Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The successor to the highly successful 'My Utmost For His Highest' and 'Streams' albums where Myrrh Records hooked up with Harvest Book Publishers to produce multi-artist blockbusters linked to books, they look set to do it again with this Yuletide set. To quote from the blurb, "In a duet of women's songs and stories, 'One Silent Night' affirms the true meaning and everlasting message of Christmas in contrast to the cultural stresses of December's frantic schedule." These voices tell how their spiritual journeys to the resurrected Christ began with a step toward the infant Jesus in the manger. Certainly, the assemblage of female vocal talent is one of the finest ever assembled for any album, Christmas or non-Christmas. Amy Grant, Jaci Velasquez, Crystal Lewis, Leigh Bingham (Sixpence None The Richer), Cindy Crawford, Nicole C Mullen, Erin O'Donnell, Da'dra Crawford and Nee-C Walls (Anointed), Rachael Lampa and Maire Brennan are all on hand to sing the songs, a wily mixture of old favourites (Jaci Velasquez does possibly the definitive version of Silent Night while the best Christmas song of the last decade, "Mary Did You Know" is given a run through by Erin O'Donnell) and new songs ("When The Time Is Right" by Ginny Owens and "I Choose You" by Rachael Lampa both sound like radio hits to these ears). Occasionally the production by Monroe Jones, with a tad too many dramatic flourishes from the Irish Film Orchestra, clogs the overall effect. But with so many arresting voices celebrating the wonder of the incarnation, One Silent Night is still often spine-tingling.

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