Centricity's Christmas Present
Posted December 06, 2010
By IronJedi,
It's easy to become jaded as a reviewer when the third quarter of the year comes to an end and the inevitable Christmas projects start showing up in late September. These projects can be a mixed bag. Typically, they consist of artists putting their "unique" stamp on classic songs, rehashes of traditional carols and their personal contribution to the holiday cannon. Various artist compilations typically are either ho hum (vs. Ho! Ho! Ho!) or a hodge-podge admixture rivaling that recycled gift- the much maligned Yuletide fruitcake.
This reviewer can merrily report that Centricity’s second volume in its Bethlehem Skyline series is a brightly wrapped present packed with a collage of time-honored classics and original compositions that range from fun & lively to respectfully traditional. Original tracks that stand-out include: Lanae’ Hale’s satirical and light-hearted “Starving Artist Christmas” which is sung with tongue firmly planted in cheek, alá Relient K; Andrew Peterson’s interpretation of collaborator Ben Shive’s homage to “Auld Lang Syne” nee “Long Long Ago,” is sublime; and Matt Papa’s Chris Tomlin-esque superb “Hope Has Come” reminds why we are (supposed to be) celebrating.
On reinterpretation of the holiday classic: Downhere’s arrangement of “Silent Night” is as wonderful as new-fallen snow on pine trees; Me In Motion delivers a breezy, energetic “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree;” and Jason Gray pays his yuletide respects with “Do You Hear What I Hear” in his inimitable style. Other Centricity artists contributing to Bethlehem Skyline vol. 2 include Sixteen Cities and High Valley.
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