The new Christmas compilation, O Come All Ye Faithful, could have been easily called "Christmas with BEC recordings and Friends." Although many of BEC's best artists appear on the 12-track album, popular artists like Chris Tomlin and downhere do make appearances as well. The project consists of classic hymns with the exceptions of newer songs like "White Christmas" and "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas," along with even more recent tracks such as "This Is Christmas" and "How Many Kings."
That's not to say that the classics lack interest. New band The Museum offers a contemporary rock tale of "What Child Is This" while preserving the original tune. Likewise, Seventh day Slumber and Jadon Lavik add something of a chorus to "Away In A Manger" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel," respectively. Although Bebo Norman's guitar driven version of "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas" isn't a remarkable addition to the collection, "Joy To the World" is a charming, organic sounding rendition of the hymn. Jeremy Camp brings his always-solid vocals for the title track, and provides an easy highlight.
The lyrics of the hymns are widely known, but both downhere and Kutless have created some modern, thoughtful pop rock songs. Armed with a catchy refrain, "How Many Kings" humbly wonders: "How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?/How many lords have abandoned their homes?" Frustrated at the subtraction of Jesus at Christmastime, the singer on "This Is Christmas" states "It's all about the savior wrapped in the manger."
Listening to both Bing Crosby and Jeremy Camp back-to-back on the radio in December can have disastrous effects, but purchasing individual albums by artists can occasionally be unfulfilling since there can be a lack of diversity in that particular Christmas project. With the O Come All Ye Faithful compilation, you have a surprisingly strong selection of songs that can be listened to completely at Christmas time without skipping tracks. You may have already heard some of the songs on the radio before or on the individual artist's own projects, but this is still a fine holiday collection.
Writer's note: The tracklisting for the physical copy and the digital copy are not completely congruent.
- Review date: 11/15/10, written by Nathaniel Schexnayder of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Delilah Welcomes for KING and COUNTRY's Luke Smallbone to Popular Podcast Wed, 15 May 2024 14:30:00 EST |
RCA Inspiration Celebrates 15 Nominations for 39th Stellar Awards Wed, 15 May 2024 12:30:00 EST |
Millennial Reign Releases Lyric Video for New Single, "Wandering" Wed, 15 May 2024 12:20:00 EST |
Rapper Damac Pays Homage to His Mom with Powerful New Concept Album For "Mama Mac" Wed, 15 May 2024 12:10:00 EST |
JRA Heads Into Its 40th Year Of Serving Today's Christian Artists and Speakers Tue, 14 May 2024 14:10:00 EST |
Skillet's Seth Morrison and Wife Announce Pregnancy Tue, 14 May 2024 14:05:00 EST |
Redemption Praise Unveils the Heartfelt Story Behind Single, "Jesus" Tue, 14 May 2024 13:30:00 EST |
New Studies Link Improved Mental Health to Use of Digitally-Delivered Faith and Prayer Thu, 02 May 2024 20:42:48 +0000 |
DAD TIRED FOUNDER JERRAD LOPES EXPANDS POPULAR MINISTRY WITH DEBUT CHILDREN’S TITLE Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:07:46 +0000 |
“Anything Goes” by Andrew Kerhoulas of Brother K Thu, 04 Apr 2024 02:54:00 +0000 |