Reviewed by Brendan O'Regan

Those who follow Nashville CCM will know that Lauren, thanks to a huge debut album hit, is a Christian music star and this 2016 release was the followup to her mega hit. If, like Cross Rhythms, you missed it last Christmas, you may want to note the existence of 'A Christmas Collection' for the 2017 holidays. It's a classy project without a hint of a Christmas cash-in which tend to clog up the release schedules each year. This set grabbed me from the very first track - an inventive jazz-style rendition of, would you believe, "Jingle Bells" and thanks to Lauren's rich vocal it works. Then comes the moody "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". But fear not. It's not all secular Christmas standards. "What Child Is This" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" are given the Daigle treatment, with her husky contralto underpinned by some fine playing. We also have an attractive Daigle original, "Light Of The World" ("A child prays for peace on earth/And she's calling out from a sea of hurt/O come O come Emmanuel"). The chorus is particularly haunting - "Glory, to the light of the world." Lauren's version of "Silent Night" was too slow and moody for my liking but apart from that the production, by Paul Mabury and Jason Ingram, is fine throughout.

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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