Christmas Bonanza!. Review on It's Christmas Time

Over the last couple of years the name City on a Hill has come to be associated with excellent worship-based music that ropes in the biggest names in the Christian music scene in collaborations that have churned out several hits... and this Christmas they haven't disappointed.

It's Christmas Time is a rather plain name for COAH's Christmas act, but the music speaks for itself! The album mixes the traditional songs of Christmas songs with newly written ones, but maintains a very Christmassy mood throughout. The message is very traditional in each song. It has a good deal of chimes bells, traditional music thrown in with plenty of modern sound plugged in! Some of the newer numbers even have interludes which are picked off traditional numbers.

This excellent Christmas album kicks off with chimes ringing out I heard.... before launching into the theme song It's Christmas Time. The singer list on this number just goes on and on! It has great lyrics and is a beautiful blend of the traditional and the new.... setting the pace for the rest of the album.

The album then features Silent Night by Sixpence None The Richer. Quite enjoyable with a rolling drumbeat in the background and acoustic guitars leading the song.

Terry Scott then sings Holy Immanuel - a subdued blend of percussion, guitar plucking and hushed vocals.

Babe in The Straw features Caedmon's Call and has some great accordion music with strings... and CC's usual guitarworks. I'm starting to enjoy CC's music a lot these days.

Sarah Groves' Child of Love is another blend of guitars and background percussion with a flute joining in somewhere and then building up really well to the end. It's sung from Mary's point of view and has touching https://lyrics.

COAH means Jars of Clay will be there and on this album they throw in some complex chord sequences into their guitars to bring out Bethlehem Town. Reminds you of the old times!!

Mac Powell and Third Day then pack in some powerful vocals into Manger King. This then leads into a spree of traditional numbers

Away in a Manger is sung with the verses in a different order with very little instrumental back up - just a pump organ and some chimes in the background. Out of Eden kicks in some life into the album as they pack some punch into Do you hear what I hear which has a very peppy feel to it. It lacks their usual bass sequences but is the liveliest song in the album and my favorite... musically!

Paul Colman Trio then sing In the Blead Midwinter. Actually nothing very special in the number. Sounds quite traditional

. The grand finale in the album is O Holy Night with a blend of acoustic guitars, cello, strings, programming.... and guess who on vocals??!! Michael tait of DC Talk and Leigh Nash of Six Pence!! A cool way to end the album as it fades out with chimes, bells and the works after this number.

On the whole this is a great Christmas album with a great collection of singers. Although the pace is a little slow most of the way and a lot of the instrumental backup sounds the same, it is quite a rich album with good lyrics and music. Hope you didn't miss out this one this Christmas!! If you did.... there's always next year!!