Music Review: Christmas Offerings by Third Day

Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Fun arrangements of classic songs

Cons: "Merry Christmas"

The Bottom Line:

One song I don't like

New arrangements of classics

Good originals




Third Day Does Christmas Right

Christian band Third Day is known not only for their Southern Rock Sound but also for their worship oriented lyrics. Christmas Offerings is no exception.

They have previous released two CD's in their "Offerings" series. Both projects have included studio tracks as well as live recordings. This release is no different. The live tracks feature very little talking, but the audience is obviously present. They hold up well to repeated listening.

The first track starts out with strong drums on "O Come All Ye Faithful." Yes, you read that right. Third Day has taken nine familiar Christmas carols and arranged them to fit their Southern Rock style. If this scares you, don't let it. Each song is still instantly recognizable, and I had no problem singing along on the first listen. While it sounds slightly different, it felt like Christmas to me, even in the middle of ninety-degree weather. Of course, part of making it a Third Day song is lead singer Mac Powell's trademark deep voice. I'm not sure what about his voice is so distinctive, but it immediately helps make this CD recognizable as a Third Day release.

"What Child is this?" is easily one of my favorite Christmas carols. Their version is quickly becoming a favorite. It starts with just acoustic guitar, but each verse keeps building until the final chorus. By that point, the full band is playing and it has become a driving rock ballad. I also like the fact that they use a little known verse for their second verse instead of the one we all know and already have recorded a million times.

They do a similar arrangement with "Do You Here What I Hear?" It starts out rockier then "What Child is this?" and it flat out rocks by the final verse. I absolutely love it, as does the live audience.

While they speed up "O Holy Night" slightly (it works well as a rock ballad), they keep "Silent Night" slow. In fact, they have a nice violin intro on that song.

Since I have quite a Christmas music library (I just love the holiday), I always pay special attention to the new songs. Here, there are four of them, none of which are from the City on a Hill Christmas project the band participated in. Three of them are great. "Born in Bethlehem" is a mid-tempo praise song to the Baby Jesus. The second verse moves from Christmas to Good Friday and Easter, something I love to tie together. "Jesus, Light of the World" has a similar theme. "Christmas Like a Child" speaks of the longing to recapture the joy of Christmas. Not the longing for presents, but remembering that the season is ultimately about Jesus.

Which brings us to the final song. "Merry Christmas" is yet another in a long line of potentially depressing Christmas songs. Band member Brad Avery's real life wait to adopt a girl from China inspires it. While the final verse does have a happy resolution, I find the first two verses very sad. I will be skipping this track most of the time, which also means skipping the hidden group sing of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Still, this one track is not enough to ruin the CD overall. By putting their own sound on classic carols, Third Day has created Christmas Offerings that I will look forward to listening to year after year.

CD Length: 51:52

Tracks:

1. O Come All Ye Faithful

2. Do You Hear What I Hear?

3. Born in Bethlehem

4. O Holy Night

5. Angels We Have Heard on High

6. Silent Night

7. Jesus, Light of the World

8. Joy to the World

9. What Child is this?

10. The First Noel

11. Christmas Like a Child

12. Away in a Manger

13. Merry Christmas