Christmas Music: Deckin' the Halls Again
11-16-2007
by Kevan Breitinger

Every Christmas season brings a fresh rush of holiday albums, often arriving in my mailbox as early as the beginning of October, when I’m still in flip-flops. But the good news is that this year’s batch contains a high number of genuine pleasures, and a few downright surprises. Now, for your hall deckin’ pleasure, we offer the following list of the year’s most exciting Christmas albums, beginning with my favorites. Let the fa-la-la-ing begin.

1.     Fourteen tracks of show-stoppin’ sizzle, Happy Holidays From Vickie Winans never lets up. Whether it’s the salsa horns of “Holiday Jam” or the African percussion-driven “Joy To The World,” Winans keeps the exuberance flowing nonstop. But when it’s time to chill, she drops it down perfectly, with a sweet and soulful “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” And keep an ear open for the banana pudding moment. You’ll see.

2.     Relient K’s Let I Snow Baby… Let It Reindeer covers some classics straight-up, but others feature the signature Relient K tweaking: “12 Days of Christmas” energetically slams the partridge into the pear tree, and “I’m  Getting’ Nuttin’ for Christmas” puts the Chipmunks to shame. But they cover the lonely side of the holiday with great sensitivity on “I Hate Christmas Parties,” while reminding us of the real deal on “I Celebrate the Day.” Don’t miss the eerie bonus track.

3.     Christmas Songs is the first fruit of Jars of Clay’s new label imprint, and a solid beginning. They turn some familiar classics on their ear (a lush “Wonderful Christmastime” and an atmospheric “O Little Town of Bethlehem), while evocatively illustrating other pristine seasonal moments (the tender jazz-flaired “Hibernation Day” and a show-stopping “Winter Skin”).  Definitely one of the season’s best.

4.     Yolanda Adams’ What A Wonderful Time is her second holiday project, but with its big band orientation, it’s still a very fresh offering. And might I add, she tears it up vocally. She really stretches out on Barry Gordy’s “Give Love on Christmas Day,” as well as scatting her way through the title track. Across the board, a sizzler.

5.     I happen to really enjoy most of the Centricity label’s line-up, so I was primed for their compilation, Bethlehem Skyline. Happy to report, not a disappointment in the bunch. The spectacular harmonies of downhere shine through “How Many Kings” and Circleslide’s Gabe Martinez is equally quickly recognizable on the powerful “Jesus is Born.” The whole team comes together for the rousing closer “O Come Let Us Adore Him,” going out on a high note.

6.     Staci Frenes’ gently rootsy Wise Men & Angels is a beautiful blend of the organic and the sensitive. A sparkling EP that escaped my notice last year, but I’m making holiday amends with this inclusion.

7.     I didn’t expect to enjoy Love’s Holiday: A Gospel Christmas, from Time-Life Records, as much as I did, but the 14-track compilation is packed out with solid gospel offerings, as well as some surprising and satisfying mainstream contributors. Patti LaBelle belts out “Reason for the Season” and Alicia Keyes imbues “Little Drummer Girl” with warm jazz tones. And yes, that’s Whitney Houston closing things out with a classic rendition of “Joy To The World.”

8.     You don’t have to be a fan of country to enjoy Diamond Rio’s The Star Still Shines. I’ve always loved “Let It Snow,” but their tight musicianship brings the best out of the classic. And their harmonies on “Sleigh Ride” will immediately snag your attention. You’ll be surprised how much you enjoy their first Christmas album, country-lover or not. I’m tellin’ ya.

9.     Bebo Norman looks at Christmas from a variety of angles on Christmas: From the Realms of Glory, serving up a nice mix of earthy and ethereal in the process. With an approach both houghtful and deep, Bebo even manages to make “Go Tell It On the Mountain” meaningful, as well as covering Cat Stevens’ “The Rebel Jesus” with great intelligence. A significant Christmas album.

10.  Michael W. Smith’s third holiday album, It’s A Wonderful Christmas, features only one cover. Smitty shows off his significant composing skills here, featuring four different choirs and a 67-piece orchestra to bring his epic songs to life. If you like your holiday music on a grand scale, this one’s for you.

11.  Billed as a concept album, David Phelps’ One Wintry Night takes a theatrical approach to the holiday, with Phelps’ powerhouse vocals propelling the project through 15 dramatic tracks. The standout “Away In A Manger” is notable also for its soft approach, backed sweetly by a children’s choir.

12.  Good for background holiday sounds is the Christmas Joy edition of the Songs 4 Worship series. Pretty standard fare, other than Sara Groves’ delicate “Breath of Heaven” and “It Came Upon  Midnight Clear” from MercyMe.

A few more projects worthy of mention:

·         Jaci Velasquez’ Open House EP is only 3 tracks long, but the three songs are done well, (especially the lush “Auld Lang Syne”) and the EP includes a half hour interview with the popular artist.

·         Songs of the Season, from Randy Travis, showcases the artist’s surprising diversity. Maybe you already knew that; I didn’t.

·         Keith Cooper’s A Guitar’s Carol, features the virtuoso’s pristine guitar mastery on eleven Christmas classic.