The Christmas Sessions

by MercyMe

Overview

If you want to hear hard-rocking Christmas songs from a good Christian band, then your best bet is still Duvall's Oh Holy Night on Asian Man. But if you want something a bit slicker that still rocks pretty hard, this one is a good choice as well. Quite a few of these arrangements work really very nicely -- the emotional hugeness of MercyMe's setting of "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" is very effective, as is their chugging rendition of "Angels We Have Heard on High" (although rewriting the melody in the chorus wasn't the greatest idea). Singer Bart Millard can be a bit mannered in his delivery, though, and he sounds pretty silly trying to maintain his dignity while singing "pa-rump-a-pum-pum" on "Little Drummer Boy." Then there's the really ill-advised country setting of "Silent Night," for crying out loud. But they pull off the devilishly difficult trick of turning "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" into a U2-esque power ballad, and they do it with class. That's no mean feat. Not bad at all. ~ Rick Anderson

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/2016
Label:	Bmg / Mercyme / Sony Music
UPC:	0889853511426
Rank:	134401

Tracks

1. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
2. Gloria
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
5. Winter Wonderland/White Christmas
6. Christmas Time Is Here
7. Silent Night
8. Away
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
11. O Holy Night
12. Joseph's Lullaby

Album Credits

Performance Credits

MercyMe   Primary Artist
London Session Orchestra   Strings
Travis Cottrell   Vocals (Background)
Amy Grant   Vocals (Background)
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Blair Masters   Piano
Michael Mellett   Vocals (Background)
Barry Green   Trombone
Nathan Cochran   Bass
Mike Scheuchzer   Guitar
Barry Graul   Guitar,Vocals (Background)
Bart Millard   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Drew Cline   Vocals (Background)
Eric Darken   Percussion
Robby Shaffer   Drums
Mark Nicholas   Vocals (Background)
Mike Haynes   Trumpet
Jim Bryson   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer

Technical Credits

Lee Bridges   Mixing Assistant,Assistant
Harry Simeone   Composer
Ted Jensen   Mastering
Traditional   Composer
Steve Bishir   Engineer
Johnny Marks   Composer
Blair Masters   Keyboard Programming
Irving Berlin   Composer
F. Reid Shippen   Mixing
Edmund Sears   Composer
Carl Marsh   String Arrangements
Mike Scheuchzer   Arranger
Lee Mendelson   Composer
John S. Dwight   Composer
Barry Graul   Arranger
Vince Guaraldi   Composer
Bart Millard   Arranger,Composer
Franz Gruber   Composer
Joseph Mohr   Composer
Pete Kipley   Arranger,Producer
Adolphe Adam   Composer
Brown Bannister   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Henry Onorati   Composer
Gavyn Wright   Contractor
Felix Bernard   Composer
Katherine K. Davis   Composer
MercyMe   Arranger
Dick Smith   Composer
Richard Storrs Willis   Composer
David Edmonson   Photography
Luke Edmonson   Photography
Traci Sterling Bishir   Production Assistant
James R. Murray   Composer
Shatrine Krake   Design,Art Direction
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow   Composer
John Sullivan Dwight   Composer
Aaron Sternke   Digital Editing,Assistant Engineer
John Marks   Composer