Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Having brought something new and fresh to worship music with the groundbreaking 'Come, O Spirit' album, this collective of musicians now turn their attention to Christmas music. On the whole there's much to be enjoyed and the singers and musicians here show a sensitivity and flair a million miles from the mawkish sentimentality which drags down so many Christmas projects. The standouts for me were "Let All Mortal Flesh" featuring Elin K Smith with a haunting vocal and an exquisite string quartet arrangement and the moving title track where piano and strings gracefully wrap around the vocal of Aimee Wilson. Not everything works, the version here of "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" is dull, while the arrangement of "Messiah" featuring Robert Heiskel is too skeletal for my tastes. But on the whole, this is a creative shot-in-the-arm for Christmas CDs.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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