As a Christian, I am astonished that the world still sings our songs—especially ones like the Hallelujah chorus. The song proclaims the kingdom of Christ and the absolute sovereignty of God over all creation. Yet every year the world sings this song at Christmas time, and wherever it is played people stand to their feet in reverence. Can you believe that? There are few songs that lift my heart up to heaven like the Hallelujah chorus. I can hardly make it through to the end without weeping. Of all the pieces of human culture that I hope to make it through the fires of God’s judgment to the new heavens…
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Christmas Music – Pop
This third category is a bit of a catch-all. In short, the “Pop” category includes recent-ish holiday tunes that we have come to enjoy. Some of the items in this category are well-received by a wide audience and are on their way to moving into the “traditional” list. Some of the others may never make it there, though we still really enjoy them around our house. Once again, each album cover links to an Amazon.com page where you can order or download the music.
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Christmas Music – Traditional
Here is the second part of my post from yesterday. The main criterion for being included in my “traditional” category is the music’s ability to evoke nostalgia. Some of these are sacred music, but some of them are not. Once again, I am eager to hear what music you would have included on this list. Tomorrow we’ll finish with “pop” favorites.
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Christmas Music – Sacred
Music is so much a part of this season of the year that I thought it would be worth a few posts to talk about the music that my family listens to most at Christmas time. I’m certain you’ll find some items here that you are already well-acquainted with. Perhaps there will be some other items that are new to you or that you had forgotten about and are glad to be reminded of. So for what it’s worth, here it goes.
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Tis the Season for Music: Michael Bublé
If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know that I like to link to Christmas music about this time of year. One new Christmas album that just dropped this past October is Michael Bublé’s “Christmas.” The only downside to this album is that it has the song “Santa Baby” on it—which is, in my view, one of the most worthless holiday tunes every written. Having said that, the album is vintage Bublé with a holiday twist. If you like Bublé, then you’ll enjoy this record. You can listen to the album below, or download it here.
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Chris Thile Teams-up with Yo-Yo Ma
I was a big fan of Chris Thile when he was the lead singer for the bluegrass-ish band Nickel Creek. In the video below, you can see that he has recently teamed up with Yo-Yo Ma on a new single titled “Here and Heaven.” The song is part of a larger project called “The Goat Rodeo Sessions.” I once heard Chris Thile and Nickel Creek perform live here in Louisville, Kentucky. It was a very secular venue and a very secular crowd, yet the band closed the show with one of the most beautiful renditions of “Be Thou My Vision” that I have ever heard. The band (including Chris Thile)…
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Tim McGraw Sings Petra Classic “More Power To Ya”
Tim McGraw performed the classic Petra song “More Power To Ya” in 2005 for “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” sponsored by the Red Cross. This concert is mainly remembered for the infamous Kanye West tirade. I had entirely forgotten about McGraw’s performance and did not even know that this recording existed until Tim Challies pointed it out today. I am betting that I am not the only one who will be eager to hear it. I was only able to find the recording on YouTube. If anyone out there knows an album that this is on, please leave the info in the comments. I will pass the album title on…
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The Story of Indelible Grace Music and the RUF Hymns
If you enjoy singing the hymns of Indelible Grace, you might be interested to know that there is a documentary chronicling the history of Indelible Grace music and the RUF hymns. The trailer is above, and you can order the full documentary here.
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I Heart CCM
From some of the feedback I have gotten to yesterday’s post, I suspect that I may have given the impression that I am utterly cynical about contemporary Christian music (CCM). Nothing could be further from the truth. While CCM has its fair share of musical pablum to offer, so does secular music. And while there is some brilliant secular music, so there is also in CCM. If I tried to list every CCM artist or song that I have enjoyed over the years, the list would be too long. But there have been some that have had some staying power for me personally—meaning, there was something about the music or…
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Mat Kearney’s New Album Drops Today
I know there are bound to be some Mat Kearney fans who read this blog. For those who are, you’ll be glad to know that his new album “Young Love” drops today. The first single “Hey Mama” was released last month, and it’s outstanding. You can watch the video for the single below or download it here. For what it’s worth: Music downloads cost less at Amazon.com than at iTunes. Kearney’s first single from this album is $.99 at Amazon.com, but it is $1.29 at iTunes. Likewise, the whole album is $5.99 at Amazon.com, but it is $7.99 at iTunes. Amazon.com downloads also have the added bonus of being MP3’s.…