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Sometimes, I get a slam dunk. It's a great weekend when I get two of them. It's Ray Charles: dunk! It's Amy Grant: dunk! Then the mailbox fills up with more music, and I move on.

But let's linger here for just a bit. Amy Grant means Christmas to the legion of her fans who continue to listen to Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song), Tennessee Christmas, A Christmas To Remember, and others. It is so easy to forget that artists like Amy Grant don't just help us to celebrate Christmas, they help to build Christmas as well. So, while there are only four entirely new tracks on The Christmas Collection it is also true that there are four entirely new tracks on The Christmas Collection!

Of the new tracks, I was most drawn to I Need A Silent Night, written by Amy Grant and Chris Eaton. This will surely be a pop hit this season and a pop classic for years to come. It has that certain something of which sure-fire Christmas pop hits are made (i.e., it has Amy Grant).

Although I have heard many of these tunes for years, I can't ever seem to find an Amy Grant record lying around the house, so this gives me the entire set, in one handy CD. Likewise, if you aren't familiar with Amy Grant (Martians only, I presume), then this is the recording to buy. And all you Amy Grant aficionados and Christmas completists, Amy Grant's The Christmas Collection is an essential addition to your collections this year.

--Richard Banks
(Reviewed in 2008)

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From the liner notes:

New Recordings: Jingle Bells, I Need A Silent Night, It's Christmas, and Count Your Blessings

Co-Produced by Brown Bannister and Amy Grant

Jingle Bells

Drums: Paul Leim / Bass: Craig Nelson / Piano: John Hobbs /
Guitars: Tom Bukovac amd Ilya Toshinsky / Orchestral Arrangement: Carl Marsh / Orchestra: The London Session Orchestra / Background Vocal Arrangement by Tim Davis / Background Vocalists: Tim Davis, Mark Ivey, Lisa Cochran, and Aimee Joy Weimer

I Need a Silent Night

Bible Verse Recitation: Corrina Grant Gill / Drums: Chad Cromwell / Bass: Michael Rhodes / Guitars: Tom Bukovac and Ilya Toshinksy / Keyboards: Pete Wasner and Blair Masters / Piano: Michael Omartian

Baby, It's Christmas

Drums: Paul Leim / Bass: Craig Nelson / Guitars: Vince Gill / Piano: John Hobbs / String Arrangement: Shane Keister / Orchestra: The London Session Orchestra

Count Your Blessings

Orchestral Arrangement: Carl Marsh

Orchestra: The London Session Orchestra

Amy Grant

The Christmas Collection

Artist link

Track List