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7/18/2008
CD Review: Big Daddy Weave - What Life Would Be Like
Cles Holbrook
12/4/2007
CD Review: MercyMe - All That is Within Me
Ellie Carpenter

CD Review: Bebo Norman - Christmas from the Realms of Glory
Jaymey Hardin
11/6/2007
CD Review: Tree63 - Sunday!
Christine Blundred
10/30/2007
CD Review: Sara Groves - Tell Me What You Know
Elizabeth Chan
10/25/2007
CD Review: Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs
Suzie Waltner
10/23/2007
CD Review: Steven Curtis Chapman - This Moment
Dan Taylor
10/23/2007
CD Review: David Crowder Band - Remedy
Suzie Waltner
10/23/2007
CD Review: Connersvine
Dan Taylor
10/17/2007
CD Review: Sevenglory - Atmosphere
Christine Blundred
10/11/2007
CD Review: Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us
Dan Taylor
10/3/2007
CD Review: Grey Holiday – Glorious Revolution
Ben Olin of This Beautiful Republic
10/3/2007
CD Review: Fee - We Shine
Ben Olin of This Beautiful Republic
10/2/2007
CD Review: Phil Wickham – Cannons
Mark Warren
10/1/2007
CD Review: Building 429 – Iris to Iris
Christine Blundred
9/26/2007
CD Review: BarlowGirl - How Can We Be Silent
Sparky from Kentucky
8/28/2007
CD Review: Shane & Shane - Pages
-Aaron Chambers
8/28/2007
CD Review: Casting Crowns - The Altar and the Door
-Aaron Chambers
8/28/2007
CD Review: Caedmon's Call - Overdressed
-Ryan Hicks
7/31/2007
CD Review: Mandisa
7/30/2007
CD Review: Jake Smith
Jonathan Diaz
7/24/2007
CD Review: BarlowGirl - How Can We Be Silent?
7/17/2007
CD Review: MxPx
6/30/2007
CD Review: Project 86
Jonathan
7/1/2007
CD Review: Storyside:B
Jonathan
6/30/2007
CD Review: Ruth
Jonathan
6/27/2007
CD Review: Mike Farris
Jonathan
6/19/2007
David Crowder talks about "Remedy"
jamie
5/29/2007
CD Review: Rush of Fools
5/23/2007
CD Review: The Showdown - Temptation Come My Way
Cameron
5/16/2007
CD Review: Newsboys GO Remixed
Elizabeth Chan
5/15/2007
CD Review: Everyday Sunday - Wake Up! Wake Up!
Ellie Carpenter
5/10/2007
CD Review: Dizmas - Tension
Joe
4/17/2007
CD Review: Vicky Beeching; Painting the Invisible
Grace
4/2/2007
CD Review: Bethany Dillon- Waking Up
Joe
2/22/2007
CD Review: tobyMac - Portable Sounds
Grace
2/22/2007
CD Review: tobyMac - Portable Sounds
Timothy Gerst
12/20/2006
CD Review: GRITS - Redemption
Timothy Gerst
12/20/2006
CD Review: Third Day - Christmas Offerings
Elizabeth Chan
12/15/2006
CD Review: Michael W. Smith - Stand
12/6/2006
CD Review: Unexpected Gifts: 12 New Sounds of Christmas
Elizabeth Chan
12/4/2006
CD Review: Kutless - Live From Portland
Aaron Chambers
12/4/2006
CD Review: Avalon - Faith: A Hymns Collection
Aaron Chambers
11/7/2006
CD review: Michael W. Smith - Stand
Suzie Waltner
10/11/2006
cd review: Chris Tomlin - See The Morning
10/6/2006
cd review: Falling Up - Exit Lights
8/23/2006
CD Review: Day of Fire - Cut and Move
Jessica Robin
8/18/2006
CD Review: Hillsong - Mighty to Save
John Brandon
8/15/2006
CD Review: Turn Off the Stars -
Brett Wier
6/28/2006
CD Review: Jason Morant - Open
Robert W. Blake
6/19/2006
CD Review: David Crowder Band - B Collision: The Eschatology of Bluegrass
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: Day of Fire - Cut and Move
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: Red - End of Silence
Jeremy Koering
6/6/2006
CD Review: The Turning - Learning To Lose
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Brenton Brown - Everlasting God
John Brandon
5/24/2006
CD Review: Building 429 - Rise
Kelly O'Neil
5/24/2006
CD Review: Run Kid Run - This is Who We Are
John Brandon
5/24/2006
CD Review: Hyper Static Union - Lifegiver
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Hawk Nelson - Smile, It's the End of the World
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Elventyseven - Land of Fake Will Believe
Jeremy Koering
5/24/2006
CD Review: Starfield - Beauty in the Broken
Jeremy Koering
3/23/2006
CD Review: Kutless - The Hearts Of The Innocent
John Brandon
3/13/2006
CD Review: Lonely Hearts - Paper Tapes
John Brandon
3/10/2006
CD Review: Caedmon's Call - In The Company Of Angels II
3/3/2006
Review: Shawn McDonald - Ripen
John Brandon

Review: Caedmon's Call - In The Company Of Angels: The World Will Sing
Jeremy Koering

Review: Ana Laura - Ana Laura
Jeremy Koering

Review: Warren Barfield - Reach
Jeremy Koering
3/3/2006
Review: Sanctus Real - The Face Of Love
Jeremy Koering
3/3/2006
Review: needtobreathe - Daylight
John Brandon
3/3/2006
Review: Mainstay - Well Meaning Fiction
John Brandon
3/3/2006
Review: The Fold - This Too Shall Pass
John Brandon

Review: Rebecca St. James - If I Had One Chance To Tell You
John Brandon
3/21/2006
CD Review: Kutless - The Hearts of the Innocent
Jeremy Koering
CD Review: Jars of Clay - Christmas Songs - Suzie Waltner - 10/25/2007

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is pulling out all of my Christmas albums and listening to them as the weather gets crisper. Over the years, traditional favorites have combined with a few new songs that have become favorites (think “Breath of Heaven” and “The Christmas Shoes”). Jars of Clay’s Christmas Songs does the same thing, there are favorites on the album such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” and new songs for listeners to add to their list of favorites.

The album focuses more on showcasing the band’s harmonies and vocals than driving instrumental music. Christmas Songs may actually seem a little somber at first but this may be the perfect album to put on when the snow begins to fall, there’s a fire in the fireplace and you just want to sit and relax.

After the album opens with the very short instrumental “The Gift of St. Cecilia,” the band jumps right into the Paul McCartney classic “Wonderful Christmastime.” The familiar favorite is followed by a Christina Rosetti poem set to a traditional Irish Melody “Love Came Down at Christmas.”

While the words may be familiar, the re-vamped melody for “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is very well done and makes the song very haunting. Original songs on the album include “Hibernation Day,” which is a light, upbeat song reminiscent of such favorites as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside:” “Winter Skin,” which is really the same line repeated over and over again but very soothing and peaceful; and “In the Bleak Midwinter” (another Christina Rosetti poem) is almost a lullaby.

The only disappointment (for me) on the album was “Drummer Boy.” While close to the version the band put out several years ago (which is my favorite version of the song), it was not quite the same but this version does keep with the sound of the overall album better.

If you are looking for a new Christmas album to rock out to, this is not the one to buy. But, if you are looking for something a little more classic to add to your collection, to use as background music for a Christmas party or to use for those few quiet, meditative days you may have this winter, this is definitely a Christmas album for you.

Suzie Waltner