Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: The Best of Amy Grant - The Christmas Collection

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This CD is a reissue of Amy Grant's classic 1992 second Christmas CD, "Home for Christmas." While I completely enjoy Amy Grant's other Christmas albums, this is the best of her career. Everything from the song selection to vocals and background music comes together for a Christmas treat.

The album mixes traditional, lesser known, and original songs, and strikes the right balance of new and traditional to make it seem like Christmas but not like all the others you already have. Part of this is in the arrangements, which are pure magic.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "The Night before Christmas" are songs that aren't recorded too often, but I love their joy of the season.

Original song "Breath of Heaven" still amazes me with its look into the conflicting feelings Mary must have been dealing with as she awaited Jesus' birth. It's such a beautiful prayer.

"Emmanuel, God with Us" ties the birth of Christ to our modern celebration in a humbling way. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard the bridge. Frankly, I can use a reminder about Emmanuel every day of the year.

I now have several different version of "Grown-up Christmas List," including one that tries to Christianize it. But this version, the first I ever heard, is my favorite.

"Rockin' around the Christmas Tree" and "Winter Wonderland" are fun arrangements of Christmas classics. "Have a Merry Little Christmas" is fast becoming a Christmas favorite, helped tremendously by Amy's version here.

I have been known to enjoy this album all year long. It deserves to be included in the 20th Century Masters Collection and in any Christmas music fan's library. If you've missed this holiday gem, pick it up today.

1992 was indeed a great year for Amy Grant. After experiencing five top 20 singles on the pop chart over the previous two years (a genre she had been flirting with for at least six years), a visit back to the idea of a holiday album brought out some of her career's most mature and lasting recordings.

Eleven years after its release, this collection still resonates as Amy Grant's most compelling holiday release. The arrangements are classy and sophisticated, yet they're also accessible to all listeners. The music has a timeless feel to it that extends beyond the tinny, synthesized arrangements of "A Christmas Album." Also, the overall CD flows more successfully as a complete album than 1999's "A Christmas To Remember."

Grant's voice seamlessly transitions from the full orchestra to the solo guitars supporting her. The highlights include the plaintive tones of the opening track, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," her subtle and honest version of "O Come All Ye Faithful," and one of her own songs, "Emmanuel, God With Us." Finally, I would challenge you to find someone to dispute the power of the upbeat arrangement of "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

I am impressed with the reissue and do not find it distasteful in any way, simply because the track listing remains intact. Last year, after I bought my fifth copy of "Home For Christmas" at full price, I began to wonder if the price would ever fall. Now, as with most catalog CDs, Universal will be able to reach new listeners without gouging customers. Reintroducing the buying public to what I consider to be Amy Grant's finest work at a LOWER PRICE sounds like a good idea to me -- how could this be seen as a bad thing?

Amy Grant's first Christmas album was released in 1983, when she was one of the top Christian gospel singers in the country, contained four original songs on which she was one of the writers and a mixture of contemporary Christmas songs and religious hymns. For her second album in 1992, a year after she had three singles on the pop charts ("Baby Baby," "Every Heartbeat," and "That's What Love Is For"), Grant only had a hand in writing two songs for the collection, which clearly emphasized popular Christmas songs over the religious hymns. After all, why argue with success. "A Christmas Album" has been a perennial seller for twenty years and "Home for Christmas," which is re-released here as part of the 20th Century Masters Christmas Collection, is just a step below (the formula was more impressive the first time around and the choices were a more eclectic and more interesting).

I usually think that Amy Grant is almost the ideal singer of Christmas songs, because she has a nice enough voice, but it is also a natural voice, and you can sing along without feeling like she is blowing you away. She sings slow songs like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as well as the fast paced holiday rocker "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." I really like the medley of "Joy to the World/For Unto Us a Child Is Born," and the beautiful "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)," one of the two songs co-written by Grant. Once again, Grant ends her album with a really old-fashioned hymn, this time Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," as a final reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Once again, Amy Grant supplies a solid mix of Christmas songs for our holiday listening enjoyment. "Home for Christmas" made it to #2 on the Billboard album chart in 1992 (and #1 on the Top Contemporary Christian chart, of course).

This is a reissue of 1992's "Home for Christmas", her second holiday release. Why this had to be done like this is beyond me. Then again, Universal have a reputation of endlessly recycling their catalogue, and they do it because they can. I have the original release and 1983's "A Christmas Album", as well as 1999's "A Christmas to Remember". This puts her in the same league as Bing Crosby, Elvis, Barbara Striesand, Johnny Mathis, and Mannheim Steamroller. I have the Myrrh CD and A&M Canada cassette. If Amy does another Christmas CD, it should be an official (bootlegging is a sin) recording and DVD of a concert of her annual "Tennessee Christmas" tour.
Reissued 2007 by Sparrow/EMI CMG under its original title.

"The message of Christmas is timeless ... a message of hope to a world in need of peace ... sung through the ages from countless hearts ... young and old ... in songs remembered and songs forgotten." ~ Amy Grant ~

Amy Grant has been in my list of favorite singers of all-time since the early '90s when one of my best friends, who is a singer, introduced her inspirational music to me.

This Christmas CD, "The Best of Amy Grant: The Christmas Collection" is one that I love to listen to for Christmas holidays this year. I've been listening to it for a week now and been enjoying every minute of it. It's always nice to listen to a beautiful voice with the backing of an orchestra and a chorus. This collection is a mix of traditional and contemporary Christmas songs that will surely add a sentimental feeling to your Christmas spirit.

With the support of the London Studio Orchestra under the sublime orchestration of Ron Huff, Amy Grant, with her great vocal artistry and heartfelt renditions, gives her very best to offer the listeners a remarkable listening experience this special time of the year starting off with a favorite of mine, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" down to the beautiful finale, the only non-vocal track with a derivative melody by Carl Marsh, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," my all-time classical favorite composed by Johann Sebastian Bach from Baroque Era. It features Tom Hemby with his exceptional guitar playing, Mark O'Connor with his mastery in violin, and the tasteful keyboard playing of Carl Marsh who also orchestrated the London Studio Orchestra. Ms. Grant has this to say about this masterpiece and I quote:

"The voice of the soul can never be fully captured in words. Thank you Tom, Mark and Carl for playing the yearnings of my heart."

Special mention to me is another favorite song that brings tears to my sentimental eyes particularly the chorus, "My Grown-Up Christmas List," a meaningful song with exquisite music composed by David Foster and intelligent lyric penned by Linda Thompson Jenner. Listen closely to its wonderful arrangement and orchestration by Allan Moore and the heartfelt delivery of Amy Grant with Robbie Buchanan on keyboards and Tom Hemby on guitar.

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well, I'm all grown-up now
And still need help somehow

I'm not a child but my heart still can dream
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown-up Christmas list
Not for myself, but for a world in need

Chorus:
No more lives torn apart
And wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list

As children we believed the grandest sight to see
Was something lovely wrapped beneath our tree
Well, heaven surely knows that packages and bows
Can never heal a hurting human soul

Bridge:
What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

This is one of the best Christmas CDs ever produced and a welcome addition to your Christmas collection. I merrily recommend it.

May the true spirit of Christmas dwell in your hearts not only this Yuletide Season, but also all year long, year after year, forever and a day.

Her song Breath of Heaven is absolutely one of the most thought provoking holiday songs I have heard. I have heard Christmas List form others and her beutiful, full meloduous voice just makes it 100 times better.

Great CD but the service was even better. The jacket was cracked and I was sent an extra one. I thought that was great!!

One of the best Christmas albums. A classic. Good showcase for Amy Grant's pleasant voice.

I bought this CD a month before the birth of my first child, who was born on December 22. He is now almost 13, but I remember listening to "Breath of Heaven" and crying tears of joy and gratitude for all that song means. This CD is still a favorite of ours at Christmastime, despite the many trials that have come our way since that beginning...

Thank you, Amy.

I don't own Amy's other 2 Christmas albums, but I really love this one!!! These Christmas songs can really fill you with cheer and put you in the Christmas spirit! It's even safe to listen to this Christmas album at any time of the year! It still sounds so great.

I'm so glad there are some Christmas classics on this one!... Including "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"!! ...She did an ace job covering these classics!

And of course, how could I not mention her version of "Grown Up Christmas List"? This song is a real tear-jerker. It's just so beautiful. I love the lyrics.

Other songs you'll find yourself liking...: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Winter Wonderland" ..

This is such an essential Christmas album! I guarantee you'll fall in love with Amy Grant's "I'll Be Home For Christmas"!