The Advent of Christmas, by Matt Maher (album, 2018)

With the music of The Advent of Christmas, Matt Maher delivers a feast of Christmas songs old and new, quietly worshipful and rollicking fun. (I think it was “Little Merry Christmas” that had me dancing on the treadmill at the gym—and which also has some clever wordplay.) There’s also the haunting “When I Think of Christmas.”

With some of the old standards, I love the way he weaves new colours into the original songs. I confess to finding the traditional “The First Noel” tedious with its repetition. This version keeps enough of the original to carry the story while bringing new lyrics to refresh it. There’s one spot where instead of finishing a line, he sings “Born is the King…” and the instruments carry the melody for “of Israel.” Anyone who knows the song will finish the line in their head, becoming part of the song.

My most-loved songs on the album are “He Shall Reign Forevermore,” “Born on That Day,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Always Carry You (with Amy Grant),” “Love Came Down to Bethlehem,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”…. There’s not a weak song on the album, and they all have a solid place in my playlist.

This has been my favourite Christmas album for the past few years, and I highly recommend it. The physical CD is sold out on his site and possibly on Amazon, but the album is available for download or streaming at the standard outlets. Give it a listen and let it become part of your Christmas this year.

Award-winning artist Matt Maher has released multiple albums and is the writer behind songs like “Lord, I Need You,” “Hold Us Together,” and  “Because He Lives (Amen).” He has also written a children’s book, also titled  The Advent of Christmas. For more about him or to view videos of his music, visit https://mattmahermusic.com/about/

[Review copy from my personal playlist.]