Bethlehem Skyline Vol. 2
A Celebration of Christmas
Christmas is a time of joy and wonder that is often mixed with anxiety and stress as the secular and sacred collide. Even believers are sometimes distracted from the true reason for celebration by the mundane demands of life during the hectic holiday season. For many people, music serves as an oasis in the midst of the madness, a way to focus on the miracle of our Savior’s birth and the beauty of God’s plan. Bethlehem Skyline2 opens a doorway to worship and invites everyone to celebrate.
Bethlehem Sky Volume 2 is a collection of Christmas music sung by Centricity artists including Me in Motion, Downhere, Jason Gray, High Valley, Lanae’ Hale, Sixteen Cities, Andrew Peterson, and Matt Papa. The album features 14 different classic, contemporary, and new Christmas songs.
Bethlehem Skyline Volume 2 Song Listing:
- Give It Away ~ Me In Motion
- Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree ~ Me In Motion
- Christmas In Our Heart ~ Downhere
- Silent Night ~ Downhere
- Do You Hear What I Hear ~ Jason Gray
- Love Has A Name ~ Jason Gray
- Away In A Manger ~ High Valley
- Carol Of The Bells ~ Lanae’ Hale
- Starving Artist Christmas ~ Lanae’ Hale
- Morningstar ~ Sixteen Cities
- O Holy Night ~ Sixteen Cities
- Long, Long Ago ~ Andrew Peterson
- Little Drummer Boy ~ Matt Papa
- Hope Has Come ~ Matt Papa
Since I really like Christmas music (understatement), I was looking forward to listening to this new Christmas album. I wasn’t familiar with some of the artists, so I was interested in hearing their sound. For the most part, I enjoyed the album.
There were a few exceptions. Lanae’ Hale sang Carol of the Bells, and the style of singing on that song didn’t fit my personal taste. I really enjoyed Sixteen Cities’ first album as I like their sound, so I was happy that they were on this album. Unfortunately, they took one of my favorite Christmas songs, O Holy Night, and went with a more upbeat, less traditional rendition. While they sounded good on the song, I didn’t care for that particular rendition of the song. While I enjoy fun songs like Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, I was surprised to find it on this album as it doesn’t have a focus on the Savior. (Side note: Me in Motion did a great job with the song.) As you can see, these are just personal preferences.
On a more positive note, the album starts with the song Give It Away by Me in Motion which has a great message and sound. Christmas in Our Hearts is a fun, upbeat song. Silent Night felt like you should all be sitting by the fire and having a sing-along. It was peaceful and beautiful. Do You Hear What I Hear is a more contemporary version of the classic song, but it sticks to the classic in feel. Love Has a Name is sure to become a new Christmas favorite. Away in a Manger sounds great with a slight country twang. Starving Artist Christmas is a fun song that showcases Lanae’s unique vocal talents. MorningStar has been added as one of my new favorite Christmas songs. Long Long Ago is a soothing song about our Savior’s birth. Little Drummer Boy is a traditional song that has been remixed with an upbeat tempo. (Side note: if you prefer the traditional version of the song, you may not like this rendition.) The album concludes with Hope Has Come – a beautiful song about the hope that our Savior’s arrival brings.
Overall, I think Bethlehem Skyline Vol. 2 would be a good addition to your Christmas music collection. It would also make a great stocking stuffer – if you can wait that long to share it. I’m personally really bad about hanging on to Christmas music as I want to listen to it all month long.
I received a copy of this cd from Centricity Music to help facilitate the writing of a frank and honest review. All opinions are my own.
