Michael W. Smith: Every Christmas
Rocketown Records, 2023
Michael offers up his fifth full length holiday project Every Christmas, a follow up to his 2014 The Spirit of Christmas. The project is an intimate family affair as it was co-produced with his son, Tyler Michael Smith featuring his daughters Whitney Mooring and Anna Smith and the children’s choir is made up of his 17 grandchildren. The album includes six songs from his 2022 EP “Christmas at Home” and six new songs. This album plays out like Christmas movie soundtrack with its brief musical interludes (“The Night Before” and “Carolling, Carolling”), instrumentals (“The Star” and “Christmas at Wildwood”), and features lush orchestrations. It’s great to once again hear original Christmas songs from this iconic singer/songwriter on songs like the nostalgic “Christmas Is Here”, “Freeze The Frame” and “The One” and the epic “Here With Us” and “God with God”.
Elevation Worship: Echo The Angels
Elevation Worship, 2023
GRAMMY Award®-winning and multi-platinum group Elevation Worship will celebrate this holiday season with their first-ever full-length Christmas album, Echo The Angels. The ten-track album features reimagined classics such as “Hark The Herald Angels Sing,” “O Little Town Of Bethlehem,” “Welcome To Our World,” and “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” This is a worshipful collection of mostly slow Christmas favourites except for a remixed track, “JOY!,” with ELEVATION RHYTHM building off the standard, “Joy To The World.”
Tommie Profitt: The Birth of a King: Live In Concert
Esteemed producer, composer, songwriter, and recording artist Tommee Profitt has released The Birth Of A King, a live album featuring 19 incredible artists, 50-piece orchestra, 100-person choir and a full band. Profitt initially released his high-concept holiday album, The Birth of a King, October 2020 via Capitol CMG. The self-produced record, which had been 15-years in the making, features 17 songs with an eclectic lineup of guests including Colton Dixon, Crowder, Jordon Smith, Rachael Lampa, Tauren Wells and Danny Gokey. Highlights here include “Mary Did You Know”, “O Holy Night” and “Go Tell It On The Mountain.”
Blessing Offor: Like A Child
Sparrow, 2023
Newly crowned Dove Award winner Blessing Offor releases his first Christmas EP Like A Child. Blessing brings brand new invention and creativity to the classics “Little Drummer Boy” and “Wonderful Christmastime”. But it is the soulful self-penned “Like A Child” that is a must-listen this Christmas.
Mac Powell: Christmas
Capital CMG, 2023
Award-winning artist Mac Powell releases his new Christmas EP featuring five songs that will make your holiday playlists this year. It features three original songs including, “Christmas Time Again, My Friend,” a song that he wrote with his daughter and son-in-law. Other songs featured are “I Pray On Christmas,” a unique take on the classic Harry Connick Jr. song as well as “Jesus Christ Is Born” that Powell released in 2022.
Kevin was one of the founding members of the Christian acapella group Rhythm & News that he toured North American with from 1988-1995. With the release of their first album, “Get With the Rhythm,” Rhythm and News was introduced to the rest of Canada with their original “funkappella” style. The height of their success came in 1992, when they released their second studio album, “Word 2 Y'all,” which became one of the top selling albums in Canada by a Canadian gospel artist. In 1994, the group temporarily moved to Detroit, MI for a few months to record their 3rd and last album, "Dream Love + Pray" with gospel great Fred Hammond. In 2008 the group was recognized by the Gospel Music Association of Canada with a Lifetime Achievement Award. After his departure from the group in 1995 Kevin continued pursuing his passion for Christian Music by becoming a Music Critic writing for various publications including: BC Christian News, The Light Magazine and Faith Today.
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