MercyMe, It's Christmas! (2015)

MercyMe, It's Christmas! is the 10th studio and second Christmas album by the Christian rock band MercyMe, released on October 9, 2015 by Fair Trade Services/

Sony Music. The album was produced by Brown Bannister and Ben Shive. The album was recorded in the spring of 2015 at Dark Horse Recordings in Nashville,

Tennessee.

MercyMe, It Christmas! is their second holiday release and their first since their 2005 album The Christmas Sessions. Like The Christmas Sessions, this album contains covers of both modern and traditional Christmas songs and features three new originals: "Christmastime Again," "Hold On Christmas" and "Our Lullaby," plus the opening track "Newborn" combining "Away In a Manger" and "Hark! The Heard Angels Sing." MercyMe, It's Christmas! charted and peaked on the following Billboard album charts:

-#1 Billboard Top Christian Albums

-#1 Billboard Top Holiday Albums

-#38 Billboard 200 Albums

In 2016, MercyMe, It's Christmas! was nominated for a Dove Award for Christmas Album of the Year. Some copies of this release contain four bonus tracks found on The Christmas Sessions, including "Joseph's Lullaby."

Track listing

All songs arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister and Ben Shive.

1. Newborn (traditional; arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister and Ben Shive)

-5:31

2. Christmastime Again (MercyMe, Brown Bannister, Ben Shive) -3:13

3. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) -3:21

4. I'll Be Home for Christmas (Kim Gannon, Walter Kent, Buck Ram) -3:51

5. Hold On Christmas (MercyMe, Brown Bannister, Ben Shive) -3:46

6. A Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks) -3:24

7. Go Tell It on the Mountain (traditional; arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister

and Ben Shive) -2:15

8. Do You Hear What I Hear? (Noël Regney, Gloria Shayne) -4:14

9. Our Lullaby (MercyMe, Brown Bannister, Ben Shive) -3:06

10. Joy (traditional; arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister and Ben Shive) -5:09

11. O Come O Come (traditional; arranged by MercyMe, Brown Bannister and Ben

Shive) -3:39

Personnel

MercyMe:

Bart Millard -lead vocals, backing vocals

Barry Graul -guitars, backing vocals

Mike Scheuchzer -guitars, backing vocals

Nathan Cochran -bass guitar, backing vocals

Robby Shaffer -drums

additional musicians:

Ben Shive -acoustic piano, keyboard, Hammond B-3 organ, programming, horn

and string arrangements

Mark Douthit -saxophones

Barry Green -trombone

Mike Haynes -trumpet

Keith Smith -trumpet, arrangements

Carol Neuen-Rabinowitz -cello

Monisa Angell and Kristin Wilkinson -viola

David Angell, Janet Darnall and David Davidson -violin

Radio singles

2015 "Christmastime Again" -#32 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#23 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#12 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2015 -2016 "Go Tell It on the Mountain" -#39 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#30

Billboard Christian Airplay, -#24 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2015 -2016 "Our Lullaby" -#50 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#37 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#16 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2015 -2016 "Sleigh Ride" -#50 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#30 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#21 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

2015 -2016 "Joy" -#29 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#19 Billboard Christian

Airplay, -#12 Billboard Christian AC Airplay

Previous release: Welcome to the New (2014)  

Next release: Lifer (2017)

Listen and watch the visual Christmas album MercyMe, It's Christmas! including

lyric videos of "Christmastime Again," "Our Lullaby" and "Joy" :