Christmas Songs (2007)
Christmas Songs is a full-length Christmas album by the American rock band Jars of Clay. It was released on October 16, 2007 and is the band's first independent release on their own imprint Gray Matters in partnership with Nettwerk Music Group with Provident Music Group continuing distribution. Jars of Clay produced the album themselves.
After more than a decade on Essential Records, Jars of Clay decided to start their own independent imprint label called Gray Matters and formed a partnership with Nettwerk Music Group for marketing and manufacturing. For their next release, the band wanted to record their first full-length Christmas album on Gray Matters. Jars of Clay previously released their Christmas EP Drummer Boy when they were on Essential back in 1995 featuring "Little Drummer Boy." A new recording of this track is on this release as "Drummer Boy." The band also recorded other Christmas tracks from other various artists projects, such as "Bethlehem Town" from City On A Hill: It's Christmas Time and the John Denver cover "Christmas For Cowboys" from Maybe This Christmas Tree.
Jars of Clay began recording Christmas Songs, selecting a range of established and well known Christmas carols, some lesser known songs and some original songs to present for this project. The album was recorded in one-take recording sessions, a recording method only used once before by the band, in their prior studio album Good Monsters. This recording method meant that the majority of the time spent on the album was spent in pre-production, arranging the songs and practicing the songs before entering the studio to record them.
Christmas Songs charted and peaked on the following Billboard album charts:
-No. 7 Top Christian Albums
-No. 11 Top Holiday Albums
-No. 130 Billboard 200
In 2008, the album was nominated for a Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year. iTunes, and later other streaming platforms, added an acoustic performance of their composition "Peace Is Here" as a bonus track. In a Jars of Clay first, Christmas Songs was also released as a USB stick format. The flash drive is reusable and has a capacity of 512 MB. The USB sticks were initially only available for purchase at concerts, but has since been added to the band's official online store. Each USB stick contains the full length album, an acoustic version of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," a music video of "Love Came Down at Christmas," readings from the Jars of Clay-written book Peace Is Here, and live video performances.
Track listing
1. The Gift of St. Cecilia (Jars of Clay) -1:22
2. Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney) -3:38
3. Love Came Down At Christmas (words by Christina Rossetti, music by Garton;
arranged by Jars of Clay) -3:03
4. O Little Town of Bethlehem (words by Phillips Brooks; arranged by Jars of Clay
and Byron Keith) -4:42
5. Hibernation Day (Jars of Clay, Gabe Ruschival, Jeremy Lutito) -3:00
6. Winter Skin (Jars of Clay) -3:00
7. Peace Is Here (Jars of Clay) -4:10
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (traditional; arranged by Jars of Clay) -3:44
9. Evergreen (Jars of Clay) -2:45
10. Christmastime is Here (Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson) -3:22
11. Drummer Boy (Harry Simeone, Katherine Kennicott Davis, Henry Onorati) -4:36
12 Gabriel's Message (lyrics paraphrased by Sabine Baring-Gould, music
traditional Basque carol; arranged by Edgar Pettman) -2:08
13. In the Bleak Midwinter (words by Christina Rossetti, music by Gustav Holst;
additional lyrics by Jars of Clay) -4:37
14. I Heard the Bells of Christmas Day (words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
music by John B. Calkin) -5:32
BONUS TRACK:
15. Peace Is Here (acoustic version) -2:58
Personnel
Jars of Clay:
Dan Haseltine -lead vocals
Charlie Lowell -keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Stephen Mason -guitars, backing vocals
Matt Odmark -guitars, backing vocals
additional musicians:
Gabe Ruschival -bass guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, bells, backing
vocals
Jeremy Lutito -drums, vibraphone, percussion, bells, backing vocals
Christine Denté -backing vocals
Mitch Dane -tambourine
Sam Levine -flute, woodwinds
Jeff Bailey -trumpet
Gil Long -tuba
Jennifer Kummer -French horn
John Catchings and Carole Rabinowitz -cello
Jim Grosjean and Kristin Wilkinson -viola
Conni Ellisor, Pamela Sixfin and Alan Umstead -violin
Tom Howard -horn and string arrangements
Carl Gorodetzky -orchestra leader
Radio singles
2007 -2008 "Wonderful Christmastime" -#23 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#23
Billboard Christian Airplay, -#17 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#24 R&R
Christian AC
2007 -2008 "Love Came Down at Christmas" -#12 Billboard Hot Christian Songs,
-#12 Billboard Christian Airplay, -#13 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#22 R&R
Christian AC
Previous release: The Essential Jars of Clay (2007) (2-CD compilation album)
Next release: Greatest Hits (2008) (compilation album)
Watch the music video of "Love Came Down At Christmas" here:
Comments