12 Days of Christmas Music: Day 4

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As one of the biggest names in Christian music these days, it was only a matter of time that Chris Tomlin would tackle a Christmas album. The result is the only kind of album one would expect Tomlin to make—a celebration that deemphasizes the holiday and reemphasizes the worship of the Savior King.

Still, Glory in the Highest is at its best when Tomlin keeps it sounding, well, Christmas-y. That’s mostly when he sticks to contemporary worship versions of classic Christmas hymns. He does a marvelous job with “O Come All Ye Faithful,” a perfectly effective Christmas-styled call to worship. Because the album was recorded in front of a live audience, the arrangement benefits from a chorus of voices gradually building in zeal, culminating with a chorus of “We’ll praise Your name forever” to the familiar Christmas tune.

Tracks like that one have added benefit in demonstrating how easily praise teams can adapt Christmas classics into their church repertoires. The upbeat “Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)” is another terrific example of Tomlin adding a catchy new chorus to timeless verses (even if, like most Tomlin songs, it’s a bit too high to sing for the average congregation). There’s nothing too remarkable about “O Holy Night” and “Hark! The Angels Sing” except that they’re simple enough to perform in a corporate setting and benefit from delicate and ethereal instrumentation that befits the season. The same could be said for “Angels We Have Heard on High,” even though it needlessly messes with the rhythm of the melody in the verses—it’ll take some getting used to for congregations.

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