Artist Info:Discography Album length: 13 tracks: 50 minutes, 37 seconds Street Date: October 10, 2006
Christmas records are many times strictly hit or miss efforts. Those who grew up with their
own Christmas traditions associate different things and, in this case, different sounds with what
carries that true "Christmas feeling." In an attempt to modernize some Christmas classics, artists
can often completely lose the essence of that feeling, while some tend to successfully retain enough
of it while giving it their own personal touch. Atlanta-based mega act Third Day adds a third
installment to their Offerings series in the form of their first seasonal project,
Christmas Offerings.
Making their seasonal project part of the Offerings series has mixed results right off the
bat. Each of the three Offerings records follows the format of new studio recordings making up
the core of the album with a handful of live recordings added to the mix. The end product is varied
and not necessarily unified. But this can be good and bad. Considering how not many artists have
live Christmas records, Third Day immediately has an advantage by bringing that unique element to
Christmas Offerings. At first, the live versions feel sorely out of place among the studio
productions, but when the live audience breaks out into a chorus of "Silent Night," it captures that
beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service ambience that I've never heard in a recording before.
So while it may be somewhat awkward at times to be flip-flopping between the studio sessions and live
selections, the highlights still exist.
But the other downside to the live recordings presented here is that, previously, nearly every
live track on the Offerings records appeared in studio form on another project. Here, this isn't the case. If
there's a live song here, a polished rendition isn't available elsewhere (with the exception
of "Do You Hear What I Hear" which has a studio version on WOW Christmas (Red)). It's in this
case, that I kind of wished the band had chosen to split this into two separate discs - a full, studio
Christmas recording, and perhaps a bonus live EP tossed in for good measure. You can't go wrong with
a setup like that.
Regardless, Christmas Offerings is a wonderful Holiday record. In addition to the classics,
the Atlanta boys provide a few originals. These tracks include "Born In Bethlehem," "Jesus Light of the World,"
a delightfully sentimental live rendition of "Christmas Like A Child," and the truly instant classic and
album closer, "Merry Christmas." It's the latter that possesses the most heart and passion, with the song
coming to a grand resolution to wrap up the record. The other originals are some of the better modern
Christmas tracks you'll hear, but time can only tell their endurance. Finally, Third Day's
signature spin on our seasonal favorites are well-done and worthy of repeat listens around this special
time of year.
A fun and unique Christmas offering, Third Day's debut seasonal record has its grand high moments
despite feeling a little random with its mix of live and studio recordings. All in all, I think I can
confidently say I will be adding Third Day's Christmas Offering to my seasonal collection along
with the best of them.
- Review date: 10/7/06, written by John DiBiase
Record Label:Essential Records Album length: 13 tracks, 50 minutes and 37 seconds
Street Date: October 10, 2006
Buy It:JfH Music Store
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