
2. In The Bleak Midwinter
3. Christmastime Is Here
4. Nations That Long In Darkness Walked
5. The First Noel
6. I Will Find A Way
7. Baby It's Cold Outside
8. You Came Down
9. O Holy Night
10. Some Children See Him
11. Once In Royal David's City
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If you're looking for some straight up Folk Christmas music this year, you probably won't find any better album than this one, featuring husband and wife Jill Phillips and Andy Gullahorn. But "Christmas" has more to offer than just Folk music as Jill offers up a couple of Jazz-tinged performances, too. And much of the material, here, would be right at home on any Contemporary Christian play list as well. Both Jill and Andy have had success in the CCM genre previously, particularly Jill, and the two don't often record together so, when they do, it's worth taking notice. Indeed, this is the first time the couple has released an album together.
Much of the material, here, lends itself to the spiritual aspects of the season. The play list looks nicely paced, with the original songs falling in the heart of the line-up, interspaced with the more familiar material. The arrangements of some of the traditional carols, meanwhile, is surprisingly up-tempo--which also bodes well for the pacing on this disc. Most importantly, both Jill and Andy have excellent voices for the material, whether singing alone or together. And the playfulness on "Baby It's Cold Outside", for which the lyrics have been modernized a bit, comes across as completely genuine, which should make it a fun romp for the listener.
Pre-orders are being taken now and include an instant download so that you can begin listening immediately rather than waiting until Thanksgiving; this is a relatively recent trend of which I wholeheartedly approve. Judge the song samples for yourself in Jill's Rabbit Room.