Point of Grace
Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and made the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete.
—Charles Dickens
‘Tis the season… the most wonderful time of the year when the magical and wonder of Christmas—and all it means in our lives—fills the air and lifts our hearts. And for the women of Point Of Grace, nothing could be more exciting than basking in the warmth of Winter Wonderland, their second seasonal project and the much-anticipated holiday follow-up to 1999’s A Christmas Story.
From the sweeping, cinematic opening classic, “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” to the unforgettable closing ballad “All Is Well,” Winter Wonderland is a holiday neo-classic that is sure to become a must-have CD for any Christmas collection.
An integral part of the Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith Christmas tours for several years, the Grammy nominated, Dove Award-winning, platinum-selling Point Of Grace has always treasured the opportunity to create a Christmas experience for audiences all over the country. So this year, when Smith decided to take a holiday break, the group envisioned and created a 19-city Christmas tour with new signature holiday songs all their own.
“It was the perfect time,” Shelley says, “and we were so excited to be able to bring back the warm, nostalgic feeling we all love about Christmas in a CD. So we set out to make an album that people couldn't resist playing at all their holiday gatherings."
“Honestly, its one of the most exciting records we get to make,” Denise echoes. “Pop music doesn’t always give a vocal group like ours the opportunity to utilize 4-part harmony, so this is our chance to pull out the stops vocally.”
Produced by Brown Bannister (Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith), with vocal arrangements by Tim Davis, Michael Mellet and orchestral arrangements by Carl Marsh, Winter Wonderland is the perfect, eclectic blend of Christmas melodies set in bold, memorable settings. Traditional hymns are infused with new life, while original songs light up the collection. It is a musical journey that carries the listener from the joyful, whimsical world of Santa, Frosty and Rudolph to the sacred, awe-inspired intimacy of the spiritual Christmas message.
The whole process, Leigh says of Winter Wonderland, was “extremely challenging, part-wise, almost like cramming for your voice juries. And at the same, it was a sentimental journey. To hear these songs in all their largeness, hearing how all the eclectic styles work together, it reminded me of why I love this music and this season so much.”
Certainly, this album—Point Of Grace’s 11th to date—as much as any they’ve recorded offers a seamless, aural-infectious experience listeners will not soon forget. “You name it, we did it on this album,” says Denise. “We really sang our hearts out on this one. We’ve never recorded a cappella like this before, and in that, a certain texture emerged.”
“Tim, Michael, Carl, and Brown—they deserve this huge applause because they make us so much better than we think we’re capable of,” Leigh says. “They make us love what we do.”
That excitement, that love of music—and the childlike spirit of Christmas—comes through in every note of Winter Wonderland. With 10 holiday songs showcasing Point Of Grace’s intricate harmonies, young and old alike will sing-along with jolly classics as “Jingle Bells” and a “Santa Medley” of “Here Comes Santa Claus,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman.”
“One of my favorite moments,” Shelley says, “is the ‘Santa Medley.’ We modeled it after an old Richard Carpenter medley and added three-part, Andrews-sisters harmony to it—all around one mic. We really did this one with our live show in mind, and it’s going to be so much fun on stage because we’ll bring out Frosty and Rudolf and Santa and let the kids come and sing along. It’s so candy cane, but we love it, and we know our fans will, too.”
Also featured is the perennial favorite “Breath of Heaven,” an a cappella original “In the First Light,” and the new original song, “Let There Be Light,” featuring artist John David Webster. “’Let There Be Light’ is the most rockin’ song on the album,” Shelley says, “a great juxtaposition of Point Of Grace vocals and John David’s rock-star voice. A fabulous rock ballad that could be played in any format and John really gives it up every time he sings it.”
Fans who have seen Point Of Grace on Michael W. Smith’s acclaimed “Christmastime” tour will be delighted that Heather’s unforgettable rendition of “All Is Well” (a Smith/Wayne Kirkpatrick composition) is included on Winter Wonderland, recorded live in the studio with Smith at the piano.
“Every time Heather finishes ‘All Is Well,’” Denise says, “you hear the audience gasp before they applause. It’s just unforgettable. We get requests for it all the time, so that song alone is worth the price of admission.” |
