CCM artists Mercy Me use their signature acoustic guitar infused style and apply it to some wonderful Christmas classics. It's funny; I think Mercy Me absolutely takes their skills and talents to a new level with this holiday project. It's as if they were moved by a passion to bring justice to the spirit of the season. I liked their previous material, I love this material.
Lead singer Bart Millard's smooth vocals were custom made for the tone of these songs. "Little Drummer Boy," "Silent Night," "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear" feature Millards dulcet pipes. "Silent Night" receives some down-home country tang to this melancholy classic. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" goes into rock-a-billy overdrive. The band gives a nod to jazz with their version of "Christmas Time Is Here." The final track, "Josephs' Lullaby" is an original song. This piano heavy ballad is a tender take on what Joseph may have spoke to the baby Jesus in contrast to the journey that was before him.
Mercy Me gets better and better. Leave it to tackling a project that has built in motivation and muse to bring untapped talents to the surface. The Christmas Sessions stand on their own as a chronicle of a bands commitment to treating this often abused music to an honest, passion-filled and respectful care.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Joe MontagueWho are those masked men on the CD cover and why did they steal our traditional Christmas songs? Actually they are wearing winter scarves over their faces and it is the band members from Mercy Me who have thrown their toques into the festive derby in a bid for top honors with this year's Christmas albums. Lead vocalist Bart Millard strode into the hallowed halls of sacred hymns earlier this year…The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Brian A. SmithVersatility seems to be the goal of MercyMe's The Christmas Sessions. Comprised of ten old songs and two new ones, Bart Millard and company stretch into several different genres, some faring better than others. "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" receives a rock treatment, with the end result sounding like U2 fronted by Steven Curtis Chapman. "Winter Wonderland/White Christmas" proves that some…Similar sounding releases
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