The music from Christmas keeps on going strong. Check out this year's new music which celebrates the birth of our Saviour:

Christmas reviews from previous years are also still available. And there's also a special review page for those classic Christmas albums.


AJB & AP
Happy Holidays
Nureau Ink LLC
2006
Anytime Tonex puts his hands into something, it’s bound to make you stand up and pay attention. The enigmatic CEO of Nureau Ink presents his latest find, AJB & AP, with a seasonal offering. Anthony Brown & Answered Prayers have spent the last few years touring serving as Tonex’s live musical background singers, while Brown has been his music director. The Baltimore, MD based group makes their album debut with an 11-track offering sprinkled with holiday cheer and an impressive amount of solid music.

As expected, the Nureau delegates give the holidays a funky twist with their title cut and “The Real Meaning”, which features Tonex. However, the album hinges its strength on Brown’s arrangements and AP’s incredible vocal blendings. The arrangements transcend traditional seasonal music and will inspire the musical ear. Check out “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, “O Come All Ye Faithful”, and “Worthy”, which are sure to pique the musical interest of any music purist. Add the exceptionally clever “MySpace Anthem” and you have an impressive debut from Nureau’s newest faction.


Various Artists
A LeRae Family Christmas
LeRae Records
2006
A LeRae Family Christmas is a collection of a wide array of artists from the LeRae label (plus guests) who give their take on old Christmas songs and original songs. Crooner Jack Yates brings a chill and soothing rendition of "O Come All Ye Faithful" with only Rhodes and an acoustic guitar as his backup. "Isn't It A Shame" gets made over by the man, Tony Terry.

Choirs are in the mix as well, with Las Vegas Mass Choir performing "A LVM Christmas", a medley of Christmas songs in traditional fashion with melodic emphasis. "Angels" is a sweet, relaxed cut courtesy of James Grear and Co that serves to encourage. It seems that a Christmas project would not be right without a remake of Donnie Hathaway's "This Christmas". Yates does the honors on this one, staying close to Hathaway's original arrangement. Terry touches the nerve of those who had relationships end with his take on the 1976 hit, "For the Good Times".

There's a mini sermon by Yvette Flunder, titled, "You Can Rest Now" and Gloria Jackson Bacon brings her operatic take on a couple of numbers. Indeed, there is something for everyone on A LeRae Family Christmas.


Juanita Bynum
Chrismtas At Home with Juanita Bynum
Flow Records
2006
Gospel favorite Juanita Bynum makes it three albums in one year with her seasonal release, Christmas at Home With Juanita Bynum. Working together with producers Robert "Jojo" Hill and Myron Williams, Bynum steps into a set of nine mostly familiar pieces, all performed with her usual warmth and passion.

Amidst chestnuts such as "The First Noel" and "Little Town Of Bethlehem" —all set to a masterful arrangement of strings, brass and judicious backing vocals— are mellowed, jazz-inflected takes on "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Oh Holy Night". The show-stopper "Mary Did You Know" is an album highlight. Bynum takes advantage of the song's poignant lyrics to make it very clear that Jesus' birth was the beginning of his human journey to become the ultimate Sacrifice for mankind.

On the praise favorite, "I Stand In Awe Of You", Micah Stampley II lends his young voice, showing great promise for things to come. The album ends with the Hill-penned original, "It's Christmas Time", which features Myron Williams in duet with Bynum, the duo settling into a groovy pocket of Christmas celebration and cheer.


Various Artists
The Christmas To Remember
EMI Gospel
2006
An assembly of artists from the formidable EMI Gospel roster gathers round the proverbial musical tree to belt out Christmas music new and old on The Christmas To Remember. New voices that have recently become familiar contribute, with Antonio Neal’s joyous groove “Steppin’ (In The New Year)” and V3’s soulfully traditional rendering of “O Come All Ye Faithful” being notable.

Darlene McCoy is imminent on the label’s list of 2007 releases, and she gives advance notice of what she brings with “Joy To The World”, an uptempo jazzy number produced by Neal. “Mary Did You Know” is beautifully delivered by Vanessa Bell Armstrong (produced by Cedric Thompson) and LaShun Pace satisfies with her take on “Go Tell It On the Mountain”. Also not to be missed is the Marcus Cole / Kierra Sheard duet on “This Christmas”, plus contributions from Darrel Petties & Strength in Praise, Smokie Norful, Myron Butler & Levi, Darwin Hobbs, Kevin Vasser and Tri-City Singers.


Israel & New Breed
A Timeless Christmas
Integrity Gospel
2006
For their first Christmas offering, Israel & New Breed dig into a collection of classics, ranging from carols, festive songs and several originals, giving them all that New Breed zing. Add in a list of guest artists that will make you gasp, and you have the makings of a classic project. Produced jointly by Israel Houghton and Luther “Mano” Hanes, A Timeless Christmas starts with the jazzy “Nutcracker Overture”. With a nod to Tchaikovsky, New Breed turns to... (Read entire review.)




Mary Mary
A Mary Mary Christmas
Columbia Records
2006
"'Tis The Season" kicks off the album, a joyous, Latin-influenced cut that gets you on your feet immediately. It's followed by the equally grooving "Only One", that Mary Mary fashion into a praise to the Messiah. Mary Mary bring in their own Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer for spoken word segments interspersed into "Still The Lamb", a closely-harmonized, down-tempo reminder that Jesus was, and remains the Lamb of God. (Read entire review.)



Stay tuned for more Christmas reviews coming soon....