Beyond December is the eighth studio and third Christmas album by First Call.
Released on October 10, 1995, it is the first of two albums on the Warner Bros. Christian/Gospel label Warner Alliance.
After the departure of vocalist Marabeth Jordan, the remaining members Marty McCall and Bonnie Keen continued on as a duo. This is First Call's third Christmas release but unlike the previous two Christmas albums An Evening in December and An Evening in December, Volume II, which they sang a capella, Beyond December features musical instruments and some programming but their voices still take center stage, with the exception of the a capella original track "Born a Sacrifice" featuring, at the time, former original member Melodie Tunney with David Maddux. The album also features other guest vocalists like Amy Grant and her first husband Gary Chapman, Russ Taff, Larnelle Harris, Ashley Cleveland and Wayne Watson.
Beyond December consists of a couple of new arrangements: "In the Quiet of a Silent Night" with lyrics adapted from "Silent Night" and "Child in The Manger" featuring guest vocals by Grant and Chapman is based on the hymn "Morning Has Broken." The album also consists of some original songs like "After December Slips Away" and Christmas tunes like "What Child Is This" featuring guest vocals by Harris. Beyond December peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart. The duo co-produced the album with Darrell Brown, along with Wayne Kirkpatrick and Phil Naish. The album is out of print and is not available digitally. A YouTube link to listen to the album is posted below this article.
Track listing
1. In the Quiet of a Silent Night (adapted by Bonnie Keen, Darrell Brown and Phil
Naish) -5:12
2. Child in The Manger (soloists: Amy Grant and Gary Chapman) (Fred Bock,
Mary MacDonald) -3:07
3. What Child Is This? (soloist: Larnelle Harris) (William Chatterton Dix) -3:47
4. Carol (Marty and Vickie McCall) -3:19
5. After December Slips Away (Bonnie Keen, Lowell Alexander) -4:50
6. Born a Sacrifice (guest vocals by Melodie Tunney and David Maddux)
(Bonnie Keen, Lowell Alexander) -4:17
7. See Amid the Winter Snow (soloist: Wayne Watson) (Edward Caswall, John
Goss) -3:42
8. Heaven's Coming Down (Marty McCall, Darrell Brown) -4:36
9. In the Bleak Midwinter (soloist: Russ Taff) (Christina Rossetti, Gustav Holst)
-2:58
10. The Little Road to Bethlehem (soloist: Ashley Cleveland) (Margaret Rose,
Michael Head) -2:41
Personnel
First Call:
Marty McCall -vocals
Bonnie Keen -vocals
Production credits
First Call and Darrell Brown -producers (all tracks)
Phil Naish -co-producer (tracks 3, 7, 9 and 10)
Wayne Kirkpatrick -co-producer (track 2)
Radio singles
1995 -1996 "After December Slips Away" -#16 Christian AC
Previous release: The Early Years (1995) (compilation album)
Next release: First Call (1996)
Listen to the full-length album Beyond December here: