how ricky feels so well and i could genuinely picture everything that he was signing. joshua bassett never misses and i stand by that. 9/10 only because we didn’t get like some backup vocals from liv or something 😳

3. Feliz Navidad by Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini

FIRST OF ALL, THIS DUOOO PLSSSSS I LOVEEEE THEM SO MUCHHH JOE COMING THROUGH WITH THE VOCALS, HIS VOICE IS EVERYTHING I CANTTTTT. their voices are so pretty and they NEEEEEEED more solos or duet in season two or i will be throwing hands. joes voice is so powerful and just yesssss. that’s all i have to say. tbh the sirens in the first part just did not do it for me💀🤚🤚 so like a 7/10

4. Hanukkah Medley by Julia Lester

julia babe they did you so dirty with this 😭😭😭😭 julia’s vocals are INSANEEE THE TALENT THAT THIS WOMAN HASSSS but the song itself are just so bad i’m so sorry, this song was just not it. 2/10 for the song itself but 10/10 for julia’s vocals

5. Last Christmas by Matt Cornett

YES MATT CAME THROUGH WITH THOSE VOALS, IM SO GLAD THEY GAVE HIM SOMETHING IN HIS VOCAL RANGE!!! he truly does have a really nice voice and so i’m happy they gave him something that was just smooth and fit his voice. i genuinely really like it, like if definitely listen to it even if it wasn’t on the soundtrack so yeah, like a 8/10

6. White Christmas by Larry Saperstein

AMEJGJGKGIGKRGIGIRJDH I LOVE MY UNPROBLEMATIC RED HEADED KING, LARRY IS SO ELITE, he sounded SO GOOD, like it really fit his voice. AND THE TAPPING IN IT??? PLS THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR ME😭😭😭 anyway 10/10 i love this man

7. Little Saint Nick by Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett

STOPPPP THIS DUO IS SO GOOD, I LOVE THIS ONE CAUSE ITS JUST SO SOFTTTT these boys together warm my heart, and joshs voice in this makes me smile so much skdmfigmgjd pls i’m gonna cry🥺🥺🥺 like a 9/10 cause it’s actually a bop

8. Believe by Dara Renee

i normally don’t like slow christmas songs BUT LIKE THEN IT RAMPED UP AND I WAS LIKE OH SHIT THIS IS INSANE SKDMGKYMGIFMSJFIGMHJS DARA FUCKING RENEE RUN ME OVER. i just- *dies* she’s so talented and her belting and vocal range and her voice????? LIKE THE RUNSSSSS AHHHHHHHH ALSO ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WHEN SHE SAID “childrenNNNN” WAS THAT TIKTOK TREND WHERE- never mind😳 anyway, i’m dead. i’m alive but i’m dead. 10/10

9. What Are You Doing New Years Eves? by Kate Reinders and Mark St. Cyr

meh, this one didn’t really do it for me to honest. i found they used way too much auto tune on marks voice (also kates but not as much i don’t think). i don’t really have any thoughts on this one, it didn’t really thrill me. but kate sounded great :D i’d say only a 4/10 to be honest

10. River by Olivia Rodrigo

OLIVIA PLEASEEEEEEE LET ME BREATHE U CRIED SO HARD LISTENING TO THIS, OLIVIAS VOICE IS SO ANGELIC I LITERALLY CANT GET ENOUGH IF IT😭😭😭😭😭 shes so fucking flawless, her voice is like honey. to be honest this kind of sounded a bit like drivers license??? i said i’m not a fan of slow songs but for livs vocals i’m gonna give this a 9/10 cause goddamn

11. Something in the Air by HSMTMTS Cast

no thoughts head empty😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I WAS JAMMING OUT TO THIS ON REPEAT FOR 7 HOURS STRAIGHT DONT TALK TO ME ABOUT IT, ITS SUCH A PROBLEM IM SO OBSESSED, THE SONG IS SO HYPE AND THE CASTS VOCALS TOGETHER AND THE JOSH AND LIV DUET ON THE BRIDGE???? PLS I HAD A FUCKING HEART ATTACK DMGKHMMHKGMGIDSMGKIFIDJDUVFKGIFI AND JOES RUNS?? JULIAS RUNS??? DARAS RUNS??? GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK BYEEE THIS ONES LIKE A 20395868/10

12. That’s Christmas to Me by Julia Lester, Joe Serafini, Frankie Rodriguez and Kate Reinders

also a meh. not a wower in my opinion. their harmonizations are great and so are the vocals, but the song itself just isn’t my fave. 5/10

13. Christmas by Dara Renee, Joshua Bassett and Matt Cornett

DARA REALLY SAID MAIN CHARACTER🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 her voice is just so powerful, smooth and ughhhhhh i can’t get enough of her. and may and josh with the back up vocals? yes pls😌😌 the saxophone and everything? ugh everything is just so good. 8/10

#hsmtmts #haley talks

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