In my church, this Sunday started the season of Advent, which is a four-week
preparation for the Christmas season. In the early church, it was a time of
reflection and preparation in anticipation of Jesus' miraculous birth. In
the modern day, it's almost lost in shopping and Christmas favorites such as
"Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Thankfully, music can be an escape from
this hectic world, and this Vineyard Music release does just that. Plus,
click on the album cover at cMusicWeb.com and get it from Christianbook.com
for only $1.99! (Prices may be subject to change.) It's a steal of a deal
for one of my all-time favorite albums!

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HUMBLE KING: CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD - VINEYARD MUSIC (2002)
By Dan Ficker

Some of my favorite events of the Christmas season are the choir concerts.
Most high schools and colleges, both public and private, have choirs that
sing of Christ's birth. They usually include a wide array of Christmas
melodies, from the traditional carols to funky arrangements of old songs to
brand new Christmas songs. On the days when I am not able to attend one of
these gems, I enjoy listening to Humble King: Christmas Around The World. As
would be expected from a Vineyard Music release, there's a little less choir
sound and a bit more worship band feel to the disc than your local choral
concert. But the disc is largely fueled by vocals and harmonies, and the
diversity of the music is amazing. Many Vineyard worship releases tend to
sound the same throughout, yet this disc manages to celebrate diversity
because of the many parties involved from all over the world. It is a
powerful experience and a great meditation on Christ's birth.

Many traditional songs are included in this fifteen-track celebration, but
not all the songs are the typical ones we are accustomed to finding on most
Christmas discs. Such songs as "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day", "Once
In Royal David's City", "I Wonder As I Wander" and the traditional Irish
"Wexford Carol" are presented here. More well-known songs include "Joy To
The World" and "Angels From The Realms Of Glory," a different set of lyrics
that parallel the tune of "Angels We Have Heard On High". An instrumental
arrangement of "The First Noel" provides a quiet interlude to the latter
half of the disc with beautiful guitars and jazzy keyboards.

Some of the most outstanding songs on Humble King are the originals written
by Vineyard worship leaders. Many Vineyard listeners are familiar with the
title track, which first appeared on Vineyard UK's Hungry album. The song
appears here with a Christmas feel and a new verse by the original
songwriter, Brenton Brown. "Lord Come This Christmas" starts out with the
lyrics of "Away In The Manger" and ends up asking Christ to come into our
lives this Christmas. Two new settings of the popular chorus "Gloria In
Excelsis Deo" are included on this album. The first is "Adoramus Te", which
is split between the traditional Latin and today's English. "Glory To God"
is also a song of praise to the Father echoing the cry of the angels which
appeared in the fields 2,000 years ago. A new instrumental song, "Advent
Carol", is played beautifully on the sax and provides a short intermission
to the concert.

The many countries where Vineyard Music has a presence give Humble King the
worldwide feel that distinguishes it from so many other Christmas releases.
The most memorable is "Shout", a joyous celebration of Christ's saving birth
written and performed by the Vineyard India worship team. After a few time
listening to the chorus, "We will shout / With cries of joy / The Lord our
God is with us," you will be singing and dancing along. The singers from
South Africa provide us with memorable versions of "Joy To The World" and "I
Wonder As I Wander," keeping their offerings mainly choral and distinctly
African. The New Zealand chapter of Vineyard Music chimes in with "My Soul,"
a contemporary setting to the Magnificat, Mary's song of thanks. Vineyard
UK, the group that has created many of the best albums to come from the
label in the last five years, is represented well, including a final medley
of "Once In Royal David's City" and "You Are God." Vineyard Canada also does
a great job, including a powerful version of the Amy Grant classic "Breath
Of Heaven (Mary's Song)" complete with haunting keyboard intro. The only
disappointing part of the worldwide contributions is that every song is
primarily sung in English. At least a couple of the fifteen tracks could
have been in a foreign language, and it would have felt like a more
worldwide project.

The focus on choral arrangements makes Humble King: Christmas Around The
World a unique Vineyard album. Despite being recorded at studios in their
native countries, the disc maintains a cohesive and live feel. Many songs
feature backing choirs that take the place of the audience and provide
beautiful harmonies. It brings the listener to a place where they can almost
picture the choir at the front of the church and the congregation listening
quietly to the beautiful artwork before them. Fans of Vineyard Music's
albums, as well as lovers of Christmas music, will find this album an
indispensable addition to their collection. We all need to be reminded what
Christmas is all about, and Humble King tells the story of Christ's birth in
a way only Vineyard Music can.

Read more about Humble King at cMusicWeb.com:
http://cMusicWeb.com/christmas/humbleking


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

FAREWELL - PETRA
Petra is finally done, and I guess they recorded their final concert. So if
you're a huge Petra fan and want to hear new recordings featuring members of
Petra long retired, then get this album.

IF I ONLY HAD ONE CHANCE TO TELL YOU SOMETHING - REBECCA ST. JAMES
Rebecca St. James has been traveling in worship music circles for the last
couple years, but with this album, Rebecca is back to Christian pop
...sorta. This album is part pop, part new worship tunes, but with such a
long title, a new release from this great artist is at least a PICK OF THE
WEEK.

THE WARRIORS EP VER. 2 - P.O.D.
P.O.D. is gearing up for another album, and to give the devout fans (aka.
The Warriors) a little treat, there's a limited-edition EP. Get it before
it's gone!

WORSHIP VOLUME ONE: I STAND FOR YOU - TREE63
Fans of Tree63 will find enough new and old content to make them mostly
happy with this release. But don't be fooled by the marketing campaigns,
this isn't a new album, it's just a couple new songs, some alternate mixes
and live tracks.


AVAILABLE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29 (at cMusicWeb.com or your local music store)

BRAVO GOD - JAMI SMITH
Jami's fourth studio release brings some old favorites and many new songs
from Jami Smith. In her typical style, her deep voice and atmospheric guitar
make it refreshingly different than most other worship albums.

HOPE OF ALL THE EARTH - JAMI SMITH
Releasing almost simultaneously with her new album, this 11-track Christmas
album features many favorites, from "What Child Is This" to "Silent Night"
and an interesting version of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". Don't miss the
instrumental opening and some original songs.


THE LATEST NEWS HEADLINES
- Mr. & Mrs. Jessica Simpson parting ways
- And more!

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even more great content. If you have any comments or questions, please reply
to this e-mail or send them to webmaster@.... We'd love to hear
from you!

Dan Ficker
http://cMusicWeb.com/
a different approach to music
AOL IM - dMusicWeb