Reviewed by Chris Tozer

Sherri Youngward hails from Seattle in the northwest corner of the United States. For the past few years she has been steadily building up a reputation for being a worship leader worth her weight in songbooks - and all without the fanfare normally accorded by a major Christian label. Her style is pretty close to that of Carolyn Arends and is very easy to listen too. With already a clutch of fine albums under her proverbial belt Sherri has now come up with a cracker of a Christmas album. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that this is one of the finest Christmas records that I have ever heard. And Sherri manages to achieve such a high standard without the grand orchestrations that one normally associates with Americans in winter holiday mood. The minimalist arrangements of a couple of instruments perfectly serve her gentle voice and bring originality to even the most familiar of the half dozen carols on this disc. But, the standout tracks are the contemporary songs including the title track and above all the self-penned "That's My King". There's nothing earth shaking about the lyrics but it's the delightfully soft voice and delicate arrangements that are bound to charm those who have had more than enough of "Mistletoe And Wine".

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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