Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 13!

JFH Music Review


Sarah Kelly, Christmas - Acoustic EP
CLICK COVER TO ENLARGE

Sarah Kelly
Christmas - Acoustic EP



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 4 tracks: 15 minutes, 12 seconds
Street Date: November 29, 2011


Christmas music is one of the most treasured gifts of the holiday season. It can recapture those feelings you know and love so well and return you to that joyful, childlike wonder you experienced when life seemed a whole lot simpler. As music fans, one may begin to wonder what some of their favorite musicians might be able to bring to this Christmas tradition. Typically, we expect these artists to take a stab at some of our most beloved carols, while also expecting them to bring along a little of their own personal flair in the process. When listening to music from a multi-talented singer/songwriter like Sarah Kelly, it's easy to wonder what the eclectic artist might bring to the proverbial Christmas table. The end result may not exactly be what one might expect, which in a way, is exactly what we can come to expect from Sarah.

While that last statement is indeed a bit paradoxical, Sarah tends to shy away from doing the same thing twice. A quick listen through her four full-length solo albums as well as a couple acoustic EPs along the way, will prove this to be true. Sarah is a multi-sided, multi-dimensional artist. Personally, I had been pondering what Sarah Kelly might bring to the Christmas season in a musical fashion a mere day or two before learning that she was already in the process of recording a brand new holiday EP. The end result came rather quickly and what we have is the Christmas - Acoustic EP. For this project, Sarah takes three classic tunes, gives them each a unique spin, and then caps off the 15-minute offering with an original she cowrote with Kristine Wildman, one of her students at the Sarah Kelly Music School in The Woodlands, TX. After giving the release several listens, I can say that Christmas music, Sarah Kelly style, wasn't quite what I imagined it to be (Perhaps I pictured more pensive and intimate arrangements like her songs "How Much You Love," "Remember You Well" or even "Midnight Sun"?), but the fact that she's given the familiar songs unexpected treatments is exactly the kind of thing that Sarah does ("Amazing Grace," anyone?).

Each of the three covered classics feature some curveballs thrown into the mix. "What Child Is This" opens the EP and sets the tone with a reimagined arrangement. A fast, steady drum beat and piano rhythm lead things off in a similar fashion to how Seabird recently updated the classics on their project Over the Hills and Everywhere. However, as the listener begins to embrace this new take, a soulful harmonica solo kicks in two-thirds of the way in, bringing a bizarre and not all that Christmassy twist to this version; her new take on the song was probably enough of an update of the tune before unwrapping that little surprise. A lovely piano melody leads into "O Come, All Ye Faithful," which at first appears to retain most of the original's composition, but after the introduction, a drum beat signals a shift in its arrangement. Overall, it may hold up the best of the three carols. "O Holy Night," an annual favorite, seems perfect for Sarah's rich vocal power. However, the final wrench in the works comes in the form of a guest vocalist, Charlie Hines, the Worship leader at Cincinnati Vineyard. Hines proves to have strong pipes as well, but his style is more gospel in nature and seems to clash with Sarah's distinct flavor. In the end, I really wished the track would have been delivered solely by Kelly.

"Sweet Serenity," the EP's lone original, is presented more as the intimate piano ballad I expected from Sarah for a project like this one. While it doesn't bear a distinct Christmas vibe, lyrics centered on God's gift of His Son to us, along with a fitting "Hallelujah" chorus and "Glory to God in the highest" verse, make the song an appropriate one for a holiday offering.

Nitpicks aside, Sarah Kelly's first Christmas - Acoustic EP may not be the project her fans were expecting, but in the end, it's still refreshing to hear something a little different during a time when it's not very difficult to find so much more of the same. Perhaps we'll hear more holiday offerings from Sarah in the near future, but until then, Christmas - Acoustic EP is still worth a peek.

- Review date: 12/4/11, written by John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Buttons, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase! Save for the holidays with code JFH20 at checkout!

 

. Record Label: None
. Album length: 4 tracks: 15 minutes, 12 seconds
. Street Date: November 29, 2011
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon Music (MP3)

  1. What Child Is This (3:33)
  2. O Come, All Ye Faithful (3:18)
  3. O Holy Night (4:31)
  4. Sweet Serenity (3:52)

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment


 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 


(JFH Sponsor Spot)

 

 

                 
Purchase Original Art Prints, Drawings, Buttons, Stickers, Bookmarks and more from JFH's own John DiBiase! Save for the holidays with code JFH20 at checkout!

Search JFH




This Tuesday, October 29, 2024
SINGLES
Pipe Bomb Hate Club - Single [The Charon Collective]

This Thursday, October 31, 2024
ALBUMS
Neon Horse Habit of Creature - EP [Velvet Blue Music]

This Friday, November 1, 2024
ALBUMS
AWZY Sinners and Saints - EP [DREAM]
Forrest Frank Child of God (Deluxe) [river house]
Future of Forestry Symphonic Christmas (Live) (independent)
Influence Music It's All About You (independent)
The Kingdom Heirs No Better Time [Sonlite]
Limoblaze Young & Chosen (Power Pack) - EP [Reach]
Paul & Hannah McClure Christmas Morning (Re-Release) [Bethel]
Planetshakers Winning Team: Songs For Church (Live) [Venture3Media]
Skillet Revolution [Atlantic]
Sam's the Hero Charlie Cox - EP [Small Step]
Jim "Soni" Sonefeld Light of Joy - EP [Vere]
Ivan Theva Waiting Here for You - EP [Descendent/Provident]
John Van Deusen Anthem Sprinter [Tooth & Nail]
Phil Wickham Hallelujah! It's Christmas! [Fair Trade]
YWAM Kona Music Missionary Anthem - EP [Integrity]

SINGLES
Ayo Shamir, YP aka Young Paul Aaron Judge - Single (independent)
Gabby Barrett O Come, O Come Emmanuel (feat. The Piano Guys) - Single [Warner Music Nashville]
Brennley Brown Mary, Did You Know? - Single [Provident]
Lauren Daigle Then I Will - Single [Centricity]
Dreamers The Reason - Multi-Single [DREAM]
EJ Swavv I Hate Lucy - Single [Syntax]
Jess Ford This is My Jesus - Single (independent)
FYR FYTR So Simple - Single (independent)
Michael Monroe Pour It Out - Single [Provident]
Seph Schlueter We Sing (Joy To The World) [feat. Leanna Crawford] - Single [Provident]
Skye Peterson, Ben Shive Keep the Feast - Single [Getty]
SNT. VINCENT Confession - Single [Syntax]
Cyndi Thompson Silent Night - Single [County Line]
Thrive Worship Hark - Single [Integrity]
Tauren Wells Making Room - Single [Capitol CMG]

VINYL
Skillet Revolution Vinyl [Atlantic]

Next Friday, November 8, 2024
ALBUMS
Gabby Barrett Carols and Candlelight [Warner Music Nashville]
CXMMXNS CXMMXNS Chapter 1 - EP [Essential Worship]
New Hope Oahu There Is One - EP [DREAM]
Neal Morse & The Resonance No Hill For A Climber [InsideOut]
TAKE Time Bomb [Resuscitation Records]
Lauren Talley A Lauren Talley Christmas [Horizon]

SINGLES
Cory Asbury I Hope You Dance - Single [BEC]
Jordan Kauflin, Laura Story Approach, My Soul - Single [Getty]
Sam Bowman & GLADDEN Misfit Toys - Single [DREAM]
Wavorly Enemies - Single (independent)

VINYL
Michael W. Smith Every Christmas Vinyl [Rocketown]
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Vinyl [Frontiers]
TAKE Time Bomb Vinyl [Resuscitation Records]

DVD
Stryper To Hell with the Amps Blu-Ray [Frontiers]



For all release dates, click here!
 



Check out the new album from Taylor Holland Armstrong!



Listen to the new Single from Second Adam and the New Creations!

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images