WOW Christmas [Red]

Disc 1
1	Winter Wonderland / Avalon 2:41
2	Emmanuel / Michael W. Smith 5:26
3	O Holy Night / Point of Grace 5:30
4	Christmas Is All in the Heart / Steven Curtis Chapman 5:16
5	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas / Yolanda Adams 3:35
6	Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! / Jaci Velasquez 2:36
7	Away in a Manger / CeCe Winans 4:24
8	Hallelujah! / Soulful Celebration 5:53
9	A Strange Way to Save the World / 4Him 4:32
10	Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song) / Amy Grant 5:30
11	O Come, O Come, Emmanuel / Nicole C. Mullen 4:17
12	Silent Night / Mark Schultz 3:18
13	The Night That Christ Was Born / Kirk Franklin 4:33
14	Mary, Did You Know? / Kathy Mattea 3:14
15	Hark! The Herald Angels Sing / Donnie McClurkin 5:23
16	Ave Marie / Rachael Lampa 4:54
Disc 2
1	Do You Hear What I Hear? / Third Day 3:58
2	Sing Mary Sing / Jennifer Knapp 4:05
3	Angels We Have Heard on High / ZOEgirl 3:46
4	What Child Is This? / MercyMe 3:49
5	This Christmas (Joy to the World) / tobyMac 3:15
6	Christmastime Is Here / Sixpence None the Richer 3:03
7	God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / Jars of Clay 3:03
8	It Came Upon a Midnight Clear / Caedmon's Call 2:48
9	A Prayer for Every Year / Plus One 4:21
10	Sweet Little Jesus Boy / Rebecca St. James 3:35
11	The First Noel / FFH 4:48
12	O Little Town of Bethlehem / Out of Eden 3:34
13	Go Tell It on the Mountain / Fred Hammond 3:52
14	O Come All Ye Faithful / Mick Taylor 3:58
15	The Little Drummer Boy / Audio Adrenaline 3:07

Barnes & Noble

Why didn't they think of this one sooner? Collect material from several years' worth of CCM-market holiday projects and compile them in one release. The WOW brand, which has successfully mined such multi-artist, multi-label compilations in the past, is a natural to tackle this Christmas greatest-hits project. It's a monumental task, since the Christian market is deluged with holiday releases each year, but this two-CD set hits most of the highlights, even reaching back to 1995 to pluck Steven Curtis Chapman's "Christmas Is All in the Heart" out of Christmases past. Contemporary classics like Michael W. Smith's "Emmanuel" and Jennifer Knapp's "Sing Mary Sing" join some favorite renditions of traditional holiday songs: Rebecca St. James's funked-up take on "Sweet Little Jesus Boy" and Amy Grant's inspiring "Breath of Heaven" are two longtime favorites. While Wow Christmas commits a few sins of omission -- Chris Rice's "Welcome to Our World" is notable for its absence -- it also has included some hard-to-find pieces. Rachael Lampa performed "Ave Maria" on the 2000 Child of the Promise tour, but good luck finding a recorded copy anywhere but here. Ditto Tobymac's jamming "This Christmas," which was available for sale only on the artist's web site last year. This is one collection worthy of its "wow!" moniker. Lisa Zhito

All Music Guide

Following the success of 2002's WOW Christmas is a new version for 2005, offering 30 holiday songs and Christian favorites stretched over two CDs. There are selections from veterans like Amy Grant ("Christmas to Remember"), Jars of Clay (a reverent "Little Drummer Boy"), and Michael W. Smith ("Welcome to Our World"), but it's the sound of contemporary Christian pop that dominates here. Barlowgirl and Relient K turn in rocked-up versions of "O Holy Night" and "Deck the Halls," while Selah's "Silent Night" is gentle and solemn. Other WOW highlights include Bethany Dillon adding a dusky R&B touch to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and a slick, electronic-tinged "What Child Is This?" from ZOEgirl. Johnny Loftus