Various Artists

Item: Emmanuel - A Musical Celebration of the Life of Christ
Author: Ted Cleaver

Emmanuel - A Musical Celebration of the Life of Christ

(1996)

Reviewed by Ted Cleaver

Discogs YouTube

Label Sparrow RecordsThe LighthouseDecember 1996

ccm classical worship

A recipe of sorts

Ingredients:

The writing talents of Greg Nelson and Bob Farrell (with a dash of Michael W. Smith)

Vocal performances by top Christian artists, including Smith, Amy Grant, Larnelle Harris, Sandi Patty, Twila Paris, and Clay Crosse

Three separate backing choirs

Classical music

Contemporary music

Selected passages of Scripture about Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection

Mix all ingredients on a 4 1/2" disc for approximately one hour. Serve as individual songs (preferably with Christmas cookies) or as an entire musical (preferably with Christmas cookies).

With Emmanuel, Nelson, Farrell, and a host of vocalists use this recipe to bring us an inspiring album perfect for the Christmas season-or any other season, for that matter. It has been touted to have a "Broadway" quality. Frankly, the label doesn't fit-but that's not a bad thing. A more appropriate label would be "contemporary musical" with occasional classical leanings.

Each of the artists' songs fairly closely fits their usual musical genre, from Anointed's funk-laden R&B on "The Word Was Made Flesh" to the country-tinged "Glory To God In The Highest" (a duet by Gary Chapman and Susan Ashton) to the soulful praise of Larnelle Harris' "Rejoice Emmanuel" to the sparse, meditative "Daughter of Zion" by Margaret Becker. These songs-worthy singles by themselves-are woven together with contemporary classical passages (think Smitty's Christmas album) featuring choirs singing passages primarily lifted directly from Scripture. This blend of choice individual pieces flow together nicely to make a well-crafted, cohesive whole. (There is one exception to the flow-I found the Anointed song a bit jarring immediately after the acoustic-based Chapman/Ashton duet. However, the tune is so infectious, the double-take it caused my brain is forgiveable. And this from a guy who doesn't particularly dig R&B.)

In general, this album would probably fall somewhere between the pop and AC/Inspirational genres, so if that's your preference (or if you can mellow out a bit for the holidays), this is a great project to pick up. Put it on as background while you're wrapping presents or decorating the tree. Then, once the holiday rush is over, sit down with it again and listen carefully to the message of Emmanuel-God with us, the greatest Gift of all.