Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Okay, we know Christmas is long past but. . . This 10-track album is an expansion of Club Church's EP 'Christmas Vol 1' which came out in 2015. Club Church is a Canadian ministry which, among other things, brings food and clothing to the poor and needy in the Ontario area. If this information might give the impression that this album of Christmas carols given a modern music makeover is performed by local church musicians with more enthusiasm than technical and creative ability, this set will be a revelation. Jazz funk and pop dance arrangements unquestionably breathe new life to the evergreens here and the five old recordings like "O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "We Three Kings Of Orient Are" sound even better surrounded by other yuletide celebrations. Programmer and keys man Jeromy Daw is clearly a seasoned pro while the female vocalists featured are all pretty good. The best cut is the opener "The First Noel with a male vocoder-treated voice adding a new melodic refrain. It's a track crying out for radioplay so you'll be hearing it on CR radio Christmas 2018. In the meantime why don't you do some Christmas shopping early. . .

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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