Customer Reviews

Home for Christmas

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I received the Amy Grant "Home for Christmas" cassette as a Christmas present in 1992, when it first came out. I was 14 at the time, and nine years later, it has yet to loose it's freshness. For me, it is not officially Christmas until I listen to my cassette, which by now is battered and worn, but still sounds good. I refuse to replace it with a CD because I have so much sentimental value attached to it! Every song on this album seems to be infused with an eternal magic I just can't explain. Amy Grant does a phenomenal job interpreting old classics like "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in a way that makes them sound fresh and new. And her original songs are right up there with the classics--"Breath of Heaven" is a hauntingly beautiful song about how Mary must have felt before the birth of Christ, "The Night Before Christmas" is spirited and uplifting, and "Emmanuel, God With Us" is just plain gorgeous. If you can only buy one Christmas album, buy this one. Even if you aren't an Amy Grant fan, you'll be pleasantly surprised. It just may make your Christmas a little bit brighter. :)

Amy Grant has turned out a classic Christmas Album. There are some truly outstanding and heartfelt songs here. "Breath of Heaven" (Mary's Song) is worth the price of the album; Vince Gill also records this song in his current Christmas Album. Grant also does an outstanding job with classic songs such as "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas." But perhaps the best Christmas song on the album and ever (it is really that good) is "Grownup Christmas List." In this thought-provoking, heartfelt song, Amy reflects on world peace and what the spirit of Christmas is really all about. I play this song throughout the year...If there is only one album you would buy for Christmas, this is the one...

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" 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).

While I completely enjoy Amy Grant's first Christmas album, 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.

"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 at the season.

"Breath of Heaven" still amazes me with its look into the conflicting feelings Mary must have been dealing with as she awaited Jesus' birth.

"Emmanuel, God with Us" ties the birth of Christ to our modern celebration in a humbling way.

"Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" and "Winter Wonderland" are fun arrangements of Christmas classics.

I have been known to enjoy this album all year long. It's a classic that belongs in any Christmas music lover's collection.

It seems that every musician and his mother has put out a Christmas record in some genre or another. So how do you weed through the junk to find the good ones anymore? Well Amy Grant does a pretty decent job with this, her 1992 offering. She's blessed with a soft and pretty enough voice to do credit to the Christmas standards included ("Winter Wonderland", "O Come all ye Faithful", etc). But for me the highlight of this disc is her cover of Carly Simon's "The Night Before Christmas". It's not an old standard, of course, but it is a beautiful song, and it was the reason I bought this CD after hearing that song on the radio last month. Some of the songs seem a bit over-produced, but that is a minor flaw. But Grant's performances here are traditional enough so as never to go out of fashion - this record will sound timely year after year. Now isn't that better than buying a Christmas CD by some Flavor-of-the-Month group like The Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync? Even if you like their music, their teen-pop corporate-driven style will sound dated very, very soon, and their Christmas CD's will make nice holiday coasters one day.

This is one of my absolute favorite christmas albums of all time. It contains some familiar classics like "I'll be home for Christmas" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" which are done very well, but the true beauty of this album lies in the quality and splendor of the original compositions. "Breath of Heaven" and "Emanuel" are breathtakingly gorgeous songs in their own right. The thoughtful lyrics and wonderfully sympathetic voice of Grant make for a beautiful combination. Perhaps the greatest song on the album, however, is the instrumental "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring". The rousing celtic arrangement of the second part of the piece is truly inspiring. I can't believe a previous reviewer lovingly, but ineptly compared this music to the "Beef, Its What's for Dinner" commercial. That's like saying you like Pavarotti's voice because it sounds like Michael Bolton

This album is, by far, the best of the three Amy Grant Christmas albums. The orchestrations are lush, yet not overwhelming, and the songs are excellent. I will often pull this CD out at times other than the Christmas season just to listen to the beautiful "Breath of Heaven" again. My favorite Christmas album!

This CD is the first one in our CD player come Christmastime. All of the songs are great and Amy has never sounded better. I like how she has some new songs and some classics. The mix is perfect and I'm sure this album will be a vaourite for years to come.

By virtue of "Grown-up Xmas List" & "Breath of Heaven," I give this album 5 stars. Amy, you have rekindled a unique spirit of Christmas in many of my countrymen who have heard these two songs. I play your Christmas CD even before December, & I always look for a friend of mine who can sing your songs for me. One of the best Christmas CD's I've heard ever!

Want a nice relaxing Christmas album to calm you down during the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? This is the one for you. Amy gives us her take on some holiday classics and she does it beautifully.

The strength of the album, however, comes from her original songs, but one sticks out the most: "Breath of Heaven." So many singers record their own original Christmas songs but usually never succeed. Amy, however, has done it again! Her "Tennessee Christmas" on her first Christmas album was not a fluke because on this second Christmas album, "Breath of Heaven" becomes another classic.

The song tells the story from the point of view of Mary as she carried Jesus. This song tugs at the heart and shows the vulnerability in even the most blessed of women and the obedience she took on even against the worst of odds. What a powerful songs and only Amy has been able to sing it with such passion.

If you have not owned this album yet, you will fall in love with it when you hear it. Buy it and you will not be disappointed.