Undoubtedly perennial events like Thanksgiving Day, and even the Christmas Tree Lightings have yet to take place, much less Christmas Carols. My first reaction to this CD was; 'are we there yet'? Nondescript as well is the outlook of the skyline above. There are no Angels and trumpets yet singing on high, as it was some many centuries ago back in Bethlehem.
Building on the success of their Vol. 1 project, an ensemble of Centricity artistes assembled to recreate the Bethlehem skyline euphoria with a Vol.2.
Me-in-Motion starts out with a sweet-but-steady rhythm, with an acoustic blend of guitar and piano in "Give It Away" before the tempo is cranked up to a mid-tempo riff for the classic hit "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree," made popular by Brenda Lee. With a thoughtful message, "we should remember to spread the Christmas spirit by sharing with everyone around us". Christmas will never be the same without the classic rendition of "Silent Night", beautifully sang by Downhere after the folksy-pop "Christmas in Our Hearts" that reminds you of the Beatles.
Apparently Downhere is the only other returning artist joined by some of the newer acts for this second project. Meanwhile Sixteen Cities performs a heartfelt version of “O Holy Night.” Humor has also found its way into Bethlehem Skyline 2 with Lanae’ Hale’s original song, “Starving Artist Christmas,” which became a fan favorite on the previous year’s Bethlehem Skyline Tour. Ingrained within Lanae's mellifluous chant are some feel good,heads-up messages. With some Country flavor lacing High Valley’s performance of “Away In A Manger” and a poignant original composition from Jason Gray, “Love Has A Name.” A poetic stroll through virtual Bethlehem marked Andrew Peterson's entrance, and a subtle change in the focus with "Long, Long Ago". This followed by a melancholic rock-n-roll version of the classic "Carol of the Drummer Boy" to pep up the Christmas mood by Matt Papa, before ending with the soothing gamut "Hope Is Come".
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