Good, but the Hawks could done better...

In 2006, Hawk Nelson released a 3-song Holiday EP called “Gloria.” By then their success was just starting to come in. Fast foward to now. After releasing the smash albums, “Hawk Nelson...Is My Friend!,” “Live Life Loud,” and, most recently, “Crazy Love,” the band return to the holiday spirit with their new 7-song EP “Christmas.”

The EP opens up with the smash up of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” is a fast-paced rocker that runs for the first minute and a half of the song. The song then stops and slows down for “O Come All Ye Faithful,” leaving only the vocals of Jason Dunn and the acoustic guitar left, and then builds at the end for a great finish. “The Wassail Song” follows this, and is very upbeat as well, very true to Hawk’s musical style. This is a different version than what I’ve heard, but great none the less. “Up On The Housetop” is a fast paced acoustic oriented peice that was not exactly my favorite on the album.

“The Holly and the Ivy” slows down the album a little bit and focuses more on the real meaning of Christmas, and is one of the best songs on the album. An a cappella “Joy to the World” starts out great, but then ends with Jason Dunn’s wailing, which immediatly ruined the song.

“I Saw Three Ships” brings the punk-rock energy in, and didn’t turn to be one of the greatest songs on the album. The album closes with the more Jesus focused “Silent Night,” which turned out to be the best song on the album, and closes it really well.

Overall, while Hawk Nelson are a great band, this new EP didn’t impress me. Most of the songs didn’t even hit the two minute mark, making the pace of this album kind-of a whirlwind. So this wasn’t exactly their best effort, and I think they could’ve tried a little harder. But, songs like “Silent Night” and “Hard the Herald Angels Sing/ O Come All Ye Faithful” are the highlights off the album and ones you will want to buy off iTunes or any digital music retailer.

Rating: ******* 7/10

Top 3 Songs:

Silent Night

Hark the Herald Angels Sing/ O Come All Ye Faithful

The Wassail Song

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God Bless!
-dreamingoutloud