Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

JFH Music Review




Erin O'Donnell
Christmas Time Is Here



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 10 tracks: 37 minutes, 23 seconds
Street Date: October 5, 2004


Christmas music is one of the only genres of music that is timeless. While there are different styles and kinds of Christmas music, it's ultimately the records and artists you grow up listening to that continue to put you in that Christmas mood every year. InPop artist Erin O'Donnell shares that same love for traditional Christmas music and effectively passes on this feeling in the form of her own Christmas project, Christmas Time Is Here.

Mixing traditional secular classics with popular spiritual ones, along with a few personal favorites, O'Donnell includes a healthy mix of songs to make her release unique and familiar at the same time. Opening with a folky rendition of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and moving into a fun swing-beat medley of "Frosty The Snowman / Winter Wonderland," O'Donnell's Christmas debut starts strongly. The jazzy ballad of the title track, "Christmas Time Is Here," from A Charlie Brown Christmas, is a strong highlight and gives a great fireside atmosphere. In fact, the stripped-down and acoustic approach to much of the record gives the album a very late night coffee house feeling. O'Donnell knows she doesn't need an orchestral ensemble to create a Christmas record and her approach is more personal. And personal it certainly gets as she includes "Christmas Kiss," a song her would-be husband wrote for her while they were dating in college, followed by a melancholy and emotional rendition of "I'll Be Home For Christmas." The album concludes with a piano-driven and immensely beautiful and contemplative version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas."

With enough familiarity on Christmas Time Is Here to make it inviting and enough unique qualities to help it stand out from the rest, Erin O'Donnell's Christmas record is a wonderful addition to anyone's yearly seasonal music collection. If you're looking for something new this season, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Christmas Time Is Here and a unnecessarily large cup of hot cocoa (with marshmallows of course) and enjoy!

- Review date: 11/28/04, written by John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 




. Record Label: InPop Records
. Album length: 10 tracks: 37 minutes, 23 seconds
. Street Date: October 5, 2004
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
  2. Frosty The Snowman / Winter Wonderland
  3. Christmas Time Is Here
  4. Angels We Have Heard On High
  5. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
  6. Christmas Kiss
  7. I'll Be Home For Christmas
  8. Waiting For Love To Be Born
  9. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
  10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
spacer Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics
Click For Audio Sample   Click For Song Lyrics

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

Search JFH



This Tuesday, September 9, 2025
DC3 Bake Off - A COLORS SHOW - Single (independent)
Former Ruins In Your Field - Single (independent)
John Van Deusen Hallelujah Story - Single [Anotherland]

This Friday, September 12, 2025
ALBUMS
Jervis Campbell Good Grief! (independent)
Demon Hunter There Was A Light Here [Weapons MFG]
Roxanne Grace Try Again [DREAM]
Ellie Holcomb Far Country [Capitol CMG]
Sower Contemporary Christian Machine - EP (independent)
twenty one pilots Breach [Fueled By Ramen]
Phil Wickham Song of the Saints [Fair Trade]

SINGLES
BASECAMP Under the Blood (feat. Knaladeus) - Single [Polished Arrow Music]
Dan Bremnes Find Yourself - Single [Curb]
Matt Hammitt Days God Gave - Single (independent)
Amy Jay Margins - Single (independent)
The Undertaking! Forever Remember - Single (independent)

Next Friday, September 19, 2025
ALBUMS
Sho Baraka Midnight of a Good Culture (independent)
Influence Music One True God (independent)
LO Worship Songs For the Anxious Heart [Integrity]
Mainstream Worship Dwelling Place [DREAM Worship]
Lauren Mann Heaven - EP (independent)
Mat & Savanna Just How Strong You Are (independent)
Joel Vaughn TBA [DREAM]
Zane Walls Dry Bones - EP [DREAM]
Zach Williams Jesus Loves [Provident]
Paul Wright GOD SONGS (independent)

SINGLES
Frankie Orella Like This - Single (independent)
John Waller & WallerCo & Eric Lee Brumley Surprise Me - Single [DREAM]


For all release dates, click here!
 

Join honey and save on online purchases!
Need proofreading and editing help? We've got you covered! Click here to learn more
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images