Joy for Christmas Day

Kathy Mattea

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 30, 2003)
• Original Release Date: September 30, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B0000AM6NZ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #104,825 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Seasons Best!, December 13, 2003

By	Mark Bumgardner (Concord, NC United States) - See all my reviews

You have to give her credit. Instead of trying to surpass her masterful 1993 Christmas album "Good News", Kathy Mattea's second seaonal venture serves as a wonderful compliment to that first effort. This is quite logical since many of the performances of these songs are a result of expanding her concert set list while doing holiday tours for "Good News".

Like "Good News", the arrangements and song selection on "Joy Of Christmas" is superb, and the balance between traditional and contemporary selections is well thought out. Old friend Rob Mathes is called on once again and contributes the outstanding "When The Baby Grew Up". Perhaps the most surprising cover here is Jennifer Knapp's "Sing, Mary, Sing" , which is excellent as well.

Truthfully, everything here is superlative, from the opening "Christmas Collage" to the touching final hidden track, a song about Santa sung by Kathy's father, who (as mentioned in other reviews) unfortunately died while the album was being prepared for release.

Of all the Christmas albums I've bought this season, this is undoubtably the best. It celebrates the true meaning of the season without being "preachy", and does so in an incredibly tastful way. We now have two wonderful Christmas albums to enjoy by Ms. Mattea - something for which we truly can be grateful.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celebrating the Holy Child, December 1, 2003

By	Alejandra Vernon "artist & illustrator" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

All the songs in this wonderful Christmas collection relate to the birth of Jesus, with four traditional songs, and seven original tracks, of which the beautiful "All Because of Him" was co-written by Ms. Mattea. The songs have a mix of styles that work well together, and it is a CD that should please a wide audience. The production, arrangements and musicianship are all top-notch, and the material excellent; there is not a single weak link in the song list.

The outstanding tracks for me are:
# 1, the exquisite "Straw Against the Chill"(by Bob Franke), with its lovely melody, poetic, moving lyrics, and Kathy's superb interpretation.
# 2, "Baby King" (Marc Cohn), is in the style of a rousing spiritual, and will get you into a hand-clapping, heaven-praising mood.
# 3, the "Extra Track". I had the privilege to be at the Crystal Cathedral, where Kathy performed "Unto Us a Child is Born" and "Angels We Have Heard on High", and explained this add-on, which comes 22 seconds after the final track, "There's Still My Joy" ends. It is of her father, singing acappella a sweet and funny tune from Kathy's childhood; he passed on while she was working on this CD, and this is touching tribute to him from a loving daughter. His voice is rich and full of tenderness, and a blessing to hear.

Kathy has a unique, pure sound, that is expressive and has many colorations, and in this marvelous CD she gives us some joyous, spirit-filled music to add to our Christmas cheer. The sound is very good and total time is 43'22, and because of its outstanding quality and broad appeal, would make a gift appreciated by all music lovers.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Joyful, November 25, 2003

By	James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Kathy Mattea's JOY FOR CHRISTMAS DAY is the sequel to her 1993 Grammy-winning holiday collection GOOD NEWS. While GOOD NEWS consisted entirely of new (or fairly new) spiritual compositions, JOY FOR CHRISTMAS DAY is far more eclectic. It opens with an intricate "Christmas Collage" that weaves five traditional carols (including the oft ignored "O Come O Come Emmanuel") dealing with the birth of Christ into an Irish folk arrangement. A Celtic flavor also infuses the celebratory "Unto Us A Child Is Born" (dig the penny whistle!) and the stark, pensive "Straw Against The Chill," while the soulful side of Mattea is revealed with the call and response "Baby King" and the funky "When The Baby Grew Up." Mix in an acoustic take on "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (to showcase Mattea's rich, emotive alto) and a version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" that segues from staid, church organ traditional into a full-throated, gospel extravaganza and you've got one of the best albums of the year.