They other day, I was out Christmas shopping and I decided to take a quick look in the Christian bookstore for some new CD's. I came across this one in the Christmas section and I'd heard it was pretty good, so I figured for 6.99, I might as well pick it up.
Happy Christmas starts off with the O.C. Supertones (one of my favorite bands) and their version of "Joy To The World." Easily becoming one of my favorite songs on the project, it has a good, catchy ska rhythm and a strong horns section. A couple songs later, Chasing Furies performs their slower but still effection version of "O Come Emmanuel," a good and slow rendition that sounds very much like a hymn. Now fast forward a couple songs to the upbeat Five Iron Frenzy song "You Gotta Get Up." This is an original song, written by the late Rich Mullins, with good horns and great guitar, and of course, great vocals by Reese Roper. Seven Day Jesus offers there worship-flavored version of "O Holy Night" which features a solid guitar riff that carries the song. Switchfoot's original song "Evergreen," which is probably my favorite song on Happy Christmas, is overall very catchy, just like any classic Switchfoot song. The punk band The Huntingtons have their original "It's Always Christmas at My House," a song that intrigued me to hear a punk band play Christmas music. The compilation closes with the song "Saviour Of The Fools" by Puller, which is a slow song that ends the album on a perfect note.
All in all, Happy Christmas is a good CD, well worth seven bucks and is probably worth the full retail price. If you see this album, pick it up. Happy Christmas is basically for anyone who likes good, modern Christmas music.
JFH Reader Review: Review date: 12/11/05, written by William Jones for Jesusfreakhideout.com