FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Effortlessly moving between the meaningful and the whimsical
comes the first Yuletide release from Sara Groves, one of the most brilliant
artists caroling on the contemporary Christian porch. And it’s about time.
In the accompanying press materials for O Holy Night, Groves mentions that she’s always wanted to make a
Christmas album, and it’s clear that much thought and consideration was placed
into such a release. The sequencing is perfect from beginning to end, drawing
the listener right into the beauty and depth of the Christmas narrative and
keeping the audience attuned throughout the duration.
“It Came Upon A Midnight Clear” receives a slight U2-esque
electric treatment, especially around the bridge. The result is the most
striking track on O Holy Night, and
Groves’ vocals work particularly well here.
Groves’ higher register comes into play on the title track,
“O Holy Night.” The song soars with her voice before softly coming back to earth
along with the acoustic guitar. The arrangement of this particular tune is very
pretty and provides the most sufficiently somber moment on the album.
The most buoyant and fun moment comes courtesy of original
track “Toy Packaging.” On it, Groves laments the wrestling match known as “some
assembly required” when she sings, “Nothing makes me lose my cool like toy
packaging/Ask the kids to leave the room, it’s time for toy packaging.” It’s a nice reprieve from the rest of the album.
As the collection closes with a beautiful rendition of “Silent
Night” and the Groves family singing “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” you realize
that you’ve experienced everything the holidays have to offer all on one
complete disc. It’s a strong Christmastime effort that deserves your attention.
–Matt Conner