Ed Cash, Allen Levi and Bebo Norman - "Joy"(1997, Anchor Productions) * * * *

The Music
Ed Cash, Allen Levi and Bebo Norman - "Oh Come Emmanuel"
Ed Cash, Allen Levi and Bebo Norman - "Oh, What A Wonderful Child"
Ed Cash, Allen Levi and Bebo Norman - "Mary's Prayer"

It's a rare moment when one finds an album of holiday-inspired music that doesn't sound like it's been recorded and heard a dozen times over. This album, which brings together the formidable talents of three of Christian folk's best-known artists, is one of those rare holiday albums that is so good it almost seems a shame only to hear it for two months out of the year.

Recorded in 1997, Joy finds three young artists at a crossroads. Ed Cash is widely known within the contemporary Christian music community, as he produces albums for major acts including Caedmon's Call. Allen Levi is a recording veteran, having produced twelve albums in his career. And Bebo Norman, who has now produced four critically acclaimed albums for Watershed Records, was just beginning his career. Separately, the three were producing music of high quality and strong artistic vision.

Together they created an album of nine reinterpreted classics and three originals that showcases their ability to collaborate musically in a way few other artists in the genre have before. Only one song on the album (Bebo's "Mary's Prayer") features a solo performance. The rest of the songs are built through strong acoustic melodies and harmonic vocals. The result is an album that resonates through repeated listens, one you'll want to hear periodically throughout the year.

Song selection is clearly the key to the album's success. "O Come Emmanuel" is rarely included on contemporary Christmas albums, but the trio takes to their interpretation wholeheartedly. The hymn is transformed into a beautiful three-part a cappella rendition that allows each artist ample opportunity to showcase his voice. "What Child Is This?" starts out as a mild acoustic guitar melody for solo voice, but following a single verse the piece morphs into an almost madrigal structure, complete with a jazzy upright bass in the background.

The trio's originals don't disappoint either. "Mary's Prayer," which comes near the end of the album, features Bebo Norman alone with his guitar on what may be the most stunning modern Christmas piece, written in the words of Mary. "Your feet will walk on water, your eyes pierce the dark," she sings to her son. "Your heart will save the souls of man, your hands will bear the scars ..." The song, a simple lullaby, is timeless and stands its own regardless of the season.

Allen Levi's "Jesus, Oh What A Wonderful Child" is a more upbeat track that features a full church choir. The song is a solid example of a melody that fits with performance by a full congregation ... this is an outright celebration of the birth of Christ, and it's impossible to hear it without feeling better almost instantly.

Together, these tracks form a testament to what happens when three musicians come together to record a holiday album meant to be enjoyed year-round. It may take some effort to hunt down a copy of Joy, which was independently produced and distributed nearly a decade ago. But it is well worth the time to find an album that stands the test of time like this does. Give it a listen, then share the joy.

In My Headphones Mixtape #2 (Fall 2005)

Back in April I featured an online exclusive "mix tape" of my favorite tracks from that time of year. Due to frequent requests for a sequel, I've decided to put together eleven tracks I think everyone should be listening to. Some are very recent, others are from older independent releases. Read about them here, then download the songs … and as always I welcome your comments. Enjoy! But please, if you like any of this music, consider purchasing the albums released by said bands. I'm not putting these songs up so you can have "free music" ... these are meant as samples, to give you an idea of the vast amount of great music still out there. It's up to you to support them by buying the albums which supports the bands making more music.

The Zutons - "Pressure Point"
Liverpool's The Zutons sound a lot like label-mate The Coral, which perhaps has stunted their album's impact here in the states. But "Pressure Point" is a mind-bendingly addictive track featuring a fat bass line, syncopated guitars and horns and a vocalist whose voice will be bounding around in your head long after the song is finished.

Akon - "Trouble Nobody"
Aliaune Thiam, better known as Akon, was born in Senegal and raised in New Jersey. He lived a life of crime as a teenager, then used the time he spent in jail to write what may be the best hip hop album of 2004. His song "Belly Dancer" may be getting the most airplay, but this track -- which discusses the fact that he's a felon and will never be able to fully avoid the affects that has had on his life -- is both musically and lyrically a stunner. For those who don't own his album yet, Akon will be releasing an expanded version of Trouble, including a second disc of collaborations, on November 22.

Jamie Cullum - "London Skies"
A folk pop gem off his latest album, jazz popster Jamie Cullum fleshes out the simple melody with a solid guitar piano and percussion orchestration that highlights his raw sandy vocals. This comes almost wrapped and tied with a bow for American radio, but we still seem to be missing the boat, which is disappointing. For those of us who wish Cullum would play a few US dates, we can tide ourselves over somewhat when The World Cafe airs a live performance by Cullum on November 18.

Wyclef Jean - "President"
Jazzy hip hop with a Caribbean twist, this was Wyclef's pre-election bid for radio airplay. While stations never picked it up, the track is an exquisite example of how a song with political undertones can still rebel without losing ear-catching qualities. The song was part of a Haitian Creole album released by Wyclef in 2004 on Koch Records.

Steve Earle - "Amerika v. 6.0"
Another politically tinged track, this was off Steve Earle's 2002 album Jerusalem. Blending a touch of country flavor to his roots rock, Earle takes a look at post-September 11 America. The song itself relies on Earle's semi-spoken vocals to add impact, and the background music is as good as anything on his more-famed Copperhead Road album.

Blood of Abraham - "Only The Wise"
This track is an example of how a track can be successful in the hip hop genre without relying solely on today's cliché sound. It successfully draws listeners back to early-90s hip hop style musically, which is a welcome change of pace. It's also got an addictive hook you'll have a hard time forgetting.

Saul Williams - "List of Demands"
This one's hard to sum up in a short blurb. Saul attempts to expand his spoken word hip hop sound with a track featuring live punk rock guitar and vocals presented in the style of a rant in order to make a point about inner city struggles in our culture. The blend of hip hop with punk rock is a success, and makes this worthy of a listen. Saul is well-known in the poetic community as a revivalist of sorts; his website encourages youth to turn to poetry as a valid form of expression. It's definitely worth a world wide web visit.

Rilo Kiley - "Portions For Foxes"
You may have heard this one before -- Bloomington's WTTS loves to play it still, even a year after it came out on the band's Warner release More Adventurous. This is a solid example of how alterna-rock can also feature pop-oriented hooks. Try not to get hooked on this song, I dare you! Oh, and the band's lead singer (Jenny Lewis) will be releasing her debut solo album in January, so that's also worth looking forward to.

Citizen Cope - "Sun's Gonna Rise"
This one flew under the radar until it was featured, of all things, in a car commercial. But if the exposure helped bring Clarence Greenwood's music to the forefront, it was worth it. This song is perfect driving music: upbeat, sunny and you'll have the chorus down to sing along almost immediately. Check it out, then go buy his two major label albums. They're well worth the time. Greenwood is still packing them in for his solo tour (just him and a guitar) ... four of his five solo dates in November are SOLD OUT. If you've got time to travel to New York's "The Knitting Factory" on Sunday night, you might luck out and find a ticket.

Alanis Morissette - "Crazy"
Alanis has a greatest hits album coming out November 15, and this cover of Seal's "Crazy" may be her best shot at a #1 since Jagged Little Pill. Enough said.

Barenaked Ladies - "War on Drugs"
A buried album track on their latest effort, Everything To Everyone, "War on Drugs" features a simple melody and a brutally honest lyric about struggles with drugs, depression and suicide . Unless you're a fan you may have missed this one entirely, but it's perhaps the best song they've ever recorded (Rolling Stone called it the only decent song on the entire album). The band has a new holiday EP out entitled Barenaked For Hanukkah, and lead singer Steven Page released his solo album The Vanity Project earlier this year.