It's time to bust out the Christmas music. Here are some great Christmas albums - share your favorites on Christian Music Facebook.
Christmas Music on Amazon. Christmas Music on iTunes. Christmas Music on Musichristian.
"I always wanted to do more of a soul-blues Christmas," says Bryan Duncan. He realized that dream with NehoSoul Christmas, a collection of 10 Christmas favorites.
"It’s blue-eyed soul for the holiday season as Bryan Duncan and his NehoSoul Band serve up a few Christmas classics...and it flows so well you don’t want the party to end so soon." Jennifer E. Jones, CBN Music
"Bryan Duncan is truly in his element here and that fact shines through every song." Kim Jones, About.com
"The swinging R&B instrumentals of bassist Ricky B. Rogers, the always awesome guitar work of Walter Finch, Phil Curry tickling the keys, and drummer Sam Matthews will enrich your Christmas season and make a nice accompaniment to your eggnog and mistletoe...The jewel that really shines on a NehoSoul Christmas is "This Christmas" an original tune penned by Duncan. The timbre of this man's soulful voice never ceases to amaze." Joe Montague, The Phantom Tollbooth.
"Take a little bit of R&B, throw in some funky gospel stylings and mix it all with a smooth harmonies and some bursts of horns, and you’ve got A NeoSoul Christmas with Bryan Duncan and the NeoSoul Band. Just the right blend of soulful spiritual focus with a healthy dose of plain old fun - this album needs to be in your Christmas collection." Joanne Brokaw, What's Up.
"Sure to be a holiday pleaser." Krista, CMSpin
"Without a doubt, this is Duncan's most creative, fun, soulful album to date. Every song is a joy to listen to. Bryan's voice has never been stronger. And the band: wow! Great Christmas music. Get your own copy fast." E. Ford, Jenison
You can buy A NehoSoul Christmas from Amazon or from iTunes. Find out how to enjoy a Christmas concert featuring Bryan Duncan.
Christmas Shopping - Here Are the Bargains & Gift Ideas
We've done the research to make your Christmas shopping easier. Here are our recommended retailers in specfic categories:
Matt Maher: Alive Again
Maher's second studio recording, Alive Again, captures the charisma has become known for live.
"On a musical level, I feel more confident; like I have more freedom to make mistakes and to be more authentic than ever before," explains Maher. "There’s a certain 'rawness' on this album that's true to who I am and how I communicate."
"The process of making the record was a communal experience," Maher says. "The writing process was like prayer between two people as opposed to a typical writing session. ... These songs were not written about my faith, but from my faith. They're much more vulnerable and personal."
"Matt Maher returns... withanother gem in Alive Again." Cleveland Leader
"Discriminating ears long for intelligent worship songs cut from slightly darker cloth, and Matt Maher heeds that cry with an unselfconscious sophomore effort. " Christian Music Today
Watch Matt Maher's acoustic performance on KLOVE. Watch Matt Maher discuss Alive Again.
David Crowder Band: Church Music
David Crowder Band recently released their fifth studio album, Church Music.
Aptly titled, the band hopes their self-produced recording will prompt listeners to recognize the continual evolvement of music within the church as well as transport them into an awareness that we exist within the very presence of God, therefore allowing Church Music to happen anywhere.
"I hope this album serves as a reminder of music within the Church, of its richness and its broadness, and the tension that exists in using elements of cultural language to express our collective experience and also still remain a transformative presence that is set apart," says band front man David Crowder.
To add to the uniqueness of the album, the 17 songs on the album play continuously from beginning to end with one song blending into the next. In order to accomplish this, the band poured an immense amount of work into the process, sequencing the tracks before anything had been recorded so keys and tempos could be finalized. The result: 73 full minutes of music – 17 tracks, which ably stand alone, while at the same time seamlessly join together.
Forget And Not Slow Down by Relient K
Relient K releases Forget And Not Slow Down on Oct. 6.
“The songs that tend to be the fan favorites in the past are the ones about making mistakes but ultimately moving past them,” says guitarist Matt Hoopes. “And this record has a lot of that feeling. No matter what trials and tribulations you encounter in your life, it doesn’t have to be the end of your story. You can move on and be happy and experience joy.”
On this latest release, the band teamed up with longtime producer Mark Townsend and enlisted legendary mixer Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Sheryl Crow), as they carried the ‘break-up album’ into the 21st century, tweaking it with clear-eyed songwriting and a four-to-the-floor optimism that is positively refreshing.
To prep for Forget And Not Slow Down, Thiessen retreated to a remote house in Winchester, Tenn. in isolation for several months writing material for the new record. During his sojourn, Thiessen stayed in constant contact with Hoopes and the rest of the band – drummer Ethan Luck, bassist John Warne and guitarist Jon Schneck - sharing song ideas and mapping out a direction for the album.
For Thiessen, the solitary creative process was a lot like prayer. “Songwriting and praying are kind of synonymous for me,” he says. “You’re using your heart, you’re using your brain, you’re collecting your thoughts, inner emotions, and putting them all together, and you’re saying, ‘Where does this all fit into my life?’”
Relient K has been making the real thing since 1997, when Thiessen and Hoopes formed the band in high school. In the decade since, they’ve released five full-length albums (three are certified Gold), five EPs and a Christmas record. They have toured the globe, and racked up several hit singles, a Grammy nomination two Dove Awards and performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’ Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The Los Angeles Times has praised Relient K for “its smart blend of punk pop and power pop, weaving together influences as diverse as the Beach Boys, Blink-182 and Fountains of Wayne” while Spin noted, “Few bands play punk-influenced modern rock as proficiently.”
Here's a video of Relient K performing a Forget And Not Slow Down premiere. Here's another.
Bethany Dillon: Stop & Listen
Soulful songstress Bethany Dillon returns to the
forefront of the contemporary Christian music scene with her fourth Sparrow Records project, Stop & Listen.
The record,
self-described as Dillon’s most confessional album to date, releases nationwide on Sept. 8.
Produced by Marshall Altman (Brooke Fraser, Warren Barfield), Stop & Listen is a call to peace in the middle of life
expectations and the day-to-day chaos that all too often takes over. “Most of the songs are about the not-so-simple ideas of
stopping, listening and waiting,” Bethany explains.
Songs like the title track, which she co-wrote with Joy Williams and Ben Glover, talk about the need to slow down and spend time learning to know God and be known by Him. Similarly, “Say Your Name” emphasizes the importance of resting in God, devoting our attention to just being with Him.
Recently married to Shane Barnard of acoustic duo Shane & Shane, Dillon’s new album also reflects a season of maturation and self-discovery. She explains, “The last year has been the sweetest year of my 21. There are so many layers to it, and it’s been a really sweet time of learning. As a result, this record is probably the most confessional record I’ve ever made. These songs feel a little more raw to me than usual. It’s probably just true the more life goes on, the more aware you are of your failures and struggles.”
The lead single from Stop & Listen, “Everyone to Know,” was co-written with award-winning producer Ed Cash and is currently vying for adds at Christian AC radio. Dillon has already begun debuting songs from her new record live at events including the upcoming Revelation Generation and will join Robbie Seay Band on a national tour this fall. Additional tour details are forthcoming.
Bethany Dillon’s self-titled debut was the top-selling female solo debut in Contemporary Christian music in 2004. In addition to the release of her critically acclaimed follow-up, Imagination, in 2005, Dillon’s single “Dreamer” was featured as the end credit song of the DreamWorks motion picture, Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story. She has appeared in TIME magazine, on “CNN Sunday Morning,” and on the covers of CCM and On Course magazines.
Here's a video with music and interviews from Stop & Listen.
Phillips, Craig & Dean: Fearless
Known for such classics as "Friend of God" and "You Are God Alone,” worship veterans Phillips, Craig and Dean's new CD showcases the heart and innovative performance that have made PC&D household favorites and a standard in churches far and wide. Showcasing the current radio chart-climber "Revelation Song," Fearless offers new melodies that are instantly sing-able and soul inspiring.
"... worship veterans Phillips, Craig and Dean’s new CD showcases the heart and innovative performance that have made PC&D household favorites and a standard in churches far and wide. Showcasing the current radio chart-climber “Revelation Song,” Fearless offers new melodies that are instantly sing-able and soul inspiring." New Release Tuesday
"If you had told me several years ago that some of the best executed modern rock of 2009 would be released by Phillips Craig and Dean, I would have personally signed your commitment papers. BUT….well, that is exactly what has happened. The beauty of the trio’s new project, Fearless is its lack of pretense: They aren’t trying to set the worship world on fire with their artistry, yet they are making seriously good worship music that is just as viable in the modern rock arena as in the church… Fearless finds the group at the height of their powers." Christian Musician
"... a mix of inspirational tracks from other songwriters and a few originals sprinkled in along the way in a cohesive mix intended to encourage the church in these troubled times… The power of the song “Revelation Song” resonates through the pastor trio and becomes the strongest track on the new album… the market for this is obvious and should stand ready for another solid collection from Phillips, Craig & Dean." CCM
"Fearless picks up where “Top Of My Lungs” left off… The album seems familiar and catchy and if you are a long-time Phillips, Craig & Dean fan, you won’t be disappointed with Fearless." Christian Music Review
Hillsong United: Faith + Hope + Love
Hillsong's latest album includes 13 songs of FAITH in the midst of personal circumstances, HOPE in Jesus for the future, and LOVE – one for another. featuring worship team members Darlene Zschech, Joel Houston, Brooke Ligertwood and Dove Award winning writer Reuben Morgan.
Hillsong Music is a ministry of the Sydney-based Hillsong Church, Australia’s largest evangelical congregation with sister churches in London, Paris, Kiev and South Africa. Hillsong Music is one of the world’s leading producers of praise and worship music and resources with churches across the globe singing their songs, and sales of over five million units in the U.S. alone.
Phil Keaggy & Randy Stonehill Collaborate
on Mystery Highway
Mystery
Highway, is a collaborative studio recording from long-time
friends and Christian
Music veterans Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill. It features
12 songs, including covers of Mark Heard's "Love Is
Not the Only Thing" and the title track of Keaggy's
album Sunday's Child.
"The legends trade off lead vocals and
spend much of the running time in perfect harmony,"
says Christian Music Today's John J. Thompson. "Excellent
production brings the tunes to life while comedic interludes
provide a peek into what sounds like hilarious recording
sessions."
Thompson's fuller review at Christianity Today reads "As long as Christian music legends Phil Keaggy and Randy Stonehill have been making music (occasionally together), they haven't collaborated on a full-length studio album—until now. Mystery Highway is all power-pop and classic '60s- and '70s-era British rock in the tradition of the Beatles, Badfinger, the Kinks, and Cream. Melody is king, and playful, reflective lyrics give it focus and purpose."
"The album's strength comes from the blending of the artists' talents. Excellent production, from vintage guitar tone to crisp drums and muscular acoustic textures, brings the songs together perfectly. "
The review at Righteous Rock states "This album is FUN and it ROCKS. These guys are doing what they do best producing up-beat retro rock that is catchy and invigorating. The production is top-notch and to hear Keaggy once again crank up electric for his best rocking vocal effort since Crimson & Blue is well worth the entrance price."
Buy the Mystery Highway CD at MusicChristian or at
Amazon
.
Buy Mystery
Highway MP3s at Amazon.
Get the album or songs at 
.
Phil
Keaggy on Facebook. Randy
Stonehill on Facebook. Other great
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recommended sites.
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Looking for some good reading from Christian authors? Check out books like The Shack, The Love Dare and Sunset from authors like William P. Young, Karen Kingsbury, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer, Tim McGraw, Max Lucado and others.
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