Michael W. Smith It's A Wonderful Christmas Reunion Records Christmas 10-16-2007

SCORE 84%

Michael W. applies his significant composing skills to his favorite season with the new holiday offering It’s A Wonderful Christmas. The eleven track project, actually his third holiday album, features only one cover, the classic “What Child Is This?” Smitty makes use of four choirs to create these epic Christmas songs, among  them a 100-voice choir and a 16-member London boys choir, as well as a 67-piece orchestra recorded at famed Abbey Road studios in London. If you like your Christmas music on a grand, cinematic scale, It’s A Wonderful Christmas is the holiday album for you.

Theatrical fanfare opens “Christmas Angels,” the childrens choir calling listeners to the holiday celebration. The grand title track, again dramatic and theatrical, features sweeping movements alternating with short bursts of staccato rhythms, effective and very Babes in Toyland.  An emotive piano and thick symphonic strings beautifully support Smith’s deeply worshipful vocals on standout track, “The Promise.”

Mandisa joins Smith on “Christmas Day,” along with a children’s choir, and together they come across like a Disney theme, which in this case is a positive. Bagpipes and a pennywhistle open gorgeous instrumental “A Highland Carol,” before heading out to a big finish, and the majestic “Sing Noel, Sing Hallelujah” features lots of brass and soaring vocals. “Son of God” is thick with wonder, while the lovely keys of “Audrey’s Gift” are beautiful in their simplicity. The string-heavy closer “All Year Long” makes a plea for the spirit of Christmas to last throughout the year.  Michael W. Smith has created a unique Christmas album sure to please lovers of big, epic music in It’s A Wonderful Christmas.