5 Must Hear Classic Christmas Songs: A Review

As Christmas draws closer and closer, here are our top 5 classic Christmas songs from over the years by Christian artists.

5. "All is Well" by Michael W. Smith and Carrie Underwood

"All is Well" was recorded by Michael W. Smith for his first holiday album Christmas (1989). It features soloist Nathan Wadley. The song is also included in his compilation set The Wonder Years (1993). Later, in 2014, Smith remade the song for his 2014 holiday album The Spirit of Christmas, this time sharing the vocals with country artist Carrie Underwood. Take a look at the video below, the soaring vocals of Underwood will leave you speechless.

4.  "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" by Amy Grant

Written by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton, this modern-day hymn captures speaks of the anguish, joy, frustrations, and hope of Mary as she was contemplating the birth of Christ.  The lyrics are so real, so emotive, and so picturesque, you can imagine yourself beside Mary. Taken from Grant's Home for Christmas. This is Amy Grant's second holiday album, the first being 1983's A Christmas Album. Coming off of the heels of Grant's massively successful 1991 album Heart in Motion, Home for Christmas performed even better than Heart in Motion on the Billboard charts, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Christian album chart.

3. "Who Would Imagine a King" by Whitney Houston

The miracle of the incarnation is a marvel pondered by many.  But Whitney Houston does it best through her soft and tender whispers as she opens the song before letting her voice roar to its majestic heights.  The vulnerability and the majesty of the Christ-child have never been more judiciously portrayed.Written by Mervyn Warren and Hallerin Hilton Hill, the song was originally recorded by Whitney Houston on the 1996 album The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album.

2. "Christmas Shoes" by Newsong

Talk about a song with a gripping moral story for Christmas, Newsong's "Christmas Shoes" is not only a story well-told, but one that will bring about lots of wet eyes.  "The Christmas Shoes" was released through Benson Records as a bonus track on their 2000 album Sheltering Tree, and it reached No. 31 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. "The Christmas Shoes" spent one week at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 42 on the Hot 100 chart. It was written by Eddie Carswell and Leonard Ahlstrom.

 1. "We Are the Reason" by Avalon

No song quite gets to the heart of Christmas than Avalon's "We Are the Reason," written by David Meece: "We are the reason that He gave His life/We were the reason that He suffered and died /To a world that was lost He gave all He could give/To show us the reason to live."  

The song is taken from Avalon's Joy: A Christmas Collection (2000), the band's fourth release, and their first Christmas album. In addition to standard Christmas songs, the album also includes covers of Celine Dion's "Don't Save It All for Christmas Day" and Mariah Carey's "Jesus, Born on This Day."

 

Tags : 5 classic christmas songs Christmas Whitney Houston Michael W. Smith carrie underwood Amy Grant chris eaton Avalon Newsong