Top Christian Christmas Music for 2011

Matthew West offers up an almost jazzy feel with The Heart Of Christmas. Classic carols meet some new songs by Matthew that go straight to your heart, stopping to bring tears to your eyes. Guest appearances by Amy Grant, her hubby Vince Gill and Mandisa add to the magic.

The Heart Of Christmas Track Listing:

1. Come On, Christmas
2. Jingle Bells
3. The Heart Of Christmas
4. Leaving Heaven (f/ Vince Gill)
5. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
6. One Last Christmas
7. Silent Night (Interlude)
8. Give This Christmas Away (f/ Amy Grant)
9. O, Holy Night
10. Christmas Makes Me Cry (f/ Mandisa)
11. O Come, All Ye Faithful
12. Day After Christmas

Listen for:

• "One Last Christmas" (Purchase/Download)
• "Give This Christmas Away" (Purchase/Download)

• Watch the official video for "The Heart of Christmas"
• Watch the official VeggieTales video for "Give This Christmas Away"

Jason Bare's abilities as a worship leader vie with his abilities to arrange music on his Christmas EP. Beautiful contemporary sounding classics are paired with new songs and the result is something we can all enjoy.

Have You Heard Track Listing:

1. Have You Heard
2. The Night When Hope Was Born
3. What Child Is This
4. A Way In a Manger
5. For the First Time

Listen for:

• "Have You Heard" (Purchase/Download)
• "A Way In a Manger" (Purchase/Download)

David Ian may not be a name that you recognize, but Dave Ghazarian from Superchick probably rings all kinds of bells! His first solo project, the jazzy Vintage Christmas, rings all kind of bells too. Who knew that his jazz side was just as wonderful as his rock side? Listening to this makes me feel like Snoopy (dressed in his flying helmet and a scarf after fighting the Red Baron) is going to walk in any second.

Vintage Christmas Track Listing:

1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (featuring Acacia)
2. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (featuring Andre Miguel Mayo)
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
4. Christmas Waltz
5. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (featuring Acacia)
6. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) (featuring Acacia)
7. Home for the Holidays
8. Christmas Time With You (featuring Andre Miguel Mayo)
9. I'll Be Home For Christmas
10. Silent Night
11. Christmas Time With You (duet featuring Andre Miguel Mayo & Acacia)

Listen for:

• "Christmas Time With You (duet featuring Andre Miguel Mayo & Acacia)" (Purchase/Download)
• "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (Purchase/Download)

I would have never thought that I would put the words bluegrass and David Crowder Band in the same sentence, but with Oh For Joy, they put a bluegrass spin on one song, ("Angels We Have Heard On High"), so I have to mention it. The release isn't all bluegrass though. The rest of the album is pure David Crowder Band with their usual musical excellence paired with an intricate simplicity. Intricate simplicity? Yep! No over the top bells and whistles that swallow the music up, but songs presented in a pure and skillfully detailed form.

Oh For Joy Track Listing:

1. Joy To The World
2. The First Noel
3. Go, Tell It On The Mountain
4. Angels We Have Heard On High
5. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
6. O Holy Night
7. Silent Night
8. Carol Of The Bells / Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24)

Listen for:

• "Silent Night" (Purchase/Download)
• "Angels We Have Heard On High" (Purchase/Download)

Deas Vail shares four Christmas classics with a sense of excellence that makes them sound akin to epic anthems. When they harmonize, you can't help but smile and the music - well, it's top notch stuff!

For Shepherds & Kings Track Listing:

1. Do You Hear What I Hear?
2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
3. Coventry Carol
4. O Come O Come Emmanuel

Listen for:

• "Coventry Carol" (Purchase/Download)
• "Do You Hear What I Hear?" (Purchase/Download)

Singer/songwriter Matt Wertz brings a touch of home and hearth to Christmas with Snow Globe. The warmth of his voice, paired with special guests like Amy Grant, Brandon Heath and Dave Barnes, is the complete Christmas equivalent to classic warm and fuzzy. Listening to his release made me think of my childhood Christmases without making me feel old at all.

Snow Globe Track Listing:

1. Walking In A Winter Wonderland
2. Snow Globe
3. White Christmas
4. Tennessee Christmas
5. Christmas Just Ain't Christmas (Without You)
6. Christmas Time Is Here
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
8. O Holy Night
9. Sleigh Ride
10. Christmas In The City
11. Wake Up! Wake Up!
12. Christmas Just Does This To Me

Listen for:

• "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" (Purchase/Download)
• "Walking In A Winter Wonderland" (Purchase/Download)

Modest arrangements accompany the singer-songwriter's warm vocal delivery, giving you a slice of home this Christmas season.

Christmas Track Listing:

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. Hallelujah The Lord Has Come
3. Little Drummer Boy
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. Silent Night
6. O Come All Ye Faithful
7. Christmas Time Is Here
8. Joy To The World
9. Go Tell It On The Mountain
10. Mele Kalikimaka
11. Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Listen for:

• "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (Purchase/Download)
• "Winter Wonderland" (Purchase/Download)

Jeremy and Jennifer deliver Christmas tradition with a lightness of spirit on One Silent Night. Traditional Christmas favorites meet up with new songs and the end result is a real home-spun sound.

One Silent Night Track Listing:

1. Baby It's Cold Outside
2. Jingle Bell Rock
3. One Silent Night
4. I'll Be Home For Christmas
5. The Birthday Of The King
6. O Come O Come Emmanuel
7. Winter Wonderland
8. Glorious Impossible
9. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
10. Heaven And Nature Sing

Listen for:

• "I'll Be Home For Christmas" (Purchase/Download)
• "O Come O Come Emmanuel" (Purchase/Download)

Kutless delivers six songs that are all centered around what Christmas is supposed to be about ... the birth of a Savior. The band does well with a lighter, more laid back sound that still rocks, but isn't "in your face" about it.

This Is Christmas Track Listing:

1. O Holy Night
2. This Is Christmas
3. Breath of Heaven
4. Mary Did You Know
5. Beautiful
6. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Listen for:

• "Breath Of Heaven" (Purchase/Download)
• "Beautiful" (Purchase/Download)

TobyMac takes traditional Christmas carols and makes them as diverse as you can imagine! When talking about his first full-length Christmas project, he described it by saying, "Six songs are my artistry. An eclectic blend of Christmas classics and originals. The other seven tracks are my amazing bands (Diverse City) individual artistic efforts. I love it."

Christmas In Diverse City Track Listing:

1. Christmas This Year (Featuring Leigh Nash)
2. The First Noel (Featuring Owl City)
3. Mary's Boy Child (Featuring Jamie Grace)
4. O Come All Ye Faithful
5. Little Drummer Boy
6. This Christmas (Father of the Fatherless) Featuring Nirva Ready)
7. Carol Of The Kings – Maj (Featuring Gabe Real & Liquid)
8. Birth of Love – SUPERHEROSE
9. What Child Is This? – Arch Nemesiz
10. It Snowed – Tim Rosenau
11. Angels We Have Heard On High – Nirva Ready
12. Santa'scomin'baka'round! – toddiefunk
13. Christmas Time – Byron "Mr. Talkbox" Chambers

Listen for:

• "Christmas This Year" (Purchase/Download)
• "Christmas Time" (Purchase/Download)