Various Bethlehem Skyline Centricity Records Christmas 09-25-2007

SCORE 87%

Centricity happens to be a label covering artists I enjoy, so my expectations were high for this Christmas album. Happily, I was not disappointed. The eleven song disc serves up a sweet mix of holiday favorites, some of them re-fashioned, and originals, all of them delivered with great style and sincerity from a diverse mix of artists.

Those fabulous downhere vocals are immediately recognizable with the madly melodic opener “How Many Kings,” a sparkling consideration of the greatest Gift ever given. Gabe Martinez’ warm tones are equally distinct on Circleslide’s lilting “Jesus Is Born,” powerful in its simplicity. The soft rhythms and gentle acoustic guitar bear perfectly Jaime Jamgochian’s pure vocals on her traditional rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

Daniel Kirkley’s robust pipes take things in a different direction on a traditional and twinkling “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and a dramatic, nuanced cover of “What Child Is This.” Circleslide offer a nice mix of electric and acoustic on “Joy to the World,” and Jason Gray examines the story of Mary through a hush of gently acoustic, percussion-rich hues in Pierce Pettis’ “Miriam.” An album highlight is downhere’s warm and worshipful “Glory To God In The Highest,” vividly descriptive and rich in imagery. The entire Centricity team gathers for the rousing “O Come Let Us Adore Him,” a splashy and majestic closer to an engaging Christmas album.

Bottom line, Bethlehem Skyline offers a fresh and satisfying take on the holidays.