The follow-up to the Grammy-winning He Is Christmas, We Wish You a Merry Christmas finds Take 6 at their finest. The sextet's a cappella melodies paved the way for R&B boy groups Boyz II Men and may recall Manhattan Transfer's multipart harmonic convergence, yet they continue to be unmatched in their ingenious take on popular jazz-vocal gospel. This outing finds the Seventh Day Adventist-affiliated outfit firmly locked into their signature vocal blend, augmenting their doo-wop a cappella styling with the occasional piano, light-handed bass, guitar, drums, and the cool blue saxophone of Kirk Whalum. A few songs are embellished by a triad of female harmonies and Brian McKnight (brother of founding member Claude McKnight) appears on "The Christmas Song." Chestnuts like "Silver Bells," "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and "Joy to the World," while happily recognizable, ring out especially merry as rendered by these fresh fellows. --Paige La Grone