Reviewed by Stella Redburn

Brandon's attractive, strong but intimate voice is well able to cope with both traditional Christmas songs and the three originals here and is given imaginative and effective acoustic accompaniments and orchestrations, produced by Ben Shive. Influences range from country and bluegrass to Motown and pop. "Away In A Manger" (US tune by Murray) has a country feel with the picked guitar and an expansive arrangement. "Go Tell It On The Mountain" offers some tasty steel guitar and is orchestrated beautifully with multiple layers of strings and interesting chords. I thought Brandon's "O Come All Ye Faithful/Angels We Have Heard On High" was the highlight of the album with the brass and choir contributing towards a great crescendo of Christmas praise. The '40s standard "The Christmas Song" with brushed drums and strings is less successful while I personally thought the CCM star's "Silent Night" was way over the top with its Hollywood-style big orchestration and choir. A plus are the original songs. "Just A Girl" is a thoughtful look at the Christmas story from the perspective of the innkeeper racked by guilt. "Mama Wouldn't Lie To Me" is a fun offering with an upbeat, bouncing brass section while "The Day After Thanksgiving" is a personal plea from Brandon not to start Christmas celebrations too early. All in all, a good if not classic Christmas offering.

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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