WOW Christmas Green.....Fantastic.....

[PaulDA]

OK, I just got the album in the mail from CBD and of course I listened first to RSJ's 'Hark The Herald Angels'. I love the way she can revamp a song, change it a bit and make it her own. She repeats, 'Hark the herald angels sing' three times in the chorus and it works majestically.

Then I checked out BarlowGirl's version of my all time favorite Christmas song, 'O Holy Night'. I can't even begin to tell you how fantastic their version is. They do a rock version of the song, which could have been a disaster if not handled well, but fear not, they pull it off flawlessly. Their harmonies are angelic in scope. I may even end up liking their version more than RSJ's version on her 1997 Christmas album.

Now I'm listening to the rest of the album in order.
Here is my take on the rest of the songs:

Amy's ' A Christmas To Remember' is fun and enjoyable. She sets off the alum wonderfully. Amy Grant is a treasure and her voice is full of the joy of the Lord. She kicks it into gear but keeps it mellow at the same time. I love the Nat King Cole line!

Now on to Natalie's 'Joy To The World'. It starts out slow and soulful then BAM it hits high gear and goes into a funky soul groove! Hey, Hit me OWWWW.
I LOVE it!

After RSJ's song comes SCC singing 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem'. Very quiet and spare, just the right arrangement for this type of ballad. Steven has a very nice slightly raspy voice. I love the way he sings this song.

Next comes 'O Come All Ye Faithful' by Toby Mac. Interesting. It is done in a reggae type of style that I didn't like at first but that is growing on me as I listen. Not my favorite style, but fans of Toby will love it. I also like the fact that he has a raspy voice, it compliments the style well.

Ok, now we have Zoegirl 'What Child Is This'. Nice arrangement with strings! And what also sounds a bit like a mandolin or at the very least, some Latin guitar licks. I wonder who is singing lead? Do they switch sometimes? Very melodic and satisfying.

After that is 'The Christmas Shoes' by Newsong. What can I say? Everyone knows this song. And it seems people either adore it or can't stand it. I LOVE this song. It may well be my favorite Christmas song of all time and it makes me cry every time I hear it which is why I'm going to skip it right now and go on to:

Jaci Velasquez's 'I'll Be Home For Christmas'. Whoa. Starts off jazzy. Pretty cool. Sounds like something from the 1940's Big Band era. She has a very nice voice, not to powerful, not to weak. Not too many singers could sing like this and sound just as good as the singers from the '40's but Jaci does. You go girl!

Now we have 'Angels We Have Heard On High' from Chris Tomlin. It is an acoustic setting, very quietly worshipful. This would be nice to listen to in front of a roaring fire with a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows in it and sip it contentedly while thinking about our Lord.

Next is Jars Of Clay singing 'Little Drummer Boy'. I like the way it starts off. They are doing their own thing!! No copying other versions. I like that! Nice interplay between drums and qui tar, and now the music kicks up a notch (as Emmeril would say ). Nice Latin influenced guitar interplay. Their harmony, as always, is on the money. Oh my, now they kicked up another notch! Nice bass work here.

Now we get to Casting Crowns 'Away In A Manger'. Nice start with violins and some sort of chunking drum sound that fits in very well. Oh, here come the females! Great harmonies. The violins now sound like Scottish music something like Robin Mark would play. Very nice touch.

Third day's 'Oh Come, O Come Emmanuel' is next. Nice funky beat to start off. Reminds me of Tower Of power (of course who remind me of Mr. JB ). I'm not a big fan of Mac's voice, but he rocks it out here. Nothing wrong with rejoicing in the Lord! Go ahead guys!

Skipping BarlowGirl, we get to 'Don't Save It All For Christmas Day' by Avalon. Nice piano intro, slow and full of sound. I wish i knew who was who when they solo. I wonder if that is Janna singing solo? Whoever it is wonderful! Full voice and soulful. Nice background, sounds like a choir. Avalon is cool!

To end the first disc, we have Cece singing 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas'. great sax intro with the funky beat. Nice horn arrangements. Sounds like something my man Mr. Brown would arrange. I love Cece and I love this version. Get down! Good God! (Yes He is ) I wonder if this is a new recording or is on Cece's Christmas album? I have to find out.

Alright folks, on to disc #2:

We start of with Joy Williams singing 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'. It starts off with a very mellow mixture of instruments. I like the way she says 'Christmice'.... She has a higher voice than Natalie, and i like her sound very much. The strings in this song are beyond awesome. They compliment her voice well, and it brings back memories of Christmas albums i heard as a child from the 1950's and early sixties. I like the way that Joy actually holds a note for a long time and doesn't try to do vocal gymnastics.

Now comes 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' by Bethany Dill ion. I wonder if she helped arrange this? Nice guitar intro, very jazzy. I love her voice. I definitely have to get one of her albums. I can't believe she is only 17. What a vocal maturity and poise on this young lady! I like what seems to be her trademark of pausing in the middle of a word, "Fa..ah..ther". She did that on her Narnia song also. I know she play guitar, and is that her doing the solo? Thoroughly enjoyable, one of my favorites on the album so far.

'Welcome To Our World' from MWS is next. The piano intro is supplemented by strings, sets off the mood very well. Then the music starts and it reminds me for a second of 'the Christmas Shoes'. I see this song was written by Chris Rice. I've never heard the original Rice version, but Michael does it very well. This is one of those songs you listen to, close your eyes and maybe tear up a bit and think of who Jesus really is.

On to 'Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow' by Matthew West. Nice guitar intro, then it starts off very traditional. A sparse guitar riff and Matthew's soothing vocals. Not one of my favorites on the album, but for those who like Christmas songs sung traditionally, you will welcome his version.

Oh, here comes Clay Aiken singing 'Mary Did You Know?' I haven't heard much from Clay recently so this is a nice unexpected pleasure. He starts out in a low key that compliments the arrangement. Sounds like something Rich Mullins would have written. He hits some big notes here. Very well done Mr. Aiken. (are you reading this Clayboybunny? )

'Jingle Bell Rock' is next by Point Of Grace, and what a cool version it is! Sounds like something from the fifties, with superb musical accompaniment and super tight vocal harmonies. I see why they have so many hit singles! Hats off to whoever arranged this because this is one of the finest arrangements for this style of music I have ever heard in my 49 plus years on this earth!

Next is 'We Three Kings' by Building 429. stars off with a funky melodic rock beat. I like the vocal. They are doing what I love, doing their own thing, not copying anyone else's version!! The lead singer sounds slightly like Mac Powell to me but I like his voice much more. I keep reading how some folks don't like them, but after hearing this song and their song on the Message CD, I don't understand why they get bashed. They sound very nice to me.

Now comes 'It Came Upon A Midnight Clear' from Kutless, another much maligned band. There version starts out with a crisp clean guitar riff, and the lead singer segues in nicely. Nice female back up singing. Are they a part of the band? I like Kutless because they don't pretend to be something they are not. No fancyshmacy or pretentious lyrics or music, they just play rock and roll as well as anyone else out there. Well done.

'Deck The Halls' is next from Relient K. Stars off with a punk riff. Oh boy, I'll have to get used to this!!
Very fast punkish version! They pull it off though! I have to be fair because if that was RSJ doing the same arrangement and style I would love it. The only strange thing is it's only 1:19 long!!

Our next song is 'Go Tell It On The Mountain' by Big Daddy Weave. Now they really change the arrangement from the traditional song!! Nice reggae influenced arrangement. I'll have to listen to this a few times before I decide how much I like it, but from my initial listen I think I will like it as it grows on me.

Here comes 'Silent Night' by Selah. Very pretty piano and string opening. The song is sung traditionally, but the piano throughout makes it very special and unique. Then the strings pop back in and they do some cool harmonizing. Towards the end it gets really soulful! They sing most if not all of the verses too, which doesn't happen much, taking into account from all the versions I have heard over the years.

'Feliz Navidad' is next from The David Crowder Band. Sounds like a Latin influence in the music. Very crisp and bright sound. This type of song makes you want to get up and jump around and just have a good time in the Lord. Nice percussion, and a beautiful trumpet solo in the middle of the song.

Next is 'the First Noel' by Mark Schultz. Starts off like a waltz with strings. Then Mark starts to sing the song in a nice traditional way. The choir or back up singers come in and then they all sing together. Now comes a soothing acoustic type guitar along with the vocals. I'm not the biggest fan of Mark's voice, but his fans should like this version.

FFH is next with 'Do You Hear What I Hear'. A fantastic drum beat opens up the song! Just that and some piano to begin. I love it! Now comes the flowing rock guitar and the ladies com in singing together.
(How many are there?) The male lead singer comes back in, then there is a rocking guitar solo.
This is a fantastic version! He goes into a higher gear and here comes the ladies back in. More intricate guitar work and then it's over. Well done!

Last is Jump5 with 'Sleigh Ride'. Starts off nice, mostly traditional with some different percussion work. Nice tight harmonies. The style is a bit teenish for me, but they are very good at what they do. Is this one of the songs that is going to be on their new Christmas album?

Well, that's it folks. Overall, this is one fantastic album, as a matter of fact it is by far the best Christmas compilation album I have ever heard! Go buy this immediately and enjoy!

[Aaron]

Definitely will be ignoring this one because of the appearances of Jump5, Barlow Girl, Casting Crowns, ZOEGirl, Avalon, RSJ, Building 429, Kutless, Point of Grace, and FFH.  


They could have done away with one whole disc and just given us one quality disc.  WOW, What a ripoff!

[worldofcm]

"Don't Save It All For Christmas Day" by Avalon is Jody McBrayer singing lead.

[dgp11776]

Barlow Girl, Avalon, Kutless, Point of Grace.  
 

What a shame...because 3 of those songs are spectacular, and Kutless is quite good as well.

[PaulDA]

Definitely will be ignoring this one because of the appearances of Jump5, Barlow Girl, Casting Crowns, ZOEGirl, Avalon, RSJ, Building 429, Kutless, Point of Grace, and FFH. 


They could have done away with one whole disc and just given us one quality disc.  WOW, What a ripoff!

Are you just in a contrary mood lately?  
You need a good squirt in the face with the water pistol I chase my cat with! :bosh:
Rebecca's version is fantastic to me and BarlowGirl's version is the best I have ever heard.
To me, everyone you mentioned had superb renditions except for Jump5, which was a little too teen pop for me.

[PaulDA]

"Don't Save It All For Christmas Day" by Avalon is Jody McBrayer singing lead.

I just found that out! He has a high voice doesn't he? 8-)
Very good though!

[Brenden]

Now comes 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' by Bethany Dill ion. I wonder if she helped arrange this? Nice guitar intro, very jazzy. I love her voice. I definitely have to get one of her albums. I can't believe she is only 17. What a vocal maturity and poise on this young lady! I like what seems to be her trademark of pausing in the middle of a word, "Fa..ah..there". She did that on her Narnia song also. I know she play guitar, and is that her doing the solo? Thoroughly enjoyable, one of my favorites on the album so far.

I heard this song, loved it.

[worldofcm]

Definitely will be ignoring this one because of the appearances of Jump5, Barlow Girl, Casting Crowns, ZOEGirl, Avalon, RSJ, Building 429, Kutless, Point of Grace, and FFH.  


They could have done away with one whole disc and just given us one quality disc.  WOW, What a ripoff!

Yeah, cause none of those artists could ever possibly make a good song...

Come on already Aaron...

[Brenden]

No fancyshmacy or pretentious lyrics or music

Oh, and this attitude bugs the heck out of me.

[PaulDA]

Oh, and this attitude bugs the heck out of me.

Why? Many people like things simple yet profound, uncluttered by way out thoughts and ideas. When I pick up a Christian CD, for the most part, I want the lyrics to be up front and straight forward. I may enjoy some so-called 'deep' lyrics, and I love good quality arrangements, but I don't want to always have to ponder what an artist means in a song for three days and then come to a conclusion that may not even be correct!

That's the way I am with authors and movies and tv shows. Keep it simple, have a straight ahead approach and entertain me or ecucate me, but don't try to obfuscate everything with confusing approaches.

[Brenden]

Why? Many people like things simple yet profound, uncluttered by way out thoughts and ideas. When i pick up a Christian CD, for the most part, I want the lyrics to be up front and staright forward. I may enjoy the occasional so-called 'deep' lyric, but that is just not my cup of tea. I don't want to have to ponder what an artist means in a song for three days and then come to a conclusion that may not even be correct!

That's the way I am with authors and movies and tv shows. Keep it simple, have a straight ahead approach and entertain me or ecucate me, but don't try to obfiscate everything with confusing approaches.

I don't like being s*poon-fed, I grew up, I want meat!

I can't stand it when an artist (like Kutless) waters down their lyrics just to make it simpler. Give me something to chew on! Not everyone has to be Andrew Bird or Sufjan Stevens, but at least go beyond shallow lyrics and give me something personal that I can use to be encouraged by.

And anyway, I enjoy having to think about a song, it makes me go back and listen more, and anyway, a song means that which you take from it, regardless of what the artists intent was.

Simple can be deep, so for all the people making simple music, make some effort into going deeper, it's the only way anybody's gonna grow.

[PaulDA]

^I don't buy that 'Christian handbook' standard line of "In order to grow I need to stop eating baby food and eat meat*. If I live to be 100, I am going to like Rebecca St. james as my favorite Christian artist.   You're not going to get me to like Nichole Nordeman more, I don't care if I become the next Billy Graham!  
Christian songs are basically there to entertain us and help us to worship Jesus.
You don't have to like more and more elaborate lyrics as you get older! Spiritual maturity is how you treat others and what you do for Jesus, not what style of music you listen to. Jesus loves ALL worship, whether it is simple or complicated.

[PaulDA]

And anyway, I enjoy having to think about a song, it makes me go back and listen more, and anyway, a song means that which you take from it, regardless of what the artists intent was.

I can see your point here. Anyway, it is up to the individual what type of songs they like.

[Brenden]

I can see your point here. Anyway, it is up to the individual what type of songs they like.

Oh yeah, totally, but when someone who prefers simple songs writes off more complex songs as being inferior, that bugs me. Because I don't write off simple songs, only watered down, trite songs.

[PaulDA]

Oh yeah, totally, but when someone who prefers simple songs writes off more complex songs as being inferior, that bugs me. Because I don't write off simple songs, only watered down, trite songs.

Oh, don't misunderstand me! I'm not saying complex songs are inferior!
They more than likely are technically much better than many of the songs I like, from a critical vantage point.
I am just speaking for myself, saying what I enjoy.
Does that clear it up a bit?

[Brenden]

Oh, don't misunderstand me! I'm not saying complex songs are inferior!
They more than likely are technically much better than many of the songs I like, from a critical vantage point.
I am just speaking for myself, saying what I enjoy.
Does that clear it up a bit?

Yes, and that's quite alright then.

[AldaForPresident]

Yeah, cause none of those artists could ever possibly make a good song...

Well, I really don't think FFH could, but the rest of them, maybe.

To answer your FFH question, Paul, there's only one girl in the group. Three guys and one girl. Shut up, Mike Janke.

[PaulDA]

Shut up, Mike Janke.

Why did you say that?
Is that an inside joke?  

[AldaForPresident]

Why did you say that?
Is that an inside joke?

Mike enjoys bringing up my dark musical past. Luckily he's got the Carrie Underwood album to occupy him, or he would've been here by now.

[plumb_fan]

Definitely will be ignoring this one because of the appearances of Jump5, Barlow Girl, Casting Crowns, ZOEGirl, Avalon, RSJ, Building 429, Kutless, Point of Grace, and FFH. 


They could have done away with one whole disc and just given us one quality disc.  WOW, What a ripoff!

Yeah, cause none of those artists could ever possibly make a good song...

Come on already Aaron...

I agree with WoCM Wanderer.  Even though I loathe most of the mentioned artists studio work, some of the songs on the album are solid.

As mentioned in the Christmas album thread, I love Kutless's take on "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear."  I daresay it's the most creative thing they've done musically.  I know I was a bit harsh on B429 in that thread as well, but the song has grown on me.  I actually like they way they structured in more of a pop song format.  I just wish they hadn't made 2 verses into 3.

The RSJ song is good as well.  And while I prefer the MercyMe version, Zoegirl's "What Child is This?" isn't bad at all.

Like I said in the other thread, this isn't the most ground-breaking stuff (far from it).  For the type of music though, I think it works very well.  I feel like I could sit around with a couple of friends and jam this stuff out.  That's the kind of Christmas music I like.

[Aaron]

[worldofcm]

Well, I really don't think FFH could, but the rest of them, maybe.

To answer your FFH question, Paul, there's only one girl in the group. Three guys and one girl. Shut up, Mike Janke.

LOL.  Fangirl.

[worldofcm]

Definitely will be ignoring this one because of the appearances of Jump5, Barlow Girl, Casting Crowns, ZOEGirl, Avalon, RSJ, Building 429, Kutless, Point of Grace, and FFH. 


They could have done away with one whole disc and just given us one quality disc.  WOW, What a ripoff!

Yeah, cause none of those artists could ever possibly make a good song...

Come on already Aaron...

im sorry................didnt know I had to kiss the industry's ass and like what they give me.

Where did I say that again?

All I'm saying is that no matter how much you may hate to admit it - there are times when these artists are capable of putting out quality music.

[dgp11776]

im sorry................didnt know I had to kiss the industry's ass and like what they give me.

He's such a happy, bubbly man.

[AldaForPresident]

Well, I really don't think FFH could, but the rest of them, maybe.

To answer your FFH question, Paul, there's only one girl in the group. Three guys and one girl. Shut up, Mike Janke.

LOL.  Fangirl.

Oh, tell me YOU didn't know that. That's what I thought.

[murlough23]

First of all, Paul, that was a good in-depth review. I don't know if you entirely know what you're talking about in terms of musical styles (Jars of Clay? Latin? What the... ?), but you addressed every song and you were honest and detailed. I'm proud.

Secondly, I'm gonna have to side with Brenden on the lyrics issue. You probably knew that already. That issue doesn't enter into your review of this album, since obviously these are covers of Christmas songs written by other people, and it's usually better to not change the source material even if it is extremely trite (Feliz Navidad, anyone?)

I would caution you not to disparage what you don't understand. People who write more complex/poetic lyrics are not doing so to try and confuse people. They're doing so because that's the language that comes to them, without having to resort to a bunch of borrowed phrases and subculture lingo used by others. If each person is made unique, then it stands to reason that we're not all going to use the same language to worship God and/or talk about our relationships with God. Furthermore, I don't think our aim should be to make every song we write immediately understandable. Not everything in the Bible is immediately understandable. God has us wrestle with the meanings of things from time to time; it's natural that the art He inspires His children to create will sometimes do that as well. Some things aren't understood very well until they are experienced. And some forms of songwriting emphasize a mood or an esoteric concept over direct, linear meaning. That's the beauty of art. If we want clear instructions and primers on basic theology, we shouldn't be looking to a creative medium such as music to get that.

At the end of the day, it's fine to enjoy simple stuff, but I'd warn you strongly against sticking to that and being afraid to venture out into what is more complex and not so easily defined. Willingness to exngage that which is more complex is a good part of the maturing process, I think. The music itself won't mature you, but I think it's a good exercise. With a lot of Christians, I've noticed that the way they approach their music has an uncanny tendency to reflect the way they approach their lives. Those who are willing to engage that which makes them uncomfortable in life and not try to sum it up in bite-size platitudes will probably not be satisfied with music that tries to do that. So if a music fan is fully satisfied with only simplistic music that tells them what they already know, I'm going to assume that reflects on their spiritual maturity as well. Sure, it's only music. But you'd be surprised how something as seemingly inconsequential as a bunch of catchy songs can influence our thinking.

[murlough23]

All I'm saying is that no matter how much you may hate to admit it - there are times when these artists are capable of putting out quality music.

What you're saying is fair. No matter how much I hate an artist, I'll always give them another chance to surprise me. Granted, I generally wouldn't expect it on an album of covers of holiday classics (because even when artists innovate on such well-known songs, I often still hate it and that's just my own personal thing). But you know what, I don't want to be uninformed when I speak up with a negative opinion on a band, because if Kutless suddenly puts out a really solid fourth album, and I don't bother listening to it and I go on dissing the group, and somebody asks me if I've actually sat down and listened to their music lately, I'm not gonna have a leg to stand on, am I?

Plus One positively surprised me. ZOEgirl positively surprised me. So did 38th Parallel. Kutless... well, I like a song or two, and that's more than I expected. When something's really bad, I'll take great pleasure in skewering it, but at the same time, I also genuinely love finding a quality song even in the worst of musical wastelands. Just because somebody hasn't done much of anything right so far doesn't mean that they never can. Always keep an open mind.

[PaulDA]

(Jars of Clay? Latin? What the... ?).....

To me, the music had a tinge of Latin sound to it.
Have you heard the song?

Thanks for the 'proud' compliment. It means more coming from you than from most.

As to the rest of your post, duly noted, and I will continue to try and venture out a bit more.
I guess I get defensive because it seems that many people who like more complex songs tend to put down the other stuff and I feel I have to defend it.
Almost like they stick their noses up at the more direct songs.
That's why I bristle sometimes. I feel if I embrace the other stuff the other people will still call the stuff I like inferior.

[murlough23]

To me, the music had a tinge of Latin sound to it.
Have you heard the song?

I've owned their Drummer Boy EP for about 10 years now, so assuming they put the same version of the song on there, then yeah, I've heard it. it's not Latin. Everything else you described makes it sound like the same version, though. Keep in mind that I live in L.A. and hear a lot of Hispanic people playing Latin music from their cars or whatever, so I don't think anything with a certain acoustic guitar strum pattern is automatically Latin, any more than having steel guitars automatically makes something "country" or having programmed beats makes it "techno".

As to the rest of your post, duly noted, and I will continue to try and venture out a bit more.
I guess I get defensive because it seems that many people who like more complex songs tend to put down the other stuff and I feel I have to defend it.
Almost like they stick their noses up at the more direct songs.
That's why I bristle sometimes. I feel if I embrace the other stuff the other people will still call the stuff I like inferior.

I don't think that everything I like is at the same level of artistic integrity. bloop and I have had many discussions about groups I like that aren't particularly innovative, but I still think they make solid music. I'm not afraid to admit that I have some simple pleasures, too - but I acknowledge that that's what they are, and I do wish those artists would strive for more, even if I'm OK with what they're doing now. Eventually, an artist has to grow. Unfortunately, we have an industry climate that doesn't encourage that - it encourages playing it safe. I expect that comfort zone mentality (do what's most familiar to people and it'll sell) from the mainstream, but not from Christians.

And as Brenden has pointed out, there's a difference between simple and trite. We might have differing opinions on what is simple vs. what is trite. Sometimes even the complex stuff can be trite, if it's just being done to mimic someone else who is popular or critically acclaimed or whatever. There are reflections on simple truths (and many of the truths of the Gospel are quite simple, though not all of them are, and we certainly shouldn't view everything in life as being simple), and then there are trite reflections or more complex truths that don't do justice to those truths - they gloss over them in ways that I often find insulting. It's the whole pop psychology, "Tell everybody eberything's OK" type of concept that has wormed its way into modern Christian thinking. Either that or the opposite end of the spectrum - the "Make snap judgments on everything" mentality, sure to get a rise out of a crowd when you make mere mention of a viewpoint that lines up with their politics. That makes me uncomfortable in many cases - even when I agree with the politics.

Regarding the expression of simple truths, those sorts of things tend to work best for me when they're a response to something more difficult and weighty. A song like Jars of Clay's "Sing" or "I Need You" would come across as being rather slight, to me, if not positioned next to a weightier song like "Jealous Kind" or "Silence". It's about balance. Christian life involves a lot of struggle, and I see Christian artists trying to express that but really failing to get to the core of what that's like, so they often come across as being just "nice" people who are vaguely aware of problems, but don't have any real problems of their own - they can't relate. I don't have much patience for Christians trying to be an encouragement to me when they can't really relate to what I'm going through. A simplistic worship song in its proper context with more confessional or prayerful songs that express conflict or difficulty tells me that yes, the hard stuff happens, and worship is our response to God in the midst of that. If it's all happy times, the expression of the need to worship God is lost.

If you want to defend an artist's right to be simple, that's fine. But don't do it at the expense of the stuff that isn't simple. You can defend one thing without putting down the other. Different artists have different callings - I'm fine with that.

I'll grant that sometimes we can have a knee-jerk reaction when we hear something that is more simple or repetitive, just because the CCM insudtry focuses on that stuff so much that we don't want the more thoughtful artists to go that route. We too need to be reminded that simple is not always bad. I've heard plenty of more complex artists whose material is so overwrought and awkward - they just try too hard. It's about finding the voice that works for the artist... but that's very hard to do when record labels are continually pushing artists to conform to market research about how to succeed by following other artists' voices instead of their own.

[danny316]

First of all, Paul, that was a good in-depth review. I don't know if you entirely know what you're talking about in terms of musical styles (Jars of Clay? Latin? What the... ?), but you addressed every song and you were honest and detailed. I'm proud.
 

Further, he started with a 2-disc set! Not only is he proving himself to be one of us by writing a fairly-decent review, he's also proven himself to be more ambitious than we are. I can't vouch for accuracy, since I haven't heard the album, but I'm impressed. Paul thinks like a critic more than he realizes.  

[murlough23]

OK, I downloaded a few of the tracks from this album that piqued my interest.

The Toby Mac track is whack.

ZOEgirl didn't do too bad of a job. They did a programmed thing with pretty vocals without making it overly teen poppy.

Building 429's vsong was interesting at first, but too scattered to really get into. Still better than everything on their album, though.

Kutless did a decent job. Probably better than most of the songs they've written. The melody was slightly odd, and Jon Micah's vocals still seem as forced as ever. (I actually like his voice, just not his delivery, if that makes any sense.) The band certainly sounds a lot better when they're not doing wannabe hard rock with idiotic lyrics.

David Crowder Band disappointed me a bit. Musically, they're quite adaptable and that's awesome, but there's not much one can do with "Felix Navidad", which is on my short list of The Dumbest Songs Ever in Human History.

NP: "What's Wrong with This World", Shaun Groves

[Brenden]

I'd like to hear the Kutless and B429 tracks.

[murlough23]

OK, you guys ready for a shocker? I think Kutless' version of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is better than Jars of Clay's.

Oh, and BarlowGirl did a decent job with their rock version of "O Holy Night". They join Rebecca St. James and Seven Day Jesus on the list of weird arrangements of that song that I still like.

NP: "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)", Skyline Drive

[Brenden]

OK, you guys ready for a shocker? I think Kutless' version of "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" is better than Jars of Clay's.

Now this I gotta hear!

[murlough23]

Now this I gotta hear!

Just to clarify, neither version is amazing. Jars of Clay's is a more traditional, almost country take, which isn't bad. It's just OK. Kutless's version plays with the melody in tiny ways that I don't mind. The overall mood is interesting and they don't overpower it with power chordage. There's a nice acoustic guitar solo in the middle. It's quite pleasant even if Jon Micah's vocal delivery has the usual lack of personality.

NP: "O Come Emmanuel", Kendall Payne

[plumb_fan]

Well, as much as I love Jars, I wouldn't mind them straying from their current sound a bit. I might think WWAI is their best, but I much prefer MA.

On the topic of Christmas music, their version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is the best i've ever heard, imo.

[murlough23]

On the topic of Christmas music, their version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is the best i've ever heard, imo.

I like that version too, and of course their version of "Drummer Boy" rules.

[dgp11776]

On the topic of Christmas music, their version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" is the best i've ever heard, imo.

They come in third on my list for that song, behind Phil Driscoll and MercyMe.