Happy Christmas
A BEC Holiday Collection
BEC
This is an eighteen-song compilation album of Christmas tunes – mostly classics but a few original ones too – performed by eighteen different contemporary Christian music bands. Some of the bands (Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, Plankeye, Sarah Masen) sound familiar to me but I have not heard of the rest. (Disclaimer: I am not very familiar with the contemporary Christian music scene.) It’s a pretty interesting, amusing compilation, with musical styles ranging from traditional arrangements, to rock, to alternative, to ska. All the songs are pretty good (really!), but my favorites are Supertones’ ska version of “Joy To The World,” Chasing Furies’ “O Come Emmanuel,” with a style similar to Tori Amos, Almonzo’s “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” the Cuban/alternative sounding “Feliz Navidad” by Pep Squad, and Seven Day Jesus’ “O Holy Night.” It’s well mixed and tastefully produced, too! With so many great sounding tunes, this could easily be my favorite Christmas compilation album for the year. BEC Recordings, 810 3rd Avenue #410-20, Seattle, WA 98104
